Terms of Service & course policy.

Course access comes first

LocalGolfBuddy.com connects a visitor with an attending local host. It is not a golf course, booking agent for a course, or issuer of membership cards. We are not affiliated with the Myrtle Beach Golf Passport, the Myrtle Beach Golf Trail, or any course unless a separate written agreement says otherwise.

Every listing requires the host to confirm the current guest rate and eligibility directly with that specific course. Course-specific rules control: a course may limit guests, require the member to book or check in, request matching photo ID, change a rate, or refuse access. A local card is personal; hosts may not lend, transfer, or share it. Do not list or pay for a round unless the course permits the exact guest arrangement.

Price and payment

New accounts receive a six-month launch trial, which does not automatically become a paid subscription. Paid membership is planned at $24 per year and allows ordinary paid accounts to create and administer up to two private groups. Approved Golf Guides may list public tee times without a paid membership during the current launch initiative. After a trial expires, unpaid accounts may be restricted from new bookings, posts, and group activity. See Membership for account-specific access and dates and the payment policy for billing and cancellation details. Any future live renewal terms must be disclosed before purchase; current subscription checkout is test-only.

Public-group checkout charges each golfer a flat $10 platform fee, the selected visitor guide fee ($0, $5, $10, $15, or $20), and a refundable no-show deposit equal to the individual golfer member rate. The actual course guest rate is paid separately at the course; the deposit is not a payment to the course. LocalGolfBuddy.com deducts 15% of the guide service fee from the guide’s eventual payout, leaving 85% for the guide. This commission is not an additional charge to the requesting golfer. Public hosting still requires guide verification and the posting agreement, but no course-approval review. Private-group signups remain fee-free, with course charges handled directly with the course. A group signup is not a course reservation.

Membership checkout may collect real payments when explicitly identified as live on the Membership page: $24 initially and each year until auto-renewal is turned off. Free trials never convert automatically, and test subscriptions never become real subscriptions. Golf-round checkout, deposit refunds, and Guide payouts remain test-only and do not move real money. Owner-confirmed payout tests can release only the Guide’s net earnings to a separate Stripe Express test balance; no automatic Connect transfer or bank payout is made. The 45-day hold starts after verified round completion. LocalGolfBuddy.com does not offer escrow. The posting golfer is responsible for following their membership-card and course rules. Golf-round payments, deposits, guide compensation, and cancellation policies require legal and payment-provider review before those real-money flows are enabled; no course-approval step is part of posting or booking.

Golf Guide chargeback responsibility

Attendance, reports, and refunds

The host must attend. Completion controls open six hours after the scheduled tee time. The deposit qualifies for refund after the site owner approves a paid course receipt uploaded by the requesting golfer, or after both the requesting golfer and guide confirm completion. An upload alone does not approve a refund. Receipts are private to the requester and site owner. For completed rounds, the refund returns only the deposit to the original payment method, not the platform or guide fees; pending or failed refunds remain visible until Stripe confirms the result. No refund is granted solely because the round date passed. No-shows and disputed attendance require owner assistance during development; there is no automatic deposit forfeiture.

If the host cancels a paid public listing before its scheduled tee-off, the Website automatically requests a full refund of the platform fee, Guide fee, and no-show deposit, with no Guide earnings. This currently operates in Stripe test mode only. Golfers may cancel their own spot through the Website at least 48 hours before play; inside that window they must contact the course directly about reservation changes. Course-side weather and rain-check rules apply to charges paid to the course, not as a blanket exception to Website refunds. The Payment, Cancellation & Refund Policy controls the detailed fee and refund rules if a general summary differs.

Once your paid public-group booking is confirmed and you are added to the tee time, the $10 platform fee per golfer is non-refundable if you initiate cancellation at any time, including more than 48 hours before play. Cancel through My Tee Times at least 48 hours before scheduled play to receive an automatic refund of the Guide fee and no-show deposit, without owner approval. Your spots reopen and the host is notified; no Guide earnings are payable for that cancelled booking. Inside 48 hours, contact the course directly about reservation changes; this does not trigger an automatic Website refund. Full refunds when the host cancels before scheduled play and refund rights required by law are unchanged.

Guides who initiate two cancellations of public tee times with confirmed, paid golfers in a rolling 30-day period incur a $10 earnings charge, no more than once per 30 days. Each cancelled tee time counts once. Private, fee-free local-play, unpaid, and golfer-initiated cancellations do not count. The charge is deducted from available or future Guide earnings, with any unpaid amount carried forward; it is not a withdrawal from an external bank account and does not reduce golfer refunds. See My Guide Payouts and the Payment, Cancellation & Refund Policy.

A listing or booking request is not a course reservation or guarantee of play. Check the course’s final confirmation, current rate, cancellation rules, and check-in requirements directly with the course.

Privacy Policy

Read the full Privacy Policy for information collection, notifications, service providers, sharing settings, retention, deletion requests, and Company contact details. Where a legacy summary here differs, the current Privacy Policy describes our information practices.

Marketplace role and independent Guides

LocalGolfBuddy.com provides an online community and matchmaking service, not a golf venue, professional golf instruction, course reservation guarantee, or emergency service. Guides participate independently; using the Website does not by itself create employment, agency, partnership, or a joint venture with Carolina Coastline & Clubs LLC. Guides choose the rounds they offer and are responsible for their services, applicable taxes, permissions, and compliance with course and membership-card rules. Legal classification depends on applicable law, not merely this wording.

Guide verification reviews submitted identity and membership documentation. It is not a criminal background check, professional certification, or guarantee of skill, handicap accuracy, character, compatibility, safety, or conduct. Golfers should exercise their own judgment when arranging in-person meetings.

Golf risks and responsibility

Golf involves risks, including errant balls, swinging clubs, golf carts, uneven terrain, weather, lightning, injury, and damage or loss of property. Participate within your abilities, follow course safety instructions, and stop play when conditions are unsafe. You acknowledge the ordinary risks of voluntary participation to the extent permitted by law. Nothing here waives rights that applicable law does not allow you to waive or excuses conduct for which liability cannot legally be excluded.

Conduct, account security, and moderation

Our Code of Conduct & User Guidelines form part of these terms and explain prohibited communications, spam, unauthorized advertising, financial and technical abuse, available enforcement actions, and how to report violations or request review. These rules apply to both public and private Website interactions, subject to applicable law.

Provide accurate account, rate, availability, membership, and attendance information. Do not impersonate others, misuse membership cards, share another person’s private documents, harass golfers, post unlawful or infringing content, manipulate reviews or completion confirmations, or use the Website for fraud. Keep login details secure and promptly report unauthorized account activity. Organizers must have permission to submit the names of golfers who joined outside the app.

We may restrict accounts, remove content, or suspend access for misuse, security concerns, or violations of these terms, subject to applicable law. Group administrators may manage membership within their groups. Account or group removal does not automatically erase booking, conversation, or payment history or determine an outstanding refund claim.

Your content and intellectual property

You retain ownership of content you submit and must have permission to share it. You grant the Company a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to store, process, format, and display that content as reasonably necessary to provide and protect the Website, consistent with the Privacy Policy and your sharing settings. This operational license does not authorize unrestricted marketing use of private selfies, identity documents, receipts, or private conversations. Retained historical records remain subject to the Privacy Policy. Separate permission is needed for uses beyond this operational scope.

Website branding, software, and other Company materials remain the property of the Company or their respective rights holders. Third-party course names, marks, reviews, photographs, and linked materials remain subject to their owners’ rights. Report suspected copyright infringement to the Company using the support email below, identifying the protected work, the specific Website location, your contact information, and the basis for your claim. This contact is not a representation that a DMCA agent has been formally registered.

Service limitations and legal claims

To the extent permitted by law, the Website is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of uninterrupted operation, error-free listings, fitness for a particular purpose, or guaranteed access to a course. We do not control independent golfers, golf courses, weather, or third-party services. This does not remove the Company’s responsibility for its own obligations under applicable law.

To the extent permitted by law, the Company is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential losses resulting from Website use. This limitation does not exclude liability for fraud, willful misconduct, gross negligence, or any other liability or statutory consumer right that cannot lawfully be excluded. It does not override an express refund obligation in the Payment, Cancellation & Refund Policy.

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to indemnify the Company against reasonable third-party claims, losses, and expenses caused by your unlawful conduct, infringement of others’ rights, or material violation of these terms. This does not require indemnification for the Company’s own negligence or misconduct or impose obligations prohibited by law.

North Carolina law and disputes

These terms are governed by North Carolina law, subject to mandatory protections that apply where you live. Unless applicable law requires another venue, disputes concerning the Website may be brought in the state or federal courts with jurisdiction in North Carolina. Nothing in these terms requires arbitration or waives non-waivable consumer rights. Please contact the Company first to seek a practical resolution; doing so does not limit rights or legal deadlines.

Updates and legal contact

We may update these terms by publishing a revised version and updated date. Material changes will receive any additional notice or consent required by law. Updates do not retroactively remove an existing refund entitlement.

For legal or support inquiries, email support@localgolfbuddy.com.

Before launch

This is a product draft, not legal advice or a compliance guarantee. Posting golfers must understand and comply with their membership-card plan, guest eligibility, reservation conditions, and course policies. Removing platform course review does not override any course or membership restriction. Review applicable marketplace, payment, privacy, tax, advertising, and consumer-protection obligations before enabling real payments.