Golf is booming. Participation is at generational highs, waitlists for private clubs are stretching longer every year, and the game is as culturally relevant as it’s ever been. And yet, one of the sport’s most routine transactions—the tee time—remains stuck in the late ’90s.
That’s the premise behind Rebuilding Tee Time Access, a recent white paper by Old Tom Capital (Link to Download It). Thanks to one our readers, Chris, for bringing this to my attention this week.
Overall, I really enjoyed reading it and thought it worthwhile to share it and provide additional commentary. For this community, my thought was to unpack its big ideas and what they mean for your club, your members, and your bottom line.
Let's Grow Golf,
-Rich
The Broken Tee Time Experience
The white paper calls the tee time “the most frequent transaction in golf” yet also “the least resolved”. For players, that means clunky websites, hidden fees, and incomplete visibility. For operators, it means billions lost to no-shows, cancellations, and bot-driven scalping.
The study poses this interesting comparison: the tee time is the airplane ticket. If airlines can sell tickets worldwide in seconds, why does booking a tee time still take multiple clicks and a phone call?
The Revenue Black Hole
Here’s the kicker, according to the white paper: U.S. golf loses $1.2B annually from cancellations and no-shows—and over $12.3B when unbooked rounds are factored in.
Bots are part of the problem, scooping up prime slots only to resell them. When those resales fail, it’s a no-show: zero revenue from green fees, food and beverage, or merchandise.
For every operator, the silent question is: How much are you leaking through your tee sheet right now?
Golfers vs. Operators: The Tension Point
Golfers want visibility, transparency, and real-time alerts. Operators want pricing control, inventory ownership, and bot protection.
The paper argues the opportunity lies in bridging these two needs—giving golfers frictionless access without ceding economics and control.
The white paper proposes that now is a time for innovation: a platform that works for both sides.
Why Infrastructure Wins (Not Apps)
Old Tom Capital stresses that the winner here won’t be “another direct-to-consumer app with a clean UI,” but an infrastructure layer that unifies fragmented systems and orchestrates supply and demand.
So what does this look like in practice? Think of it less like a new app to download, and more like the invisible plumbing that powers modern industries.
Here are some of the examples in the white paper:
- Dynamic Pricing: Sagacity shows that data-driven yield intelligence can improve revenue on underperforming tee windows. This isn’t just tweaking rates; it’s infrastructure that learns from patterns and adjusts automatically — creating more predictable cash flow for operators without alienating players.
- Travel Integration: TripFusion embeds tee times directly into travel booking flows. Picture a golfer booking a weekend trip to Scottsdale and automatically seeing tee time options alongside flights and hotels. That’s not a marketing gimmick — that’s infrastructure meeting players where intent is already highest.
- Operational Unification: On the private club side, Whoosh is redefining what operational control looks like. By bundling scheduling, member management, and payments into one platform, it eliminates fragmentation and delivers a seamless member experience. Imagine that same level of orchestration scaled to public-access golf.
Taken together, these examples show that the future isn’t about building the prettiest booking app — it’s about creating a logic layer that runs underneath the surface, one that connects golfers, operators, and systems in real time. like TripFusion, which embeds tee times into trip planning flows.
What This Means for You
1. Control Will Trump Exposure
Action: Audit your tee sheet and booking channels. How many rounds are sold through barter or discounted distribution? Set a goal to reclaim at least 20% of those rounds to direct booking this year.
2. Dynamic Pricing Is Inevitable
Action: Pick one low-demand window (e.g., Tuesday afternoons) and test dynamic pricing for 90 days. Track fill rate and secondary revenue (F&B, carts, shop) against last year’s baseline.
3. Anti-Bot Tech Is Coming to Golf
Action: Ask your booking provider today: What protections do you have against automated bots? If they can’t answer clearly, start looking for alternatives.
4. Group Play Will Redefine Booking
Action: Try booking a foursome through your own system. Was it smooth or frustrating? Use that test to build a short “wishlist” of features, and put it in front of your provider.
5. The Winner Won’t Be Seen—It Will Be Felt
Action: When you meet a tech vendor, don’t just ask about features. Ask: Does this tool reduce fragmentation or add another silo? Choose partners who unify systems, not complicate them.
The Bottom Line
Tee times aren’t just a convenience — they’re the heartbeat of golf’s economics. For too long, clubs have treated booking systems as an afterthought, while leaking billions through cancellations, no-shows, barter deals, and fragmented technology.
The white paper makes it clear (again, here's the download link): the future won’t be won by the next shiny app. It will be won by infrastructure — the invisible layer that gives operators control, protects revenue, and finally delivers golfers the seamless access they expect.
For golf professionals, that means shifting perspective: your tee sheet isn’t just a schedule, it’s a financial engine. The clubs that embrace infrastructure-first thinking, such as:
1) Reclaiming control
2) Testing dynamic pricing
3) Demanding group-first features, and
4) Choosing unifying partners...will be the ones who shape the future.
Because in the end, golf isn’t just played. It’s scheduled. And the leaders who own that schedule will own the next era of growth.
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