FAQ

This page answers the questions golfers ask most often about joining and hosting rounds, verifying your account, your profile and handicap, and what happens to your data.

Why can’t I join this round?

If the host has stopped taking new joins, the round shows:

The host isn’t taking new requests for this round right now.

The host can start taking joins again, so it may be worth checking back. You also cannot join a round you are hosting, a round the host has cancelled, a round that has already started, or a round that is full. On an Instant join round, a handicap outside the round’s range stops you too. You also need a verified account. Finding and joining a round has the details.

Why do I have to verify my account before creating or joining a round?

Golf Buds is about meeting real golfers in person, so every account is verified before it can create or join a round. Golf Buds checks this on its servers as well as in the app, so it cannot be skipped. If you signed up with an email address, open the link in the verification email we send you. If you signed up with Google, Facebook, GitHub or Apple, the provider has already verified you. Verifying your account explains how to resend the email.

What is the difference between “Instant join” and “Host approval”?

Every round shows one of these two joining policies, chosen by the host.

• Instant join: tap Join round and you have a confirmed place straight away.
• Host approval: tap Send request, with an optional message to the host. The host approves or declines it. You can withdraw your request while it is waiting, and a request the host has not answered by tee time expires.

On a Host approval round, a handicap outside the round’s range does not stop you asking. The host decides.

What happens to the round chat after we play?

The chat tells everyone on the round:

Messages in this chat are removed 24 hours after tee time.

After that, the chat closes and no one can send new messages. The messages are deleted from our database, not just hidden. If a message was reported before it was removed, the report keeps its own copy so a moderator can still review it. Round chat has more.

What happens when I delete my account?

When you delete your account in the app, Golf Buds asks you to confirm:

Delete your account? Your profile disappears from Golf Buds now. After 14 days your name, photo, email and handicap are permanently removed. Sign back in before then to cancel.

So you have 14 days to change your mind. Rounds you are hosting are cancelled and you leave rounds you have joined, and signing back in does not bring them back. A few records stay, shown as “Deleted golfer”, such as rounds you played in other golfers’ history and reports about your account. Deleting your account and the privacy policy give the full list.

Why was my profile photo imported from Google, Facebook or GitHub, and can I remove it?

When you first sign up with Google, Facebook or GitHub, Golf Buds copies your photo from that provider so your profile starts with a picture. The copy is kept in private Golf Buds storage, and your provider’s own image link is never shown to other golfers. Apple shares no photo.

Yes, you can remove it. Tap Remove photo during profile setup, or later in Edit profile, and your initials show instead. Photo upload is not available yet, so a removed photo cannot be put back. Connecting a provider to an account you already have never changes your photo.

Can I hide my handicap?

Yes. Your handicap is part of your profile basics, so the Profile basics visibility setting decides who can see it: Golf Buds members, Visible to connections or Private. The same setting covers your display name and photo. Change it under Privacy in Edit profile.

You can also choose No handicap, and then no number is shown at all. A round that sets a handicap range still uses the handicap on your profile to decide whether you can join it.

Is my handicap official?

No. The handicap on your profile is stated by you: either Self-reported, with a number you enter from -10 to 54, or No handicap. Golf Buds does not check it with any golf club or golf body, so it is never an official handicap. It is there to help hosts and other golfers find rounds that suit everyone. If it has not been updated for 90 days, your profile asks you to review it.

I signed in with a provider but already had an email account — why is it one account?

When you continue with a provider whose verified email address matches a Golf Buds account you already have, Golf Buds signs you in to that account instead of creating a second one. The provider becomes another way to sign in, so your profile, rounds and history stay in one place, and your photo does not change.

A provider that shares no email address, such as GitHub with a private email, cannot be matched, so it creates a new account. Sign-in methods on the Profile tab lists every way you can sign in.

What is a “Disputed no-show”?

When a host completes a round, each confirmed golfer gets one attendance label: Attended or No-show. If the host marked you as a No-show and you did play, tap Dispute this on the round. Your label then reads Disputed no-show instead of No-show, and the two are never shown together. A Golf Buds moderator reviews the dispute, and it does not change your record straight away. Completing a round and attendance explains attendance.

What happens if the host does not turn up?

If you were a confirmed golfer and the host did not turn up, tap Report host as no-show on the round. Golf Buds asks:

Report the host as a no-show for this round? Golf Buds reviews it once every confirmed golfer on this round has reported the same thing.

After you report it, the round shows:

You reported the host as a no-show. Golf Buds reviews this once every confirmed golfer has reported it.

One golfer’s report on its own is not enough to start a review.

How do I report or block someone?

To report something, use the Report this action where it appears, such as Report this golfer on a profile or Report this message in a chat. You can report a golfer, a round, a chat message, a post, a comment or a course. Pick a reason, add more detail if you like, and a Golf Buds moderator reviews it.

To block someone, open their profile and tap Block golfer. You disappear from each other’s profiles, searches, rosters and chats, and neither of you can join a round the other is on. Reporting never blocks anyone, and blocking never sends a report. Reporting and blocking has the details.

Does Golf Buds book tee times or take payment?

No. Golf Buds does not book tee times and does not take payment. It helps golfers find each other and agree a round, and the app tells everyone so:

Golf Buds rounds are golfer-organised — not a tee-time booking.

Arrange your tee time with the course, and pay the course and settle any costs between golfers directly. When a host creates a round, they say whether the tee time is Booked or Not booked yet.

Can I get a copy of my data?

Yes, at any time, and it does not delete anything. Open the Profile tab, tap Delete my account, then tap Download my data in the Before you go card. When your file is ready, the app shows:

Ready. This link works for 24 hours.

The file includes your profile, the rounds you hosted or joined, messages you sent, connections, blocks, notification settings, posts, comments, likes and feature access. It does not include reports or moderation records. For any other request about your data, email support@golfbuds.co.uk.

Where does the course data come from?

Course details come from OpenStreetMap, the free map of the world built by volunteers, and some courses are added by the Golf Buds team. The app credits OpenStreetMap like this:

Course data © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL).

If a course’s details look wrong, report the course from where it appears in the app and the details will be checked.