Round chat

Every round has its own chat, so the golfers on it can sort out where to meet, who is driving, or a change of plan.

Who can chat

The host and every confirmed golfer on the round can read and send messages. Golfers whose join request is still waiting for the host cannot see the chat until they are approved. If you leave a round or are removed from it, you lose access to its chat.

If the host cancels the round, the chat stays open so everyone can still coordinate.

Messages can be up to 1,000 characters.

How long messages are kept

Round chat is short-lived on purpose. Before the cutoff, the chat screen shows:

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

Once that time passes, nobody can read or send messages in the chat, including the host, and the chat screen shows:

Messages are removed 24 hours after tee time, and new messages can no longer be sent.

Removal is permanent. The messages are deleted from the Golf Buds database, not just hidden from view. The round itself, its roster and its attendance record are not affected.

If a message was reported before it was removed, the report keeps its own copy of that message, so a moderator can still review it.

Muting and reminders

To stop chat notifications for one round, use Mute this round’s chat. You will still hear about that round’s status changes, such as the round being cancelled.

Chat notifications come as a single catch-up note per round, not one per message. You can turn them off for every round under Notification settings on the Profile tab. The same screen controls reminders, which tell you when your round is coming up.

Messages from deleted accounts

If a golfer deletes their account, the messages they already sent stay in the chat so the conversation still makes sense. As the app explains to anyone deleting their account:

Messages you sent stay in round chats, shown as “Deleted golfer”.

Those messages are still removed with the rest of the chat 24 hours after tee time.