Google Gets Golf, Part 3: The Definitive Guide To Your Tee Times On Google

By Harvey Silverman, Contributor, Golf Business | Silverback Golf Marketing 

Let’s call it the “2025 Orlando Tee Time Summit,” a meeting organized by NGCOA CEO Jay Karen and several Google personnel involved with its tee-time search initiative, which also included a few golf business stakeholders. The meeting clarified Google’s intent to make finding a tee time easier than ever while protecting the interests of the golf course operator and the tee time marketplace ecosystem. It’s part of a wide-ranging program called “Reserve with Google.” 

I’ll back up a few months to summarize how we got to where we are today. You can reference two articles (the first) (the second) from Golf Business WEEKLY in July 2024. NGCOA’s tee time radar picked up on how clients of Golfnow suddenly saw a “big blue button” on their respective Google Business Profile pages, directly linking to Golfnow to book tee times, bypassing the golf course website booking engine and, generally, without the golf course’s knowledge. However, Google never intended for Golfnow to be the only scheduling provider to enable this feature. At the summit meeting, Google expressed its responsibility to golf courses and the entire golf ecosystem. It has to consider the needs of its users, the consumer, and some of whom might have a relationship with a third-party tee time provider. However, when considering the needs of golf courses, Google ensures that the golf courses are always in control of which providers appear for them, with the ability to opt-in or opt-out through their providers at any time. For example, if a course asks a tee time aggregator to remove itself from the Google Business Profile, they must comply within five business days. 

If you want your Book Online button to connect golfers directly to your tee sheet, which NGCOA highly recommends, here is what you need to do:

1. If you have not already done so, you must claim your Google Business Profile. It’s easy, and it’s free. Here is a link with instructions: https://support.google.com/business/answer/4566671?hl=en. 

2. Remember, only your Golf Management Software (GMS) provider can program the direct link for you, and only if they have completed the Google approval process. Google’s vetting establishes the GMS is a tee time aggregator with clients using its web-based tee time booking engine. Some GMS companies have completed the process or are progressing through it, and some have not. We’re not listing them so as not to leave any out that we’re unaware of. Each golf course must ask their GMS provider if it is approved, how soon the process will be completed, and how they plan to alert you. 

3. If Google has approved your GMS provider, you can request with your GMS that they place the direct booking button on your profile. Only your GMS provider can place the button and remove it at your request, i.e., if you change providers. Google will not do this for you. 

4. You can choose to have alternative booking sites listed, such as Golfnow, Supreme or Barstool. However, your direct booking link will be displayed as the name of your GMS, i.e., “TenFore,” “foreUP,” etc. This is not ideal because these brands don’t have name recognition with golfers and might cause confusion. It adds another click to the booking process. And it potentially leads customers away from booking directly with you. Google is working on fixing this, so that your direct booking link will say something like “Official Site.” Or, you can choose not to have a direct booking link and instead list only third-party providers. This means an intermediary will receive all of your traffic through the Book Online button.

5. For those reading this who do not have a GMS system with online tee-time booking capabilities or have a GMS that Google has not approved, here is how Google ranks local searches: 

“Local results are based primarily on relevance, distance, and prominence. A combination of these factors helps us find the best match for your search. For example, our algorithms might decide that a business farther away from your location is more likely to have what you’re looking for than a business closer, and therefore rank it higher in local results.”

We can’t say for sure, but having the direct tee-time booking link potentially makes you more relevant and prominent for specific search terms like “tee times near me.”  

Last, Google introduced a new tee-time booking module that displays available tee times for the chosen course on your mobile device. It effectively eliminates a click to reserve a chosen tee time. Below are screenshots of how this appears:

Clicking the tee times button takes users here, a direct link to click and reserve, and from there to the booking platform.  

This new feature is only available on Google Search through mobile devices, but not yet Google Maps. 

“I want to thank the Google personnel who traveled to meet us at the Golf Business Conference in Orlando,” says NGCOA CEO Jay Karen. “We now have a better understanding of Google’s commitment to golf, specifically making it easier than ever for golfers to find and book tee times directly with the golf course through Google. We encourage every Golf Management System provider to gain Google’s approval and every golf course to add the “Book Online” button to their Google Business pages. Those who don’t will be left behind, as the trend in online booking continues to rise. NGCOA will lead and stay vigilant as these features develop, providing accurate information and recommendations to our members and the industry.”

Take action now as we are heading into the spring season. Make sure millions of golfers on Google Search and Maps can easily find and book a tee time directly with you. This is an extraordinary moment in online tee time history.