The Day We Eliminated No-Shows for Good

For years, golf courses have quietly absorbed the cost of no-shows. Tee sheets looked full, but in reality… empty fairways. Disrupted operations. Lost revenue. Frustrated staff. All because we still trust that players will show up without putting anything down.

The usual excuse?
“If we ask for prepayment, we’ll lose bookings.”

The reality?
We implemented it in Europe. It worked. 100%.

This isn’t just about asking for money upfront.

The hesitation around prepayment isn’t about systems or customer resistance—it’s cultural. It’s fear.
Fear of being the first to change. Fear of upsetting the client. Fear of losing a booking that… probably wasn’t real in the first place.

But here’s the truth: prepayment doesn’t have to be rigid.

There’s a whole world of smart options out there:

• Scheduled or pre-authorized payments before the round
• Split or partial payments using platforms like Klarna
• Secure card holds or deposits
• Flexible, no-fuss confirmation flows

It’s not about being aggressive—it’s about being professional.

And the moment we implemented these systems, everything changed:

• No more no-shows.
• No more last-minute “just checking my reservation” calls.
• No more back-and-forth with operators.
• And absolutely no more ghosting on summer open tournaments—
  where, historically, players would sign up with zero commitment…
  and then suddenly vanish on game day.

Now, with prepayment in place, everyone shows up.
Every. Single. Time.

Are we really still giving away tee times in 2025?

Golf isn’t behind—just hesitant. But the tools are ready, and the players are already used to paying upfront for hotels, flights, and restaurants.

The biggest risk today isn’t asking for payment.
It’s not asking for it.

Let’s stop managing ghost tee sheets and start managing golf like the business it deserves to be.

#GolfBusiness #NoShows #PrepayOrPanic #GolfOperations #DigitalShift #TeeSheetReality #RevenueMatters