Legal

Privacy Policy

We take your privacy seriously. Here's exactly what we collect, why we collect it, and how you can control it.

Last updated: June 30, 2026

Who we are

The Links Club ("we," "our," or "us") operates the The Links Club mobile application and website at thelinksclubgolf.com. We are based in the United States. If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at thelinksclubgolf@gmail.com.

What information we collect

We collect the following categories of information:

Account information: When you register, we collect your name, email address, and profile photo. If you sign in via Apple or Google, we receive basic profile information from those services in accordance with your settings and their privacy policies.
Golf and gameplay data: Scores, shot statistics, fairways hit, greens in regulation, putts per round, handicap calculations, rounds played, wager amounts tracked, game mode results, and tournament participation.
Wager and money match data: We record the terms, results, and net settlements of money matches and side games between users. No real money is transferred through the app — wager tracking is for record-keeping and settlement reference only.
Social and user-generated content: Messages sent via in-app chat, comments, reactions, and any other content you post or share within the app.
Payment and membership information: If you subscribe to a paid membership, your payment is processed by Stripe. We do not store your full card number or banking details. We retain your membership status, subscription tier, and transaction history for account management purposes.
Sign-in credentials: If you use email and password login, we store your email address and a securely hashed version of your password. We never store passwords in plain text.
Device and technical data: Device type, operating system version, app version, IP address, and crash/error reports used to diagnose issues and improve performance.
Usage data: Features you use, screens you visit, session duration, and interaction patterns within the app.

How we collect your information

We collect information directly from you when you create an account, play a round, set up a money match, send messages, or subscribe to a membership. We also collect information automatically through your use of the app (device data, usage patterns) and from third-party services such as Apple Sign In, Google Sign In, Stripe, and our golf course data API.

Third-party services and APIs

The Links Club relies on the following third-party services to operate:

Golf course database API: We use a third-party API to provide course names, hole layouts, par information, and course ratings for over 40,000 courses worldwide. We query this API on your behalf when you search for or select a course.
Stripe: We use Stripe to process membership subscription payments. Stripe collects and stores your payment card details directly and is PCI-DSS compliant. Their privacy policy is available at stripe.com/privacy.
Apple Sign In / Google Sign In: If you choose to sign in with Apple or Google, those services share limited profile information with us. Please review Apple's and Google's privacy policies for details on what they collect.

We do not sell or share your personal information with any third-party service beyond what is strictly necessary to provide the features described above.

How we use your information

To create and manage your account and user profile
To calculate and display your handicap index using the World Handicap System (WHS) formula
To track and display money match wagers, game results, and net settlements between players
To power leaderboards, tournaments, and competitive features
To enable social features including activity feeds, chat, comments, and friend connections
To process and manage your membership subscription via Stripe
To send push notifications and emails about rounds, matches, and app updates (you may opt out at any time in your device or account settings)
To detect and prevent fraud, abuse, cheating, or violations of our Terms of Service
To diagnose technical issues and improve app performance
To comply with legal obligations

Wager tracking — important clarification

The Links Club tracks the terms and outcomes of money matches and side games between users for record-keeping and convenience. No real money is transferred, held, or processed through the app in connection with wagers. Users are solely responsible for any real-world settlement of wagers between themselves. The Links Club is not a gambling platform and does not facilitate financial transactions related to wagering.

Social features and user-generated content

The Links Club includes chat, comments, activity feeds, and public user profiles. Content you post may be visible to other users. We provide tools to report, block, and mute other users. We reserve the right to moderate and remove content that violates our community standards. Please be thoughtful about what personal information you share publicly within the app.

How we share your information

We do not sell your personal information. We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

With other users: Your profile, golf stats, scores, leaderboard rankings, and money match results are visible to other users as part of the app's core social and competitive features.
Service providers: We share data with Stripe (payments), our golf course API provider, and hosting and analytics providers who are contractually required to protect your data and may not use it for their own purposes.
Legal compliance: We may disclose information if required by applicable law, court order, or government authority, or to protect the safety, rights, or property of our users or the public.
Business transfers: If The Links Club is acquired, merged, or its assets are transferred to another company, your information may be included in that transfer. We will notify you via email or in-app notice before your data becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

Data retention and account deletion

We retain your personal data for as long as your account remains active or as needed to provide our services. You may request deletion of your account and all associated personal data at any time by emailing thelinksclubgolf@gmail.com or through the account settings within the app. We will process all deletion requests within 30 days.

When your account is deleted, the following data is removed: your profile, name, email address, golf statistics, and any private messages or personal content associated with your account.

The following data is retained after account deletion:

Events, leagues, and tournaments you created: Any matches, leagues, or tournaments you organized remain in the system as community records so that other participants retain access to results and history. These events are disassociated from your identity and have no owner after deletion.
Leaderboard and score records: Historical scores and standings may be retained in anonymized or aggregate form to preserve the integrity of shared competition records.
Stripe transaction records: Payment and subscription history may be retained for the period required by applicable financial and tax laws.

If you have active leagues or tournaments at the time of deletion, we recommend transferring ownership or concluding those events before closing your account, as they will become unmanaged after deletion.

Your privacy rights

Depending on where you are located, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

All users: The right to access, correct, or delete your personal data; the right to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and the right to opt out of marketing communications at any time.
EEA, UK, and Switzerland (GDPR): The right to data portability, the right to restrict processing, and the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
California residents (CCPA): The right to know what personal information we collect and how it is used, the right to request deletion, and the right to non-discrimination for exercising your privacy rights. We do not sell personal information.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at thelinksclubgolf@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.

International data transfers

The Links Club is operated from the United States. If you are accessing the app from outside the United States, including from the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, your information may be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your country. By using the app, you acknowledge this transfer. Where required by law, we implement appropriate safeguards for international data transfers.

Children's privacy

The Links Club is not directed at children under the age of 13 (or 16 in certain jurisdictions). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under these ages. If you believe a child has created an account, please contact us at thelinksclubgolf@gmail.com and we will delete the account promptly.

Security

We implement industry-standard security measures including encrypted data transmission (HTTPS), hashed password storage, and access controls to protect your information. Stripe handles all payment card data under PCI-DSS compliance standards. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will notify you via in-app notification or email at least 14 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of The Links Club after that date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Contact us

For any questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at thelinksclubgolf@gmail.com. We aim to respond to all inquiries within 5 business days.