Golf club software, compared
Links Meridian vs BRS Golf, ClubV1, and IntelligentGolf across the 16 criteria an independent consultant would use. Honest, sourced, and dated.
Last reviewed: 30 June 2026
The 16 buying criteria, side by side
| Criterion | Links Meridian | BRS Golf | ClubV1 | IntelligentGolf |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Tee sheet & online booking | Visual, real-time, drag-and-drop; daily-fee and private on one engine | Market-leading, booking-first tee sheet | Tee sheet and booking module | Tee booking, members'-club focus |
| 2. Member management & CRM | 360° profiles, family linking, committees, full CRM | Booking-centric; limited CRM | Member database | Member records, club-focused |
| 3. Visitor bookings & payments | Built in via Stripe; no markup on your card revenue | Visitor booking + BRS Payments (~2.9% + £0.05) | Visitor module + ClearAccept (1.4% + 20p) | Visitor booking + IGPay (ClearAccept) |
| 4. Competition & WHS handicap | Competitions, live scoring, WHS index + federation sync built in | Competitions via Golf Genius; handicap via partner | WHS-authorised licensee, daily Home-Union sync | WHS-authorised licensee, daily Home-Union sync |
| 5. EPOS, bar, restaurant & pro shop | Unified pro shop + F&B POS on any device or browser | iPad-based POS; limited F&B depth | EPOS add-on | EPOS add-on |
| 6. Membership billing & subscriptions | Automated dues, ACH/card, proration, included | Membership Finance module | Subscriptions module | Subscriptions module |
| 7. Website, app & member portal | Digital Clubhouse: native community + member app | Native booking app; basic portal | HowDidiDo app (mid-merger under ClearCourse) | HowDidiDo app (mid-merger under ClearCourse) |
| 8. Email, SMS & marketing | Built-in email + SMS + AI marketing automation | Basic member comms | Email/SMS module | Email/SMS module |
| 9. Reporting, finance & accounting | Full GL, AP/AR, daily reconciliation built in; QB/Xero export | No built-in accounting or general ledger | Reporting; accounting via export | Reporting; accounting via export |
| 10. Multi-course / resort support | Native multi-course portfolio (Portfolio tier) | Limited multi-course support | Single-club focus | Single-club focus |
| 11. Ease of use for staff | Modern, sub-second interface; minimal training | Established but dated interface | Functional, dated UI | Functional, dated UI |
| 12. Member experience | Native community: feed, Course Records, Honours Board, standings | Booking-focused app | Portal + HowDidiDo | Portal + HowDidiDo |
| 13. Support & implementation | Free migration, parallel running, 2–4 week go-live | NBC Sports Next / GolfNow-backed support | ClearCourse support | ClearCourse support; setup fees reported |
| 14. Data ownership, lock-in & contract risk | Your data; standard-format export; no punitive exit; no traded tee times | GolfNow tee-time trade can create lock-in | Standard annual contract | Standard annual contract |
| 15. Pricing transparency & TCO | Published tiers from $99/mo; every feature included; no module fees | “Free” (trade tee times) or ~£1–2K/yr; payments markup; quote-based | £600/yr entry → ~£7.5–8.5K all-in (quote-based) | Quote-only (book a demo); £90/yr micro → ~£7.5–10K all-in |
| 16. Innovation, AI & roadmap | AI-native: marketing agents, AI concierge, operations agents | No AI; NBC-driven roadmap | Apps merging under ClearCourse | Apps merging under ClearCourse |
Competitor details are from public and forum-disclosed sources, last reviewed 30 June 2026. Where a capability is not publicly confirmed it is described, not guessed. Verify current pricing and features directly during your evaluation.
Read the full head-to-head
Detailed switch and alternative pages for each platform.
Common questions
How does Links Meridian compare to BRS Golf, ClubV1, and IntelligentGolf?
Across the 16 criteria a buyer uses, the headline differences are: Links Meridian includes built-in accounting (a full GL, which BRS lacks), a native community member app (the Digital Clubhouse), AI automation, and fully published pricing with every feature included and no traded tee times. BRS leads on tee-sheet market share and GolfNow distribution; ClubV1 and IntelligentGolf are established WHS-authorised UK/Ireland incumbents, now both owned by ClearCourse and merging their member apps.
Is Links Meridian cheaper than ClubV1 or IntelligentGolf?
It is at or below their fully-loaded cost with more included. The ClubV1 and IntelligentGolf headline prices (£600/yr and £90/yr) are entry tiers, typically for very small clubs or software-only. A 500–1,000-member club running EPOS, website, and payments lands around £7,500–£10,000/yr all-in with either. Links Meridian publishes its tiers with every feature included and no per-module fees, so the all-in figure is the figure you see.
Do these platforms take a cut of my tee times?
BRS Golf's free tier is funded by trading tee times to the GolfNow marketplace, which can mean discounting and lock-in. Links Meridian never takes, trades, or resells your tee times; we are paid only by a transparent subscription. ClubV1 and IntelligentGolf are subscription-plus-payments models rather than tee-time barter.
Which is best for a UK or Ireland members' club?
ClubV1 and IntelligentGolf are the established incumbents with long WHS track records, so they are the safe-incumbent choice. Links Meridian is the modern, independent alternative: one integrated platform (tee sheet, POS, accounting, member app, marketing) with built-in WHS scoring and federation sync, published pricing, and a native member community. Shortlist on the 16 criteria above and demo both.
Are these comparison details accurate?
Competitor details are drawn from public and forum-disclosed sources and were last reviewed on 30 June 2026. Where a capability is not publicly confirmed it is marked as such rather than guessed. Pricing and ownership in this market change, so verify current details directly during your evaluation.
See it on your own club's setup
Free migration, parallel running, and your tee times come with you.