What Your Golf Software Actually Costs
Free is rarely free. See the real annual cost of a tee-time trade arrangement compared to a transparent monthly subscription.
Free is not free
The honest math on what a tee-time trade arrangement costs your operation.
What You Actually Pay
Clubs report BRS software as free in exchange for one tee time a day to GolfNow Hot Deals (Golf Monthly forum, 2023). Card line: BRS Payments' published 2.9% against UK cards from 1.5% + 20p; BRS's 5p fixed fee is 15p below the 20p, which narrows the gap on small payments.
One Bill, No Surprises
Core operations on Professional: tee sheet, EPOS, accounting, member portal, tournaments, and the Digital Clubhouse, on one bill with integrated data. Public website/CMS and marketing automation are on Enterprise. Card payments at standard published rates, paid into the club's own account.
$15,737
Based on the figures above. Traded tee times are valued at the full green fee, a ceiling, since off-peak slots realise less. Real savings vary with throughput, trade-back exposure, and the modules you currently pay for separately.
What Goes into Your Real Cost
The headline subscription number is rarely the full picture. To compare platforms accurately, add up everything you currently pay across the operation:
- Tee sheet and online booking:typically $150 to $300 USD per month for a standalone solution.
- Pro shop and F&B POS:$100 to $200 USD per month for a separate retail-focused vendor.
- Accounting subscription:QuickBooks Online and Xero typically run $50 to $100 USD per month, plus the time spent reconciling between systems.
- Email marketing:MailChimp, Constant Contact, or similar at $50 to $150 USD per month depending on list size.
- Member portal:separate vendor, $100 to $300 USD per month if you have one at all.
- Traded tee times:if you are on a marketplace barter model, $2,000 to $8,000 USD per month in inventory you give up.
- Implementation and integrations:one-time costs for each vendor, plus ongoing reconciliation labour.
Most clubs find that an all-included platform replaces a stack that costs $400 to $1,500 USD per month plus traded inventory, while reducing the staff time spent moving data between systems.
Common Questions
How do tee-time trade arrangements actually cost the course?
Most courses on a tee-time trade arrangement give up one tee time per day (sometimes more) to a third-party marketplace. At an average green fee of $35 USD, that is roughly $12,775 USD per year, per traded slot. Many courses trade two or three slots per day, putting real cost at $25,000 to $40,000 USD per year.
What is the typical total cost of a multi-vendor golf software stack?
A common multi-vendor stack runs around $400 to $1,200 USD per month: tee sheet ($150-300), POS ($100-200), accounting subscription ($50-100), marketing platform ($50-150), separate member portal ($100-300). That excludes implementation, integration consulting, and the time staff spend reconciling between systems.
What does Links Meridian cost?
Plans range from $99 per month (Starter) to $1,799 per month (Enterprise), with the Portfolio tier priced per course (from $699 per course) for multi-course operators. The Professional plan ($749/month) replaces a typical multi-vendor stack costing $800-1,500 USD per month, and includes everything: tee sheet, member CRM, POS, F&B, accounting, marketing, tournaments, and AI features.
Is the migration free?
Yes. We import your members, households, dues schedules, handicap indexes and opening balances at no charge. You keep your existing system running until you have checked the import and set the go-live date. After your demo we set your club up for you and give you the login. No fee until you go live.
Are there hidden fees or per-module charges?
No. Each tier's features are included in its price, with no add-ons or per-module fees within a tier. The tier you choose is the tier you get, and the pricing page lists what each one adds.
Taking the numbers to a board? Pair them with our vendor-neutral RFP template and the demo checklist, so every vendor is scored on the same list.
See your specific savings
Send us your current vendor list and we will run the math against the right Links Meridian tier for your operation.