FairwayFirst Help Center

Everything you need to know about booking your next perfect tee time.

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Getting Started

How does FairwayFirst work? +

FairwayFirst is an AI-powered golf concierge that automates tee time bookings at your favorite courses. Here's how it works:

  • Step 1: You tell us your preferences (courses, days, times, group size)
  • Step 2: Our booking agent continuously monitors available tee times across supported platforms
  • Step 3: When a match is found, we automatically book it using your golf club credentials (which we store encrypted)
  • Step 4: You get an email confirmation with all the details

It's like having a dedicated golf concierge working 24/7, but at a fraction of the cost.

What platforms do you support? +

FairwayFirst works with the major tee time booking platforms used by golf courses nationwide:

  • ForeUp — Used by thousands of public and private courses
  • Chronogolf — Popular in resort and luxury course settings
  • Jonas — Common in club management systems
  • ClubEssential — Used by many private clubs
  • Lightspeed Golf — Growing platform for course management

If your course uses one of these platforms, we can book for you. If not, reach out — we may be able to add it.

How do I get started? +

Getting started is simple:

  • 1. Choose a plan: Pick between Managed Service ($15/month) or Birdie Plan ($5 per successful booking)
  • 2. Provide your details: Tell us your preferred courses, days, times, and group size
  • 3. Share credentials: Securely provide your golf club login info (optional — we handle the booking)
  • 4. Start booking: Sit back. We monitor for availability and book automatically.

Ready? Head to our booking page to get started.

When will my tee time be booked? +

Tee times are typically released by golf courses in one of two windows:

  • Rolling release: 60-90 days in advance (most common)
  • Fixed release: Exactly 60 days before the date

Our agent monitors both windows and books immediately when times matching your preferences become available. Most bookings happen within 24 hours of release, but some premium times book within minutes.

Pro tip: Specifying more flexible preferences (multiple days, wider time windows) increases your booking success rate.

How do I know when a booking is confirmed? +

You'll receive an email confirmation as soon as your tee time is booked, including:

  • Course name and location
  • Date, time, and group size
  • Confirmation number
  • Direct link to manage or cancel the booking

You can also log in to your golf club's platform directly (using the credentials you provided) to confirm the booking is there.

What happens immediately after I pay? +

Within 15 minutes of payment you'll receive a welcome email confirming your setup. Monitoring begins immediately — our system starts checking your course's booking portal right away. You don't need to do anything else.

How long until I get my first confirmed tee time? +

Most members receive their first confirmed booking within 48–72 hours. It depends on how competitive your course is and how flexible your time preferences are. Broader preferences (e.g. any time between 7–10 AM on Saturday or Sunday) result in faster bookings.

How will I be notified when a tee time is booked? +

You'll receive an email confirmation the moment a booking is secured — typically within seconds of the slot opening. The email includes the date, time, course, and number of players confirmed. SMS notifications are on our roadmap.

How do I know FairwayFirst is actively monitoring right now? +

You'll receive a weekly status email every Monday confirming your monitoring is active, what we checked, and any attempts made. If you ever want a real-time update, email charstractrading@gmail.com and we'll reply within a few hours.

What time of day does monitoring happen? +

24 hours a day, 7 days a week — our system checks your course's booking portal every 60 seconds. Most courses release new tee time slots between 6:00 AM and 8:00 AM local time, so our system is especially active during that window.

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Billing & Pricing

What is the Managed Service plan? +

Managed Service ($15/month) is our all-inclusive subscription plan.

You get:

  • Unlimited tee time booking requests
  • 24/7 AI-powered booking automation
  • Support for all major booking platforms
  • Email notifications for every booking
  • Ability to manage multiple courses and preferences
  • Cancel anytime, no long-term commitment

Best for golfers who want a "set it and forget it" solution with predictable monthly costs.

What is the Birdie Plan plan? +

Birdie Plan ($5 per successful booking) is our pay-as-you-go plan.

You only pay when we successfully book a tee time for you. No monthly subscription, no minimum commitment.

Good for:

  • Golfers who book sporadically (a few times per month)
  • Those testing the service before committing to a subscription
  • Casual golfers who don't need constant availability

Math: If you book more than 3 times per month, Managed Service ($15/month) becomes cheaper. Below 3 bookings/month? Birdie Plan saves you money.

How does billing work? +

Managed Service: Billed monthly on your subscription anniversary date. You'll see the charge appear on your credit card statement as "FairwayFirst".

Birdie Plan: Charged immediately when a booking is confirmed. Each successful booking generates a separate $5 transaction.

All payments are processed securely through Stripe, a PCI-DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. We never see or store your credit card details.

Can I cancel anytime? +

Yes, absolutely. Both plans are month-to-month with no long-term commitment.

  • Managed Service: Cancel anytime. No cancellation fee. Your subscription ends at the end of your current billing cycle.
  • Birdie Plan: Just stop requesting bookings. No subscription to cancel.

To cancel Managed Service, log into your account and click "Cancel Subscription," or email us at charstractrading@gmail.com.

Do you offer refunds? +

Refunds within 30 days: If you're unhappy with FairwayFirst, we offer a full refund within 30 days of your first payment, no questions asked.

After 30 days: Refunds are evaluated case-by-case. Reach out to support with details.

Birdie Plan bookings: Non-refundable. Once a tee time is booked, it's yours. If you need to cancel, contact the golf course directly.

What payment methods are accepted? +

We accept all major payment methods through Stripe:

  • Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover)
  • Debit cards
  • Apple Pay
  • Google Pay

All payments are processed securely. Your card information never touches our servers — Stripe handles all payment processing.

How many tee times can I get per month on the Managed Service plan? +

The Managed Service ($15/month) includes up to 4 confirmed bookings per month — roughly one per week. You also choose up to 2 preferred days per week for monitoring. If you need more frequency, the Birdie Plan ($5 per booking) can be used alongside or instead, with no monthly commitment.

Can I upgrade or change my plan mid-month? +

Yes. Email us at charstractrading@gmail.com and we'll update your plan same-day. Upgrades are prorated — you only pay the difference for the remaining days in your billing cycle.

Is there a free trial or money-back guarantee? +

We don't offer a free trial, but we do provide a 7-day satisfaction guarantee. If FairwayFirst hasn't secured a single booking attempt in your first 7 days, we'll issue a full refund — no questions asked. Email us within 7 days of signup.

What is your booking success rate? +

For members with flexible time preferences (a 2–3 hour window), we successfully secure tee times for over 85% of members within their first week. For highly competitive courses with narrow time windows, it may take longer — but we keep monitoring until we deliver.

What payment methods do you accept? +

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover) via Stripe — one of the world's most secure payment processors. We also support Apple Pay and Google Pay where available. We never store your card information ourselves.

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Courses & Booking

Which courses do you support? +

We support 98+ verified golf courses across the United States using these booking platforms:

  • ForeUp: ~40+ courses (public and private)
  • Chronogolf: ~20+ courses (resort and luxury)
  • Jonas: ~15+ courses (private clubs)
  • ClubEssential: ~10+ courses (club management)
  • Lightspeed Golf: ~13+ courses (emerging platform)

To see if your course is supported, enter your course name when booking. If it's not listed yet, let us know — we add new courses regularly based on member requests.

My course isn't listed — can you still help? +

Let us know! Email charstractrading@gmail.com with:

  • Course name and location
  • The booking platform they use (you can check their website or call the pro shop)

If your course uses one of our supported platforms, we can likely add it within a few days. If they use a platform we don't support yet, we'll add it to our roadmap.

What is the fallback window? +

The fallback window is how far in advance we can book tee times for you.

Most courses release tee times 60-90 days in advance, so our booking agent monitors that window and books as soon as availability matches your preferences.

If you need a tee time sooner (within 60 days), some courses still have available slots that may not require our advance booking service. You can always try booking directly through the course's website or calling the pro shop.

Can I book at multiple courses? +

Yes! With the Managed Service plan, you can specify multiple courses, and we'll book at any of them as availability opens up.

You can also set different preferences for different courses (e.g., "Morning times at Course A, afternoon times at Course B"). Just provide those details when signing up, and our agent will handle the rest.

What if I want to cancel a booking? +

You can cancel directly through the golf course's booking platform (the same way you'd cancel any tee time).

Every booking confirmation email includes a link to manage or cancel your tee time. You can also:

  • Log into your golf club's website and cancel from there
  • Call the golf course's pro shop directly
  • Email us at charstractrading@gmail.com and we'll help

Important: Check the course's cancellation policy. Most courses offer free cancellation up to 48 hours before your tee time.

What days and times can I target? +

You can be as specific or as flexible as you want:

Days: Any day of the week, or select specific days (e.g., "weekends only" or "Monday-Friday only")

Times: Any time the course offers, typically 6:00 AM to dusk. You can specify a range (e.g., "7:00 AM to 9:00 AM") or individual time slots.

Group size: 1-4 players (standard golf foursome)

Pro tip: The more flexible you are, the more likely we'll find availability. Narrow preferences means fewer bookings.

How far in advance does FairwayFirst book my tee time? +

We start monitoring as soon as tee times become available for your target dates — typically 7 days in advance for most public courses, and up to 14 days for private and semi-private clubs. We recommend targeting 7–10 days out for the best balance of availability and success rate.

Does it book my exact preferred time, or the closest available? +

We target your exact preferred times first. If those slots aren't available, we automatically check within your fallback window (default 30 minutes before or after). You control how flexible that window is in your booking preferences.

What if I already have a tee time booked that week — will it book another one? +

The system will continue monitoring for your next preferred slot. If you don't want an additional booking on a particular week, simply email us to pause monitoring for those specific dates. We're adding a self-service pause option to the member dashboard.

Can I set blackout dates when I don't want a booking? +

Yes. Email charstractrading@gmail.com with the dates you want skipped and we'll apply them to your account within a few hours. Common uses: vacations, travel, or weeks when you already have plans.

Can I pause my subscription temporarily? +

Yes — you can pause your Managed Service subscription for up to 30 days per year. Just email us at least 24 hours before your next billing date and we'll pause billing and monitoring until you're ready to resume. You won't be charged during a pause.

Does FairwayFirst work with private clubs that require a membership login? +

Yes. As long as you have a valid member login to your club's booking portal, we can monitor and book on your behalf. Your credentials are stored with AES-256 encryption and only used during active booking sessions.

Can I switch to a different course after signing up? +

Yes. Email us your new course details and we'll update your preferences within 24 hours. Switching courses doesn't reset your booking count for the month.

What if my golf club updates their website or changes their booking system? +

Our team monitors for platform changes across all supported systems. If a course updates their booking portal, we adapt our system accordingly. In rare cases where we need updated credentials from you, we'll email you promptly so there's no disruption.

Does it work for guest bookings, or only for the member? +

Bookings are made under your member account, exactly as if you logged in yourself. Whether you can add guests, cart fees, or additional players depends entirely on your club's own booking policies — we replicate what you could do manually.

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Security

Is it safe to share my golf club login? +

Yes, it's safe. We use the same encryption standards as banks and Fortune 500 companies to protect your credentials.

Your golf club username and password are encrypted with AES-256-CBC — the military-grade encryption standard. Even our engineers cannot read your password.

See our full Security Page for details on how we protect your data.

How do you store my credentials? +

Your credentials are stored in an encrypted vault called Vault Keeper:

  • Encryption: AES-256-CBC with PBKDF2HMAC (600,000 iterations, NIST 2023 compliant)
  • Storage: Encrypted database, never plaintext
  • Access: Only decrypted in-memory when actively booking
  • Logging: Credentials are never logged or exposed
  • Cleanup: After booking, credentials are purged from memory

For full technical details, see our Security Page.

Who has access to my information? +

Only the booking agent can access your credentials, and only during active bookings.

  • Our AI booking agent: Can decrypt and use your credentials to book tee times
  • Our engineering team: Can see encrypted data only. Cannot decrypt without the master key.
  • Customer support: Can see your account and booking history, but NOT your credentials or payment info
  • Third parties: We never share, sell, or grant access to your data

Zero storage of plaintext credentials. Ever.

Is automated booking allowed by my golf club? +

Most golf clubs don't explicitly prohibit members from using booking assistants — the booking appears as a normal member login and reservation, no different from you doing it yourself. That said, we recommend reviewing your specific club's terms of service. FairwayFirst acts solely on your behalf using your own credentials.

Will my golf club know I'm using FairwayFirst? +

Bookings appear as standard member reservations — there is no FairwayFirst branding, no third-party identification, and no indication that automation was used. It looks identical to a booking you made yourself.

What happens to my login credentials if I cancel? +

Your encrypted credentials are permanently and irreversibly deleted from our vault within 24 hours of cancellation. We send you a confirmation email when deletion is complete. We retain no copies and have no way to recover them after deletion.

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Account Management

How do I update my preferences? +

Log into your FairwayFirst account and update your preferences anytime:

  • Preferred courses
  • Days and times
  • Group size
  • Golf club credentials

Changes take effect immediately. Your booking agent will use your new preferences for future bookings.

How do I cancel my subscription? +

Canceling Managed Service is easy:

  1. Log into your account
  2. Go to Settings → Subscription
  3. Click "Cancel Subscription"
  4. Confirm the cancellation

Your subscription ends at the end of your current billing cycle. No refunds for the remainder of the month.

If you signed up through Birdie Plan (pay-per-booking), there's nothing to cancel — just stop requesting bookings.

How do I contact support? +

We're here to help! Reach out anytime:

  • Email: charstractrading@gmail.com
  • Response time: Usually within 24 hours
  • For security issues: Email the same address — mark as "Security Issue"

We read every email and take your feedback seriously. Whether you have a question, issue, or suggestion, let us know.

How do I update my tee time preferences? +

Email charstractrading@gmail.com with your updated preferences — new times, days, fallback window, or player count. Changes take effect within 24 hours. A self-service preferences panel is coming soon.

How do I update my preferred booking days? +

Email us with your new day preferences. Remember: the Managed Service plan supports up to 2 preferred monitoring days per week (included in your 4 bookings/month).

How do I cancel my subscription? +

Email charstractrading@gmail.com at any time — we'll cancel immediately with no cancellation fees. Your monitoring stops at the end of your current billing period. If you cancel within 7 days and no bookings were made, you're eligible for a full refund.

I have a question not answered here — how do I reach you? +

Email us at charstractrading@gmail.com — we respond within a few hours during business days. We're a small, dedicated team and we read every email personally.

Still have questions?

We're here to help. Reach out anytime, and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Contact Support