The U.S. Tee-Time Booking Market: Who Controls It, Why Golf Clubs Are Losing, and What’s Next

Tee-time bookings in the U.S. have become one of the most controversial topics in golf operations today:

• GolfNow dominates the market but takes a huge cut of club revenue.
  
• Third-party aggregators like Supreme Golf offer alternatives but still work within the GolfNow ecosystem.
• Direct booking is gaining traction—but most golf club websites and tee sheets provide a terrible user experience, driving golfers back to aggregators.
  

This is the classic OTA (Online Travel Agency) vs. Direct Booking battle that hotels have fought for years. But in golf, most courses still haven’t figured out how to take control of their bookings—and the ones that don’t will continue losing money.

Who Controls Tee-Time Bookings in the U.S.?

Despite competition, GolfNow (owned by NBC Sports) still runs the show.

1. GolfNow & TeeOff by PGA TOUR

Who owns it? NBC Sports

What you need to know:

• GolfNow acquired TeeOff (originally from EZLinks) in 2019.
  
• TeeOff by PGA TOUR looks independent but is just another GolfNow brand.
  
• GolfNow takes a significant revenue cut from courses in exchange for filling tee sheets.
  

2. Supreme Golf (The Biggest Aggregator)

Who owns it? Independent, but it aggregates inventory from multiple sources.

What you need to know:

• Largest tee-time aggregator, pulling listings from GolfNow, TeeOff, and direct course providers.
  
• Claims to offer the most tee times in one place.
  
• Still distributes GolfNow inventory, meaning GolfNow benefits from its success.
  

3. Other Players (Smaller but Relevant)

• Golf18 Network – Focused on discounted tee times like GolfNow’s “Hot Deals.”
  
• Barstool Golf Time (by Supreme Golf) – Targeting a younger audience with Barstool Sports branding.
  
• Troon Golf App & American Golf – Booking tools for specific course management groups.
  
• GolfZing & EzLinks (legacy systems) – Still used by some regional markets.
  

4. Direct Course Booking – The Trend That Could Change Everything

• More courses want golfers to book directly via their own websites.
  
• Some offer discounts and loyalty perks to bypass GolfNow.
  
• But most course websites and tee-sheet systems are outdated and nearly impossible to use, making direct booking a challenge.
   

  The GolfNow Trap: Why Many Courses Can’t Escape

  Even though many courses dislike GolfNow, they can’t just walk away.

The reasons:

• They rely on GolfNow for visibility. Without strong marketing, courses struggle to attract direct traffic.
  
• GolfNow uses a barter model. Instead of paying cash, courses give up prime tee times, meaning GolfNow profits from selling the best slots.
  
• The downward spiral: The more a course relies on GolfNow, the less they develop their own direct booking capabilities.
  

This is exactly what happened in the hotel industry with Expedia and Booking.com. Hotels that didn’t build their own direct sales channels early became completely dependent on OTAs, losing profitability and pricing control.

Direct Booking: The Future (But Why It’s Failing So Far)

Many courses want to push golfers toward direct booking, but they’re failing because the user experience is terrible.

The biggest problems with golf course websites & direct booking systems:

• Terrible mobile experience. Over 60% of bookings happen on mobile, yet most golf course websites aren’t optimized for phones.
  
• Confusing navigation. Many websites make it hard to even find the booking page.
  
• Outdated tee-sheet software. Even when golfers reach the booking page, many tee sheets are nearly impossible to use on mobile.
  
• No incentives. Courses aren’t giving golfers a reason to book direct vs. third-party platforms.
  

Compare that to GolfNow, Supreme Golf, and Barstool Golf Time, where the booking process is:

- Fast
- Simple
- Seamless

That’s why golfers keep using them.

Until courses fix their direct booking UX and update their tee sheets, they will never break free from GolfNow.

Change is coming

Tee time booking is about to change, and for public golf courses that is good news. For years, golfers have bounced between platforms, comparing options and often booking through whichever intermediary makes the process easiest in that moment. In doing so, clubs have gradually given up margin, data, and direct visibility into their own customers. That structure is now under pressure because search behavior itself is changing. AI-driven systems are no longer just showing links. They are completing tasks. A golfer will ask for an available tee time within a certain window or price range, and the system will check live availability and book it instantly. The key question is not whether this will happen, but where the booking will be executed.

In an agent-driven world, the advantage shifts back to the source of truth, the club’s own tee sheet. These systems work best when they can interact directly with accurate inventory and clear pricing, without needing a marketplace layer in between. That changes the economics. Instead of competing for placement inside someone else’s ecosystem, courses that maintain clean data, consistent rates, and frictionless booking flows can capture transactions directly. There is no need to “do AI” for the sake of it. The priority is getting the fundamentals right so that your tee sheet can be read, interpreted, and booked seamlessly.

When that foundation is in place, bookings become more direct, margins improve, and the relationship with the golfer stays where it belongs: with the course.

Interested to learn more? Just book a 30 min call with me.

Teemu
Founder
Growth Golf & Country Club
Miami, FL, USA