Golf course software, compared · checked 8 October 2026

Golf software, compared honestly.

Most golf software companies will not tell you their price until you book a demo. We gathered what each one publishes — prices, contracts, card fees — and what operators say about them. Every figure has a source, and we are on the page too, so we say plainly where we fall short.

Work out your cost Sign up for free

Monthly fee: $0
A card payment: 5% + 30¢, all in
Contract: None
Companies compared: 7, with sources

Your cost, in two taps

What would you pay?

1What do you use now?

2Card sales in a month

$8,000

3What they charge a month

Fine-tune with your own quote

Average sale $ Their card rate % Plus per sale ¢

The Middle Pin $0 5% + 30¢ a payment · no monthly fee

Them $0

A month, before tax. Cash costs nothing on either side. Hardware is not included. Where a company does not publish a figure, the calculator says so and uses a typical one — put in your own.

01 · Side by side

What each company publishes.

Price, contract and card rates, as each company or a review site states them. Most publish none of the three.

the Middle Pin Free — no monthly fee None 5% + 30¢, Stripe included New

GolfNow^1,2 Not published; tee times accepted as payment Set per order form; non-cancellable Not published 2,645

foreUP^3,4,5 Not published; Capterra lists from $120 a month Not published Not published 1,239

Lightspeed Golf^6,7,8 Quote only; reported from about $325 a month No long-term contract 2.6% + 10¢ in person (published) 922

Club Caddie^9,10 Not published; Capterra lists from $299 a month Not published Not published 107

Teesnap^11,12 Not published Not published Flat rate, not published 436

Club Prophet^13,14 Not published Not published Not published 592

Tee On^15,16 One package, not published Not published Not published 451

Course counts are courses using each company for online tee times, from the 2022–23 dataset of 12,230 public courses we work from. The largest group is not on the table: 4,790 courses listed no online booking at all. See it state by state.

02 · One at a time

Each company, in detail.

Who each one suits, who we suit instead, what operators say, and the sources.

03 · Straight answers

Where we fall short.

We are one of the companies on this page, so here is what we do not do, and the questions people ask.

We are a small, young company. The companies on these pages have been doing this for years, with far bigger teams.
We have no network of discount golfers to fill empty tee times the way GolfNow does.
No handicap (GHIN) integration and no dynamic pricing yet.
Our 5% + 30¢ is more per card sale than the bigger companies’ published card rates. We charge nothing a month instead, so a course with a lot of card volume can pay less overall elsewhere. The calculator shows where that line is for you.
We are built for small public courses. A private club with a full kitchen and complex member billing is better served elsewhere.

How much does golf course software cost?

Most golf software companies do not publish a price. From review sites and the few published figures: Lightspeed Golf is reported from about $325 a month, Club Caddie is listed from $299 and foreUP from $120 for its basic plan. GolfNow can be paid for with tee times instead of cash. The Middle Pin has no monthly fee: we take 5% + 30¢ on each card or bank payment, Stripe’s processing included, and cash costs nothing.

What is the best software for a 9-hole golf course?

One that is priced for a 9-hole course’s revenue. Most systems are priced for eighteen-hole operations with a monthly subscription that a quiet course pays whether golfers come or not. Compare what you would pay in total — subscription and card fees together — at your own card sales. The calculator on this page does it in two taps.

Why is there no monthly fee?

Because every part of the platform moves money, and our share comes off the money it moves. A monthly fee would mean a course pays us in the weeks nobody plays. With 5% + 30¢ a payment, a quiet week costs nothing.

What is tee-time bartering?

Paying for software or marketing with tee times instead of cash. The company sells those tee times and keeps the money. GolfNow’s current US terms define a “Trade Time” as four rounds.

Nothing a month. Your course.

Sign up and have it running today. It costs nothing to start and nothing to keep — we take 5% + 30¢ when a card is used. Or take a 30-minute walkthrough with the person who builds it.

Sources

Checked 8 October 2026. Prices and terms change, and most of these companies do not publish theirs, so ask each one for a written quote. If anything here is wrong or out of date, email kevin@themiddlepin.com and we will correct it. Company names are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify them.