A spreadsheet and WhatsApp vs ParClub.
Most UK golf groups — societies, roll-ups, lads' tours — run on a spreadsheet, a WhatsApp group and manual bank transfers. It's free and everyone knows it. Here's exactly where that breaks, and where it's genuinely fine to stay.
| The job | Spreadsheet + WhatsApp | ParClub |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free for the whole society; optional captain tier |
| Everyone already has it | Yes (WhatsApp) | Members download once, then just tap a link |
| Fixtures & who's playing | Manual count of WhatsApp replies | Members register themselves |
| Live scoring on the day | None | Live, with handicaps done for you |
| Live leaderboard | None | Updates for everyone in real time |
| Season Order of Merit | Rebuilt by hand every week | Keeps itself automatically |
| Big-screen / clubhouse mode | A printout if someone remembered | Cast the live leaderboard to the bar TV |
| Knockouts / tours / eclectic | More spreadsheets | Built in, scored automatically |
| Pairings & tee times | By hand the night before | One tap, balanced |
| Survives the captain standing down | Knowledge dies with the spreadsheet | Transfers in one tap, export anytime |
| Who does the work | All of it lands on one volunteer | The app does the admin |
Members never pay, ever. Captain's price locked for life.
Being straight with you
When the spreadsheet is genuinely fine.
If you're eight mates who play twice a year, split the cost on the day in cash and don't run a season table, a spreadsheet is fine. You don't need an app for that and we're not going to pretend you do.
ParClub earns its place the moment there's a season to track, an Order of Merit worth keeping, scores worth seeing live, or a captain quietly doing three nights of admin nobody sees. That's when the free thing stops being free, it just costs the captain's time instead of money.
Stop running it on a spreadsheet.
Members play free, always. Captain pays £35/yr — locked for life. Solo golfer? Free forever, no card.