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Privacy Policy

Effective Date: June 10, 2026

Welcome to Golf Better. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your information when you use the Golf Better mobile application. We are committed to protecting your privacy and being transparent about our data practices.

Golf Better is designed as a privacy-first application. The vast majority of your data — including your round history, scores, and course data — is stored locally on your device. If you sign in, you can optionally back up your finished rounds and saved courses to your private cloud storage so you can restore them on another device. Cloud services are otherwise used only for the specific features described below.

By using Golf Better, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the application.

Information Stored Locally on Your Device

The following data is stored exclusively on your device using local database storage. We do not have access to this data, cannot retrieve it, and it never leaves your device unless you explicitly choose to share it or, when you are signed in, back it up to the cloud (see below):

  • Round history (scores, dates, courses played, format, results)
  • Course data (name, location, par, handicap ratings, yardage, tee information)
  • User profile preferences (name, handicap index, home course)
  • Friends list (locally cached after cloud lookup)
  • Skins records and settlement history

If you delete the application, all locally stored data is permanently removed from your device.

Information Stored in the Cloud

When you create an account and sign in, certain data is stored in Google Cloud Firestore to enable multiplayer and community features:

  • Account profile: display name, handicap index, a unique 6-character friend code, your email searchability preference, and your home-course sharing preference (your home course name is included only if you turn that sharing on).
  • Authentication credentials: managed entirely by Firebase Authentication (Google, Apple, or email/password). We never store or have access to your passwords.
  • Community course contributions: when you add a course while signed in, the course data and your display name are shared to the community database so others can find it.
  • Multiplayer round data: scores, player names, invite codes, and course info are stored temporarily to enable live score sync between devices.
  • Cloud backup: when signed in, copies of your finished rounds and saved courses are backed up to your private cloud storage so you can restore them on another device. This backup is private to your account and not shared with other users.
  • Notifications: in-app round invitations and reminders are stored in the cloud and associated with your account.

Information We Do NOT Collect

Golf Better does not collect any of the following:

  • Location or GPS data
  • Device identifiers or advertising IDs
  • Analytics, telemetry, or usage tracking data
  • Health or fitness data
  • Financial or payment information (skins is a record-keeping feature only — no payments are processed through the app)
  • Contacts, address book, or browsing history

How We Use Your Information

We use your information solely to provide and improve Golf Better: to manage your profile and friend code, synchronize multiplayer scores and invitations, power the community course database, perform on-device scorecard scanning, and calculate course handicaps. We do not use your information for advertising, marketing, profiling, or sale to third parties.

Third-Party Services

We rely on Firebase Authentication and Cloud Firestore (Google) for sign-in and cloud data, and Google ML Kit Text Recognition for on-device scorecard scanning (no images are uploaded). These services are governed by Google's Privacy Policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

When We Share Your Data

We share data only in limited ways: community course contributions and your display name are visible to other signed-in users who search the database; multiplayer participants can see your display name, handicap index, and scores for that round; if you opt into email searchability (off by default), others can look you up by email (your email itself is not displayed); and if you opt into home-course sharing (off by default), friends who add you can see your home course. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information.

Data Retention

  • Local data: kept on your device until you delete it. You can enable auto-delete of old rounds (30 days, 90 days, 6 months, 1 year, or never).
  • Account profile and cloud backup: retained as long as your account exists; deletable at any time (see Your Rights).
  • Multiplayer round data: automatically deleted from the cloud 5 days after the round is created. Your local scores remain on your device.
  • Community courses: retained while useful; zero-validation courses removed after 6 months, unverified courses after 12 months.

Data Security

Cloud data is protected by Firebase Authentication and enforced Firestore security rules that restrict access based on identity (you can only read and modify data you are authorized to access). Passwords are never stored by the app. Scorecard images are processed entirely on-device. No method of electronic storage or transmission is 100% secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Rights and Choices

  • Access & correction: view and update your profile in the Me tab at any time.
  • Deletion: delete your account and all cloud data in the app (Me tab → Delete Account). This removes your profile, friend code, cloud backups, and notifications; rounds on your device are kept. You can also delete local data anytime, or request deletion by email.
  • Email searchability: control whether others can find you by email (off by default; Me tab → Privacy).
  • Opt out of community sharing: use the app without signing in and nothing is shared to the cloud.
  • Data portability: export any round as a text summary via the Share function.

Children's Privacy

Golf Better is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has provided us information, contact us at the email below and we will delete it promptly.

Camera and Photo Library Access

We request camera and photo access for scorecard scanning and for scanning a friend's QR code to send a friend request. These are processed entirely on-device, are never uploaded, and are not stored by the app. You can revoke these permissions anytime in your device settings.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices, features, or applicable law. Material changes will update the Effective Date above. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance.

Contact Us

Questions or requests about this Privacy Policy can be sent to birdie@golfbetterapp.com. We will respond to privacy-related inquiries within 30 days.