You are not derailing the conversation at all. I believe Thousand Greens came up earlier and I tried to explain how that is selling access when a simple request with no quid pro quo involved is not. I hope you are aware how organizations like yours are hurting those of us who gain access the old fashioned way through friends. Clubs are beginning to restrict the number of legitimate guests a member can bring because of these access providing web sites and it angers me. For that I am sorry. I recently had to make a Sophie's Choice and leave one of my most precious friends alone in his hotel room because of the controversy.
I am having trouble locating the review that was sent to me and can not access your site to find it myself. I'll keep digging.
Please do, as I absolutely want to correct it if there is false information.
I understand your frustration, but I also think it's misplaced. If one of our members takes another person out from our community it's no different than meeting a fellow golf lover in any other way. Still a legitimate guest, friend, and like-mind. We just make it easier to connect with people who do share that passion, get excited about showing off their home courses, and also just happen to like geeking out about golf on the internet like everyone on here.
Aside from the fact I charge a fee to compensate for my time working on it, it's no different than being invited out to a club by a member on here.
While Thousand Greens is setup a bit more transactional, we're relationship focused first and the legitimate friendships and connections that have come out of it have been really cool to see over the last couple of years.
Honestly, my goal with all of it is simply to promote the game, foster more connections, and help people experience more of the unique places in the world of golf. I do think the landscape is changing. I'm not the first to help golfers connect, and I won't be the last. But I'm 100% open to hearing other opinions about the golf landscape and how to continue to work in a way that respects the games, the clubs, and the members of those clubs.
So feel free to send me a note if you want to talk about it. Either way, I appreciate your thoughts and candor.