{"id":670672,"date":"2026-07-02T23:28:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T23:28:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/670672\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T23:28:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T23:28:26","slug":"ai-golf-booking-bots-melbournes-woodlands-golf-club-cracks-down-on-automated-software-used-to-game-timesheets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/670672\/","title":{"rendered":"AI golf booking bots: Melbourne’s Woodlands Golf Club cracks down on automated software used to game timesheets"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Savvy golfers have been using AI to nab themselves the best time slots at top clubs across the country, according to a Melbourne club, which is warning its members that those caught doing so could face consequences.<\/p>\n

Woodlands Golf Club in Mordialloc, ranked 27th on Golf Australia\u2019s top 100 courses of 2026, wrote to members informing them that some were using third-party software, including AI and automated booking tools, to secure their preferred tee times in the MiClub timesheet booking system.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we appreciate that members are keen to secure their preferred playing times, the use of these applications presents significant privacy, security and fairness concerns,\u201d the club wrote.<\/p>\n

\"MembersMembers of Woodlands Golf Club have been called out for using AI to game the timesheet system.Penny Stephens<\/p>\n

As Woodlands explained to members, many of these services require login credentials to be handed over to an external provider, creating privacy and cybersecurity risks for the member using it, and potentially for other members whose information is held within the club\u2019s systems.<\/p>\n

Woodlands, a private members\u2019 club, said this practice breached its privacy policy and compromised the security of its systems and was \u201cstrictly prohibited\u201d, demanding in bold font that any members currently using such software immediately stop and change their password.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Cathedral<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Club is actively monitoring booking activity and reviewing timesheet data daily to identify the use of automated booking software. Where there is evidence that a member has used prohibited tools, the matter will be investigated and may result in disciplinary action,\u201d the email warned.<\/p>\n

In its email, Woodlands indicated it was aware of members at other clubs using similar tools to game timesheets via MiClub, which is used by golf clubs across the country \u2013 including top-ranked Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Black Rock, Riversdale Golf Club in Mount Waverley, and Commonwealth Golf Club in Oakleigh South.<\/p>\n

MiClub said it was confident there had been no further exposure of member information but was nonetheless advising members of all clubs to stop using these platforms as a precaution, according to Woodlands\u2019 email.<\/p>\n

Woodlands also said the software company would be changing the timesheet booking process Australia-wide as a result.<\/p>\n

A golfer who attempted to demonstrate the AI process for this masthead was confronted with a warning: \u201cSome clubs consider bot-booking against their terms of use, since it can crowd out members trying to book manually. Worth checking your club\u2019s member rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"WoodlandsWoodlands Golf Club is ranked among the top courses in Australia.Penny Stephens<\/p>\n

It is unclear what third-party software members have been using to game the MiClub booking system. A YouTube video posted three months ago by an AI tutorial account called Exploring AI suggested it might not be too difficult for individual golfers to create their own automated plugins, and even provided step-by-step guidance for those interested in doing so.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

However, the British YouTuber behind the video, James Beattie, warned against the wider use of such software, saying there was a reason why he had not monetised the app he created for himself and his friends.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt solves a problem that a lot of people have, but then you have to think about it from the perspective of the community,\u201d Beattie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, is it really fair if hundreds of people are using this app and then if there is hundreds of people using the app then it really just ruins the tee sheets for everyone?\u201d<\/p>\n

Woodlands, MiClub and Royal Melbourne have been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n

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\"BridgetBridget McArthur<\/a> is a sports affairs reporter at The Age, covering the intersection of sports and politics\/business\/economy\/society.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":670673,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[5904,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-670672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-golf","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670672","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=670672"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670672\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670672"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670672"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670672"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}