Golf Magic module is a GOLFLink Tier 3 accredited competition and player handicapping system. It is a full-features competition management system, with online booking, touchscreen kiosk, custom score card printing and a leaderboard.

Competition management includes support for team events, multi-round tournaments and eclectic competitions.

Golf Magic works with a mix of web-based and local software, to provide online convenience for members, while also being able to run a golf competition with limited or no internet access.

Golf Magic automatically calculates many details to simplify running competitions, such as calculating each player's Daily/Playing Handicap from their GA Handicap and course slope rating

Golf Magic can manage a wide variety of golf competitions. All of the following options can be configured for a competition, then saved into a template to then set up future events in just a couple of clicks:

• Score results using Stableford, Par, or Stroke (net & scratch)
• 9 or 18 hole competitions and courses supported
• Scores can be entered as strokes on each hole, or as a score card total
• From scores entered as strokes, player scores are automatically calculated and placings automatically calculated
• For hole by hole score entry, score ties are broken by automatic countback calculation
• Full field and graded competitions supported
• Grades can be set independently in each competition, so it is easy to play in different grades depending on the day of the week
• Competitions can also have elegibility automatically determined based on gender, member/visitor status, or player age
• Per-competition maximum handicap is supported
• Other manual competition types such as Nearest the Pin & Longest Drive can be added into the results to show on the leaderboard, in result reports and for allocation of prizes
• Support for many team formats including:
  • Fourball Aggregate
  • Fourball Better Ball
  • Fourball Multipler 
  • Foursomes
  • Ambrose
  • Many other 2 to 4 player team events
• For applicable team event types (such as Fourball variants), team placings and handicapped individual scores can be processed at once from a single competition registration, score card and score entry

Offline Operation

While many other golf competition software operates poorly or cannot be used when club internet access is limited or offline, Golf Magic has been carefully designed to still support your daily operation. Even with no internet access, Golf Magic resides on the local club network and can still operate as follows:

• all member details and GA handicaps as per last Start of Day are stored locally and available to calculate playing handicaps
• visitors can be added manually after looking up their handicap online from a mobile phone
• players can register to play & score cards can be printed
• scores can be entered and placings will be calculated
• once online access is restored, results can be uploaded to Golflink

Golf Magic includes a Tier 3 web services GOLFLink accredited interface, to process handicapping according to the requirements of Golf Australia’s handicapping rules, including the 2014 changes.

Via the GOLFLink interface, Golf Magic allows the user to:

• download new courses and member handicaps
• upload competition results to GOLFLink
• add new playing members and assign them a golflink number, or transfer members from other clubs
• enter first cards and get a member's initial handicap
• Look up visitor details & handicap from their Golflink number
• Enter adhoc scores for members
• update Golflink with changed member contact detail

Important announcement – Golf Magic support beyond the retirement of GolfLink

In 2023 Golf Australia announced that they plan to retire the existing GolfLink system, and replace it with a new “GA Digital Handicapping Platform".

Thyme Software are pleased to announce that we are one of a small select group of the current GolfLink Tier 3 software providers that have fully committed to provide complete integration with, and support for, the new platform when it is released in April 2024.

The software development towards support of the new handicapping platform is already well underway.

The change over from GolfLink to the new platform will occur seamlessly within the Golf Magic software, and most of the processes you currently use to manage golf competitions will remain unchanged. The change to the new handicapping platform should have minimal impact on your daily processes.

Golf Magic includes an online tee time booking sheet as part of Member Magic's Member Portal website. Members can log in and book themselves, playing partners, and guests into golfing events.

The online booking system is controlled by Golf Magic Operations. The booking sheet layout, times and competition details are configured together then published to the site. Typically the sheet and competition setup is saved into a template to make running frequent routine competitions very simple. Booking sheet design includes easy ways to set up single or multiple tee starts and shotgun starts, and is very flexible to support other sheet layouts.

Golf Magic Kiosk is a touchscreen app that allows players to register for a competion including printing a score card and seeing their Playing Handicap, and enter their scores. Scores are entered as either a total score, or hole-by-hole strokes. Players can also use the kiosk to review recent rounds and check their handicap.

The touchscreen interface is optimised to be easily accessible to a wide range of users, with a simple interface, large text, and audio & visual feedback of every touch.

Golf Magic Leaderboard displays scores and rolling competition results in your club. The leaderboard is designed with smooth continuously scrolling results for members to enjoy watching as scores are entered and the placings shift accordingly.

The leaderboard is very low-maintenance, with several automatic display options to show results for today's competition, or the last few days. Manual controls are also available to fine-tune which competitions and/or placings are visible, as required.

Only after an event is finalized are prizes and ball comps are also displayed. This allows you to hold presentations before displaying final results.

The leaderboard can also display club announcements and marketing, which are shown interspersed between results as 'ad breaks'. The adverts are created as PowerPoint presentations, one file per ad break (which can contain multiple adverts), and the leaderboard will randomly display one of these files per ad break.

Custom score cards can be printed in bulk for all registered players in a competition, or individually when a member registers for an event. Each score card shows all the required player or team details, including name, playing handicap, GOLFLink number, tee, tee-offtime, etc.

Our standard score card designs include printing the course details for the competition, either just for the registered player, or the men and women's course for the event. This gives the club freedom to play on different tees regularly, without needing to fit multiple sets of course details on the card, or keep stock of different pre-printed cards per course.

Several high-quality standard layouts are available, and additionally custom layouts can be tailored to the club’s needs.

Tournaments

The scores from multiple selected events can be combined into tournaments, including Club Championships, etc.

You can produce Progressive and Final results as reports and/or display them on the leaderboard.

There are many variations possible when setting up a tournament, including "Best of x of y" rounds, for example "Best 3 of 5", or "Best 1 of 10".

Eclectics

Golf Magic's Eclectic system can run multiple eclectics across different periods, with many variations.

If hole-by-hole stroke score entry is used, the system will automatically evaluate the eclectic entries from the scores that have been entered.

Membership integration

Several aspects of the Golf Magic system may work in conjunction with the membership system. For example:

• Golf bookings and event registrations may be restricted by various factors including the member's type and financial status.
• Individual competitions may have their qualifications restricted to specific groups of members.
• Members may be automatically billed for Competition and/or Green fees.
• Player's GOLFLink number can be included on magnetic swipe club cards.

PoS system integration

The value of all Prizes and Ball competitions awarded by Golf Magic Operations can be easily allocated to each members’ prize account. This will make them available to spend at the Point of Sale terminals according to the club’s specific restrictions, such as to be only available in the Proshop but not Bar. Prize balances liability for the club can be tracked and managed by setting them to automatically expire in yearly seasons, or to have each prize expire after a set number of days.