Privacy policy - Golf Tipsters

This page explains what Golf Tipsters collects about you, why, who it goes to, and how to see or delete it. It describes how the site works today.

Who we are

Golf Tipsters (www.golftipsters.com) is run by GolfForecast, which also runs golfforecast.co.uk. In this policy, "we" and "us" mean GolfForecast.

For anything about your information, email info@golfforecast.co.uk.

One account for two sites

Golf Tipsters and GolfForecast (golfforecast.co.uk) use one account system and one database. An account made on either site works on both, with the same email address and password. We run both.

What we collect

When you visit

The page you first land on, and the site that sent you. We keep these in a cookie for 90 days, and save them with your account if you sign up. From that first page's address we keep only campaign tags, such as utm_source. If it carried an ad click ID from Google, Meta or Microsoft, we keep only the fact that one was there, not the ID. From the site that sent you, we keep the page address but nothing after the "?".
The link that brought you to the checkout. Our links to the checkout, and some ad links, carry a short tag. We keep it in a cookie for 7 days, and save it with your account if you sign up.
Whether you are in Australia. Your browser checks its own time zone. If it is an Australian time zone, the site stores "au" in a cookie for a year, and shows Australian dollars, decimal odds and the Australian gambling help line. Your time zone is not sent to us. Visiting /australia, or a link with a region setting, sets the same cookie.
Your IP address and browser details. Your browser sends these to our host, and to each company under "Who we share information with", when it loads our pages.

When you create an account

Your email address. It is also your username.
Your password, stored only as a one-way hash, so we cannot read it.
When you registered, and which of the two sites you signed up on.

When you start a trial or subscribe

Your plan, your billing currency, and when your trial or subscription started and ends.
Your Stripe customer and subscription reference numbers, and a record of each payment (the amount and the date).
Your card or wallet details go to Stripe, not to us. To show your card on your account page, we read its type, last four digits and expiry date from Stripe. We do not store them.

Settings you choose

Your stake per tournament and your stake currency, if you set them.
The sportsbooks you choose.
Your email settings: weekly picks by email, the results recap, and tips, guides and offers.
If you connect Telegram: your Telegram chat ID, and whether picks on Telegram are on.

Other records

The reason you give if you cancel, stored with your email address.
Which emails and Telegram messages we have sent you, and the picks in them.
Messages you send to our Telegram bot, up to 500 characters each. If your chat is not linked to an account, we also keep your Telegram name and username with the message.
Logs of account events, such as sign-ups, password resets, card changes and cancellations. These include your email address.

We do not ask for your name, date of birth, phone number or postal address. Stripe's payment form may ask for billing details such as your country or postcode. Those go to Stripe.

Why we use it

To run your account and send the picks you signed up for, on the site, by email, and on Telegram if you connect it.
To take payments and manage your trial and membership.
To send welcome emails during your trial, and other tips, guides and offers. You can turn these off.
To show Australian or US prices, odds and help lines.
To see which pages and ads bring people to the site, and to measure and target our ads on Meta.
To answer your messages and fix problems.

Who we share information with

Meta (Facebook and Instagram)

The Meta pixel loads on every page. It tells Meta which pages you view, when you open the checkout, and when you start a trial or pay. Meta also receives your IP address, your browser details and its own cookie IDs.

When you start a trial or pay, our server also sends Meta your email address in hashed (scrambled) form, your IP address, your browser details, Meta's cookie IDs and the amount. Meta can match a hashed email to a Meta account with the same address. When a renewal payment goes through, our server sends Meta the hashed email and the amount.

When you reach the checkout from one of our campaign links, our server tells Meta that the checkout page was opened. This does not include your details.

We use this to measure our ads and to show them to people who may be interested. Meta explains how it uses this information in its privacy policy.

Google

Google Analytics loads on every page. It records the pages you view, how you reached the site, your device and browser, and when you start a trial or subscribe, with the amount and an order reference. Google receives your IP address and sets its own cookies. We use it to see how people use the site.

Our pages load their fonts from Google Fonts, so Google also receives your IP address and browser details.

Our support inbox is a Gmail account. Messages you send to our Telegram bot, other than commands, are forwarded there by email.

See Google's privacy policy.

Stripe

Stripe takes our payments. When you start a trial or subscribe, we create a Stripe customer with your email address. You enter your card or wallet details in Stripe's form, and they go straight to Stripe. Stripe's script loads on our checkout page and on the billing part of your account page. If you pay with Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal where it is offered, that company also handles the payment. See Stripe's privacy policy.

Brevo

Brevo sends our emails: password resets, the welcome emails during your trial, and the weekly picks. Brevo receives your email address and the content of each email. When you start a trial, we also add your email address and your plan type (monthly, quarterly or yearly) to a contact list in Brevo. Brevo records whether each email is delivered, opened and clicked. If you unsubscribe through a Brevo link, Brevo tells us, so we can turn those emails off. See Brevo's privacy policy.

Only if you connect it. We send your picks to your Telegram chat, and we read the messages you send our bot. See Telegram's privacy policy.

Microsoft Azure

The site and its database run on Microsoft Azure. The database is in Microsoft's North Europe region, in Ireland.

code.jquery.com

Our pages load a code library from code.jquery.com, which receives your IP address and browser details.

Information that leaves Australia

Meta, Google, Stripe, Brevo, Telegram and Microsoft are based outside Australia. They may store and process information in other countries, including the United States.

Cookies

Our own

gt_region: whether to show Australian or US settings. Lasts a year.
gf_ft: the first page you landed on and the site that sent you. Lasts 90 days. Not set while you are signed in.
gf_csrc: the link that brought you to the checkout. Lasts 7 days.
Sign-in cookie: keeps you signed in, for up to 30 days.
Session cookie: keeps your place during checkout. Ends after 30 minutes without activity.
Security and message cookies: protect our forms against forgery, and carry short messages from one page to the next.

Set by other companies

Meta: _fbp, and _fbc when you arrive from a Meta ad.
Google Analytics: _ga and _ga_ cookies.
Stripe: on the checkout and billing pages, Stripe may set its own cookies, for example to prevent fraud.

The Meta pixel and Google Analytics load on every page as soon as it opens. To stop them, block them in your browser settings or with a content blocker. If you block all cookies, you cannot sign in, and the site shows US settings.

Your choices

Turn off weekly picks by email, the results recap, and tips, guides and offers on your account page, under Notifications. The weekly picks and welcome emails also have an unsubscribe link. Turning off emails does not cancel your membership.
Disconnect Telegram on your account page, or send /stop to our bot to pause it.
Change how Meta uses your information for ads in your Facebook or Instagram settings. Google offers a browser add-on that stops Google Analytics.

See, correct or delete your information

Email info@golfforecast.co.uk from the address on your account. Say whether you want a copy of your information, a correction, or deletion. We may ask you to confirm that the request comes from you.

You can change your email settings, stake and sportsbooks yourself on your account page. The site has no button to delete an account, so ask us by email. Because the two sites share one account, deleting it removes it from both Golf Tipsters and GolfForecast. If you have a membership, cancel it first, or ask us to cancel it in the same email.

Information already sent to the companies listed above is held by them under their own policies.

How long we keep it

The site does not delete accounts or their records by itself. They stay until you ask us to delete them. When you ask, we delete your account, but keep records of payments for as long as tax law requires. Cookies last as listed above.

Age

Golf Tipsters is only for adults: 18 or older, or 21 or older in the United States. If you think someone younger has an account, email info@golfforecast.co.uk.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, email info@golfforecast.co.uk. If you are in Australia and not satisfied with our reply, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au.

Changes to this policy

When this policy changes, we update the date at the top of this page. See also our terms of use.