Content Moderation Policy
Effective Date: January 18, 2026
Our goal is to build the most helpful resource for Chicago-area golfers. GolfScout is committed to fostering honest, constructive discussion about the local golf scene while maintaining a respectful community.1. The "Field Report" Standard
GolfScout is designed to help golfers know what to expect before they head to the course. The most helpful comments are honest, recent observations about the playing conditions and experience. We love comments that mention:- Current course conditions (e.g., "Greens were aerated on Monday September 4th")
- Pace of play and course management
- Tips for playing specific holes
- Value for money
- Personal experiences with staff, amenities, or service
- Honest opinions and reviews, even if negative
2. The Moderation Process
To ensure quality and prevent spam, all comments are moderated before appearing on the site.- Verification: All new commenters must verify their email address to prevent automated bots
- Human Review: Every comment is reviewed by a moderator before publication
- Timeline: Most comments are reviewed within 24 hours
- Final Decision: We reserve sole discretion on all moderation decisions with no obligation to provide explanations or appeals
3. What We Remove
We believe in free speech, but this is a private platform focused on golf. We will reject or remove comments that contain:- Hate Speech & Harassment: Content that attacks individuals or groups based on race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristics
- Personal Attacks: While you may criticize a business, you may not personally attack, name-call, threaten, or dox course employees or other players
- Personal Information: Phone numbers, addresses, or email addresses of others
- Profanity: Excessive vulgarity (please keep it PG-13 - we want this site safe for junior golfers)
- Spam: Links to other websites, promotional material, advertisements, or gibberish
- Off-Topic Content: Political discussions, unrelated rants, or content not related to the golf experience
- Illegal Content: Encouragement of illegal activity or content that violates the law
- Sexually Explicit Material: Obscene or inappropriate content
- Impersonation: Pretending to be another person or business
- Provably False Statements: Factual claims that are demonstrably untrue (e.g., "This course is closed" when it's open)
4. Negative Reviews Are Okay
We allow negative reviews. If a course is in poor condition or offered bad service, other golfers deserve to know. We will not remove comments simply because a business or individual disagrees with the opinion expressed, and we will not favor courses that advertise or sponsor the site. However, all reviews must be based on first-hand experience.- You must have actually visited the course
- Share what you personally observed or experienced
- ✅ "The greens were in terrible condition" - Valid observation
- ✅ "This course has gone downhill and they don't seem to care anymore" - Honest opinion
- ✅ "The starter was rude to my group" - Personal experience
- ✅ "Not worth the money in my opinion" - Subjective assessment
- ❌ "The owner is a thief" or "They're running a scam" - Legal liability, will be rejected
- Focus on the golf experience, conditions, and service
- Criticism should help other golfers make informed decisions
5. Rights & Responsibilities
By submitting a comment to GolfScout, you:- Grant us a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, and display your comment on our website
- Acknowledge that your comment may remain on the site indefinitely
- Agree that you are responsible for the content you post
- Indemnify GolfScout from any claims arising from your content
- Confirm you have read and agree to our Terms of Service
- Edit comments for clarity (e.g., fixing typos) or to redact personally identifiable information
- Remove problematic portions while preserving substantive content (with notation)
- Permanently ban repeat violators from commenting
- Generally, we prefer to leave comments as written unless editing is necessary
6. Our Commitment to Independence
- We will not remove legitimate criticism to appease businesses
- Our moderation standards apply equally to all courses
- Sponsorships and advertising do not influence moderation decisions
- We aim to be fair arbiters of what constitutes helpful golf information