Terms of Use: the straight version

By using golfraw.com — reading a story, running a tool, signing up for the newsletter — you're agreeing to these terms. If you don't agree, the straightforward option is to not use the site. Nobody's making you.

We may update these terms as the site grows. If a change is material, we'll flag it the same way we handle every other correction: openly, with a new date at the top and a note in the newsletter. No silent rewrites.

GOLFRAW is an independent golf publication: news, player ratings, tournament analysis, and a suite of free browser-based calculators, all produced by GOLFRAW Editorial. We are not affiliated with the PGA Tour, LPGA, DP World Tour, the R&A, the USGA, or any player, team, or brand we cover. Player and tournament names appear because we report on them, not because we represent them.

The site is funded by advertising (Google AdSense) and, eventually, reader newsletter engagement. It costs nothing to read, and the tools cost nothing to use — see Privacy Policy for exactly what that means for your data.

Every calculator in the Raw Tools suite — The Settle Up, The Round Autopsy, The Tee Box Reality Check, The Handicap Lie Detector, The Plays Like Calculator, The Tilt Meter, The Bag Audit, The Gimme Audit — runs entirely in your browser. No account, no server-side processing, no data uploaded. Full technical detail is in the Privacy Policy.

• The tools are estimates, not professional advice. They apply published formulas and reasonable models to the numbers you enter. They are not a substitute for a certified coach, a fitting session, a handicap committee, or a doctor.
• The betting calculator settles money between consenting adults playing a friendly game. It does not facilitate wagering, does not process payments, and is not gambling software. What your group does with the numbers it produces is between you and your group, and your local laws.
• Handicap-related tools are informational only. The Handicap Lie Detector applies the published World Handicap System differential formula for entertainment and self-audit purposes. It is not a substitute for an official handicap issued through a recognised golf association, and we make no claim that its output is valid for handicap purposes.
• We are not liable for decisions made using tool output. If The Tee Box Reality Check tells you to move up a tee and your Saturday four-ball has opinions about that, that's between you and your four-ball.

• Articles, ratings, the ratings methodology, and the tool calculators (including their underlying logic) are original work by GOLFRAW Editorial and are protected by copyright.
• You're welcome to quote us, link to us, and screenshot a result card from one of the tools to share with your group — that's what the share buttons are for. Attribution to golfraw.com is appreciated and, for anything beyond a short quote, required.
• Republishing full articles, scraping the site programmatically, or presenting our ratings as your own work is not permitted without written permission. Ask first: hello@golfraw.com.
• Player names, tournament names, and brand names mentioned in our coverage belong to their respective owners. We use them descriptively, under fair use, to report and comment on matters of public interest.

Don't do anything that breaks the site for other people or breaks the law. Specifically:

• No automated scraping, crawling, or bulk-downloading the site outside of normal search engine indexing.
• No attempting to interfere with, disable, or overload the site or its tools.
• No submitting false or malicious information through the contact form, corrections channel, or newsletter signup.
• No using the site for anything illegal in your jurisdiction.

The site carries advertising served through Google AdSense — full detail on cookies and tracking is in the Privacy Policy. Articles sometimes link to outside sites (source material, official tour pages, other coverage). We don't control those sites and aren't responsible for their content, their availability, or what they do with your data once you leave golfraw.com. A link is not an endorsement.

We work hard to get the facts right, and when we don't, it goes in the Corrections Log — publicly, permanently. But the site, its articles, its ratings, and its tools are provided "as is," without warranty of any kind. Player ratings are editorial opinion built on a stated methodology, not statements of objective fact. Tool calculations are only as accurate as the inputs you give them and the models they're built on.

To the fullest extent the law allows, GOLFRAW and GOLFRAW Editorial are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of the site — including decisions made from an article, a rating, or a tool result. If that feels like a lot of legal distance for a golf website, it is, and it's standard for a reason: nobody should be making tee-time decisions based solely on a website they read for free.

Questions about these terms: hello@golfraw.com. These terms are governed by the laws applicable to the operator of golfraw.com, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. If any part of these terms turns out to be unenforceable, the rest still stands.