JOIN THE BOGEYMAP GROUND CREW

Anyone eligible can apply to the BogeyMap Ground Crew. BogeyMap selects the crew by hand; there is no nomination requirement today.

• Active BogeyMap Pro membership

  The Ground Crew is a Pro program. If your membership lapses, your reviewer status pauses until it's active again.

• Handicap index of 15.0 or better

  You need enough game to judge a course from the tees it was designed to be played from. We verify on request.

• At least 10 new courses a year

  Ten first-hand rounds at courses you haven't already reported on, filed within 30 days of playing.

• 18 or older, United States account

  BogeyMap accounts are US-only right now, so the panel is too.

• You played it, no exceptions

  No reports from a range session, a cart tour, a drive-by, or someone else's round. This is the rule we remove people for.

• Full disclosure of anything comped

  Comped rounds, hosted stays, member invites, media days, disclose them on the report. Undisclosed perks end your accreditation.

1. 1

   Play the course from a fair set of tees

   Walk it if you can. Note the date, conditions are half the story and readers weigh a report differently in April than in August.

2. 2

   Score the seven categories

   Routing and variety, green complexes, bunkering and hazards, conditioning, setting and walkability, facilities and service, and value for the fee. Your overall rating is 1–100 with a written justification, and it counts double toward a course's golfer average. A score without a reason gets sent back.

3. 3

   Write the field report

   150–400 words of specifics: how the greens rolled, what the sand was like, tee-box wear, pace on the day, how the starter and pro shop handled a visitor.

4. 4

   Add Access Intel if you have it

   How you got on, lead time, whether a hotel or member connection was needed, and what it actually cost. Facts only, never a guarantee that someone else will get on.

5. 5

   Submission and screening

   Every report is screened before it publishes. Approved reports carry the Ground Crew badge, publish under your name on the course page.

• Never present yourself as a BogeyMap employee, and never ask a club for access, discounted golf, or a comped stay on BogeyMap's behalf.
• Never trade a favorable rating for anything. A single instance ends accreditation permanently.
• Rate the golf course, not the people. No claims about named staff, members, or other golfers.
• Respect the club: follow their photography, phone, and guest rules while you're on property.
• Score independently. Don't coordinate ratings with other raters before filing.

Full rules live in the review guidelines, which apply to raters with the additions above.

• A Ground Crew badge on every published report, and your name on the byline.
• The structured field-report tools, including the Access Intel fields.
• BogeyMap swag after your first 10 published reports.