For boards & committees
Club software for boards: choosing a system with the membership in mind
A board chooses club software once a decade and lives with it every day. Here's what to require on the members' behalf — and how Bubs answers each requirement.
The job
What is the board's job in choosing club software?
Management runs the selection; the board owns the decision. That means asking the questions staff may not: what members will actually experience, whether the financial reporting will let the finance committee do its job, what happens to the club's data if the relationship ends, and how much risk the switch puts on a season.
Boards get into trouble in two ways. Some approve whatever the staff demo'd best, without asking how the system handles the club's own policies or how the club would ever leave. Others run a selection so long that the incumbent's contract renews by default. A short, written process — requirements, an RFP, a scorecard, reference questions — avoids both.
Whichever vendor you choose, hold them to the same requirements. Below are the ones we think matter most to a membership, and how Bubs meets them.
What to require
Six requirements to put in writing
Each one protects the membership, and each one is easy to verify in a demo or a contract.
The club's brand, and no app mandate
Members should carry the club's app, not a vendor's — and members who never download it should still be served by staff on the same system.
The club's policies, enforced
Booking windows, guest limits, lotteries and minimums should be applied by the system the same way to every member, not by whoever answers the phone.
Reporting the finance committee can read
Financial statements on the club industry's uniform system, department schedules, budget variance and a board pack produced from the same ledger as the statements.
The club owns its data
A full export of the club's data, available at any time without a fee or a negotiation. Ask to see one before signing.
A switch that can be undone
Balances reconciled to the cent before go-live, modules introduced in stages, and a clear answer to what happens if a stage goes wrong.
Access the club controls
Role-based permissions scoped to the club, card data held by the payment processor, and money records that are corrected by reversal, never edited.
Governance
Minutes members can read, and a finance committee with real numbers
The board and each committee are set up in Bubs with their meetings. Approved minutes are published to members in the club app, and only members of the club can read them.
At month-end the controller closes the books with each reconciliation signed, and the board pack — summary, balance sheet, cash flow, department schedules, budget variance and receivables aging — is generated from the closed ledger. The committee reviews the same numbers the statements were built from.
- Board and committee minutes published in the club app
- A board pack from the closed book each month
- Non-member income tests reported from the ledger
- Full data export at any time
Run the selection
Templates for a board-led selection
A ready-to-send RFP, a scorecard to compare vendors side by side, and a guide to running the process without losing a season.
FAQ
Questions from boards
Who should be on a club software selection committee?
The general manager and controller, the heads of golf and food and beverage, and two or three board or committee members — ideally one with a finance background and one who represents how members use the club day to day.
How long should a selection take?
Most clubs can gather requirements, send an RFP, see demos and check references in a few months. Plan backwards from the incumbent's renewal date and the club's quiet season, so the switch doesn't land in the middle of the golf calendar.
What should the board ask about data?
Whether the club can export all of its data at any time, in what format, at what cost, and whether the export has been used to move a club before. Ask to see a sample export during the evaluation.
How can the board limit the risk of switching?
Require opening balances to be reconciled to the cent before go-live, a dry run that shows every rejected record, a staged rollout by module, and a period of running the old accounting export alongside the new books.
How does Bubs publish committee minutes?
Governance bodies, their meetings and approved minutes are recorded in Bubs, and published minutes appear in the club app for members of that club only.
See your club on Bubs
Thirty minutes, your club's brand on the screen, and the parts of the day you care about most.