Carl is a golf tee time concierge that operates through text message. This policy covers what information we collect, how we use it, and what you can do about it. No legalese — just plain English.
What we collect
Your phone number. Required to receive and send text messages. This is how we identify you across conversations and confirm booking activity.
Your name and home area. You can share these with Carl during the conversation. We store them so Carl can use your name and know your usual area when he replies. You don't have to share either.
Conversation history. We store the messages you send Carl and the replies he sends back. This lets Carl maintain context across a conversation (so you can say "actually, make it Sunday" and he knows what you're referring to).
Booking preferences. Things you tell Carl — your preferred tee time window, how many players you usually bring, courses you like — may be stored so Carl can give better recommendations over time.
Analytics. We use PostHog to understand how visitors use the carl.golf website. This includes page views, button clicks, and general usage patterns. PostHog does not receive your phone number or conversation content.
What we don't collect
We don't collect raw payment card information. Stripe handles subscription billing. Your card details go directly to Stripe, and we receive only the account and subscription status needed to provide access. We never see or store your card number.
We don't collect location data from your device. “Location” in the Carl context means the city or area you tell Carl about in conversation, not GPS coordinates.
How we use it
Everything we collect is used for one purpose: making Carl more useful to you. Your phone number lets us send and receive messages. Conversation history lets Carl maintain context across sessions. Preferences feed into better recommendations over time.
We do not sell your data or use it for advertising. When Carl contacts a course on your behalf, we may share only the request details needed to check or make the reservation, such as the date, time window, and group size.
Your mobile number and SMS consent
Carl operates over text message, so your mobile number and your consent to be texted are central to the service. We use your number only to send and receive the messages that make Carl work — never for unrelated marketing.
We do not sell your mobile number, and we never share your phone number or SMS consent with third parties or affiliates for their own marketing or promotional purposes. We share your number only with the provider that delivers the messages (Sendblue), solely to operate the texting service on our behalf.
You can stop the texts at any time by replying STOP. See our Terms of Service for the full messaging terms, including message frequency and rates.
Who sees your data
A small number of people on the Carl team can access conversation logs for debugging and improving the service. Your data is stored on servers hosted by Google Cloud Platform in the United States.
We use Sendblue to send and receive text messages. Your messages pass through their infrastructure. Their privacy policy applies to message transport.
Your rights
You can request a copy of all data we hold about you, or ask us to delete it entirely. Send a request to hello@carl.golf with your phone number and we'll handle it within 30 days.
Deleting your data means we lose your conversation history and preferences. Carl won't recognize you on your next message — he'll treat you as a new user.
Changes to this policy
If we make material changes to what we collect or how we use it, we'll text you a heads-up before the change takes effect.
Contact
Questions about privacy: hello@carl.golf