Why Do We Collect Personal Information?

GA requires personal information about Australian golfers for the purposes of operating, funding and maintaining Golf Link. This essentially covers the provision of a uniform handicapping system, the development of the sport and the financing of it.

How Do We Collect The Information?

GA collects information about Australian golfers through Golf Clubs. When Golf Clubs come on-line with Golf Link they are required to provide and disclose to GA in either electronic or written form their membership lists. It is the Golf Club’s responsibility to provide monthly updates to GA of its membership list, in either electronic or written form, including members’ status, new members, suspensions and resignations.

What Sort Of Personal Information Do We Collect?

GA collects a limited amount of personal information about Australian golfers including name, address, contact details, date of birth, gender, Golf Club membership/s & membership number.

How We Use Your Personal Information

The primary service of Golf Link is to provide a uniform national course rating and handicapping system. Golf Link relies on personal information to verify membership & handicap details and to assist in the funding of Golf Link by providing golfers with invitations to selected products and services.

Product Offers

GA may use personal information to offer the Australian golfer an exclusive range of other products and services that we believe they may be interested in.

Where GA sends golfers offers relating to the products and services of other organisations, it is GA that mails this information. It should be noted that no commercial party has direct access to the database for their own use.

Please keep in mind that if you take advantage of an offer from one of our business partners and become their customer, they may independently wish to send offers to you. In this case, you would need to inform them separately if you do not wish to receive further offers from them.

Quality of Information

GA relies on information supplied to us by each Golf Club, and to the best of our knowledge, GA believes that the personal information of each Australian golfer stored in the central database is up-to-date and accurate.

To ensure that this information remains as up-to-date as possible, golfers should inform their home club of any changes to any aspect of their personal information.

Security of Personal Information

Personal information provided by the Golf Club to GA is stored in a central database maintained by GA and third parties authorised to do so in accordance with clause 7.

The database may only be accessed by authorised parties and only under secure conditions. To ensure confidentiality for the purpose of verifying membership status and transferring handicap and score information, authorised personnel require logon codes and passwords.

As an additional measure, all authorised parties with access to the database are further bound by contract to keep personal information confidential.

Declining Product Offers ("Opt-Out")

From time to time GA may use personal information to mail to Australian golfers official GA correspondence related to the establishment, operation and funding of the Golf Link system, such as special products and offers.

GA provides all Australian golfers with the choice as to whether they receive information about special products and offers that support Golf Link.

Golfers not wishing to receive such material may “Opt-Out” by advising GA in writing accordingly.

Disclosure of Personal Information

GA is committed to protecting the personal information of all Australian golfers. This section explains the circumstances where we may disclose personal information to other organisations.

Third Parties

GA may contract with other parties to provide services on our behalf, for example, mail-houses for the distribution of GA correspondence related to Golf Link. In such circumstances, GA will provide access to the Golf Link system to such third parties.

In all circumstances where GA contracts with other parties to provide services on our behalf, GA will, prior to access of the Golf Link system, ensure that any such third party enters into a confidentiality agreement which protects the privacy of all of the personal information disclosed to them.

Third parties which are provided access to the Golf Link system will also be required to comply with security requirements as described in clause 5.

Other Disclosure of Information

GA may, as permitted by the Privacy Act, disclose personal information in order to comply with any applicable law or legally binding order of the court, government, semi-government authority or administrative or judicial body.

Personal access to your information

On written application GA will provide the golfer with a copy of their information that it holds.

How Long Do We Keep Information?

GA keeps personal information for as long as it is necessary to provide the Australian Golfer with the products and services related to Golf Link.

GA will retain information for a reasonable period should an Australian golfer cease to be a member of a Golf Club.

Handicap records of golfers who have had a handicap in the Golf Link system will be kept on file indefinitely as a historical archive.

If you have any queries or concerns about your personal information that GA maintains, please send the details of your query or concern in writing to:

The Privacy Officer
Level 3, 95 Coventry Street
South Melbourne
Victoria
3205
Australia