Welcome to Golf Map NZ, operated by Lode Ltd. ("we", "us", or "our"). We respect your privacy and are committed to protecting it. Our philosophy is simple: we map golf courses, not people.
1. Information We Collect (and What We Don't)
We do not require users to create accounts, and everyday visitors to our site remain completely anonymous. The limited information we do interact with includes:
- Anonymous Usage Data: We track basic, aggregated visitor counts (such as how many people view a specific map) to help us manage our server and API costs. This data cannot be used to personally identify you.
- Location Data: If you use the "Live GPS Tracking" feature on our 2D/3D viewers, your device will ask for location permissions. Your real-time location is processed locally on your device to show you your position on the map. We do not store, track, or record your continuous location history on our servers.
- Information You Voluntarily Provide: We collect information you choose to provide, such as your name, business details, logo, and email address when you request a course sponsorship. Stripe provides subscription and payment status, transaction references, amount, currency, and billing email so we can activate and manage your listing. Buy Me a Coffee provides payment details for optional donations and any older sponsorship requests.
2. How We Use Your Information
If you have voluntarily provided us with personal information, we only use it for its intended purpose:
- To display sponsor information on our website (with your consent).
- To verify course sponsorship payments, match them to a request, and prevent duplicate course sponsorships. The checkout email and reference are removed from the public sponsor record after successful verification.
- To reply to your emails, inquiries, or technical support requests.
- To maintain the security and functionality of the website.
3. Third-Party Services
We rely on trusted third-party service providers to run this project. These providers have their own privacy policies regarding how they handle data:
- Google Analytics and Google services: We use Google Analytics 4 to measure page views, traffic sources, approximate location, device and browser information, and general engagement with the site. Google may use cookies or similar technologies to provide these aggregated reports. We do not use Google Analytics to collect precise GPS location data.
- Amazon Web Services: Used for hosting our spatial mapping data and 3D viewers.
- Firebase: Used to host the site, store sponsor requests, securely verify payment notifications, and display approved sponsor information.
- Stripe: Used to process monthly course sponsorship subscriptions and send payment status notifications so we can activate, maintain, and end sponsor listings. Buy Me a Coffee: Used for optional donations and older sponsorship requests. We do not collect or store your credit card information; card payments are handled by the payment provider.
4. Cookies
Our website may use basic cookies to ensure the site functions correctly and Google Analytics 4 cookies to help us understand aggregated traffic patterns. You can instruct your browser to refuse or delete cookies. Some parts of the interactive map may not function properly without functional cookies.
5. Your Privacy Rights
Because our mapping service is entirely anonymous, we do not hold personal accounts or profiles for everyday users. However, if you have voluntarily provided us with personal details (such as through an email or sponsorship), the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020 gives you the right to ask for a copy of that information, and to ask for it to be corrected or deleted if you choose.
6. Changes to This Policy
We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date at the top.
7. Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us at:
Email: golfmap@lode.co.nz.co.nz
Lode Ltd.