The Get Started panel in your dashboard tracks four steps — set up your merchant, connect Lightspeed, design your pass, issue your first pass — and shows your progress. This article explains each in plain terms, plus one step the panel doesn't track but that nothing works without: choosing what actually gets a pass.
The core steps (do these to go live)
1. Set your merchant details
Add your merchant name and time zone under Settings → Merchant.
- Why it matters: the name shows on the pass and in golfer emails. The time zone controls how tee times display and when reminders fire.
- Done when: your merchant name and the correct time zone are saved.
The time zone is the easiest thing to get wrong and the most disruptive. If passes show tee times that are off by a few hours, an incorrect time zone is almost always the cause.
2. Brand your pass
Upload your logo and choose your colours under Pass Design.
- Why it matters: a branded pass looks like you and builds trust. A generic, unbranded pass looks like spam.
- Done when: your logo and colours are set and the preview looks right. See Branding your pass.
3. Connect your tee sheet
Connect ChronoGolf or Lightspeed Golf under Integrations.
- Why it matters: this is the switch that turns everything on. Nothing syncs, and no passes are issued, until a provider is connected.
- Done when: the connection shows as active. See Connecting Lightspeed Golf or Connecting ChronoGolf.
4. Choose what gets a pass
Switch on the passes you want under Settings → Pass issuance: which customer types sync, and — if you want a pass per booking — which courses issue tee-time passes.
- Why it matters: a new account has every pass type switched off. Connecting your tee sheet starts the sync, but nothing is issued until you pick what qualifies.
- Done when: at least one customer type (or course) is switched on. See How passes are issued.
5. Issue your first pass
Email a real pass to yourself and add it to your phone.
- Why it matters: it proves the whole chain works — branding, details, and the add-to-wallet flow — before a single golfer sees it.
- Done when: you're holding a correct, branded pass in your own wallet. See Create your account and first pass.
You don't need to do these in one sitting. The moment your tee sheet is connected, issuing is switched on, and a test pass looks right, you are effectively live. Everything below is improvement, not a blocker.
After you're live — high-value next steps
Once passes are flowing, these are the additions merchants get the most value from, roughly in order:
- Turn on a tee-time reminder. A nudge an hour before the round is the single most appreciated message. Add a thank-you after the round once you're comfortable. Set these up under Automations — full guide in Automatic tee-time reminders.
- Invite your team. Add the front-desk and pro-shop staff who'll check golfers in or send messages, with the right access level for each. Manage this under Team — see Team members and roles.
- Send from your own email domain. Move pass emails to your own address so golfers recognise the sender and delivery is more reliable. Set it up under Email sender — see Sending from your own email domain.
- Set up a lock-screen welcome. Greet golfers on their lock screen when they arrive, under Geofenced notifications — see Geo-location lock-screen messages.
- Put your signup page to work. Share the link or QR code so golfers who aren't in your tee sheet can add themselves and get a pass. See Your signup page.
A sensible first-week plan
- Day 1: merchant details, branding, connect tee sheet, switch on pass issuance, send yourself a test pass.
- Day 2–3: watch a few real bookings turn into passes; confirm golfers are receiving emails.
- End of week 1: turn on a before-tee reminder, invite your team, and (optionally) start sending from your own domain.
If a step won't tick off, it's usually because something upstream isn't finished — for example, "test pass" depends on a connected tee sheet. Work top to bottom and each step unlocks the next.