If you’re a golf course operator and you don’t have time to dig into every technology issue, you can still spot warning signs before they become costly problems.
This 10-question health check only takes a few minutes, and it can help uncover potential risks lurking in the greens and let you know where a simple “course correction” now can help prevent complex problems later.
Answer each one with a simple yes or no.
1. Are your guest Wi-Fi and operational networks completely separate?
Guest devices should never be able to access your business systems or software. If you’re not sure if your networks are segmented, the answer is. “no.”
2. Do you know when your critical software last received a security update?
Software that no longer receives security updates is no longer safe to run, especially if it stores or processes sensitive information. If you don’t know, consider that a warning sign.
3. Are your POS terminals and operational systems isolated and monitored?
GPS golf cart systems, irrigation controllers, security cameras, driving range technology, and other connected devices can all expand your attack surface. These systems should be isolated from critical business systems and continuously monitored.
4. Do you have a written incident response plan?
Your plan should include clearly define roles, communication, containment, and recovery procedures. And if it hasn’t been reviewed or updated in the last 12 months, it’s time.
5. Do former staff members lose system access on their last day?
If you’re depending on someone manually removing user accounts, the answer to this question is probably “not always.” Forgotten accounts are one of the most common and easily preventable security gaps.1
6. Do you know which third-party vendors can get access to your systems?
Booking platforms, payment processors, golf technology providers, scoring system, and other vendors may all have some level of access. Third-party vendor and supply chain compromises cost an average of $4.91 million and take longer to detect and contain than any other type of breach.2 If you can’t identify who has access and why, your vendor isn’t fully understood.
7. Has your payment environment been reviewed for PCI DSS compliance within the past year?
Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) compliance needs ongoing reviews and continuous attention to keep payment systems secure. If you’re not sure when your last PCI DSS assessment was completed, it’s probably time to look at your compliance program.
8. Has your staff completed cybersecurity awareness training in the past 12 months?
Front desk, reservations, pro shop, finance, and management teams are frequent targets for phishing attacks because they handle guest information and financial transactions. Training shouldn’t be one-time event. It should be reinforced regularly.
9. Do you have tested, offline backups?
Backups stored on the same network as your production systems can be encrypted by the same ransomware attack. Just as important as having backups is verifying they actually work by testing your ability to restore them.
10. Do you have a single point of contact for IT issues outside of business hours?
Whether it’s a network outage, ransomware incident, or payment system failure, having a single point of contact and a clear response plan can dramatically reduce downtime when every minute counts.
If you answered yes to eight or more questions, your technology is in good shape. Keep it up, and do another health check-in as your business evolves to keep up with the latest security innovations.
If you answered yes to five to seven questions, you’ve built a solid foundation, but there may be some security gaps worth looking at before they become problems.
If you answered yes to less than five questions, the good news is that most issues can be resolved by improving what you already have rather than replacing every system.
If you scored lower than expected, it might be because, like most golf courses, you’ve added technology over time to address specific needs without evaluating how well everything is working together.
ESP, a NexusTek company, works with golf courses and other hospitality properties to spot risks in security and operations and prioritize improvements that support future growth.
Talk to ESP about a golf course IT assessment. https://www.nexustek.com/contact-us
Sources:
1. Security Magazine, The Security Risk No One Talks About During Layoffs: Offboarding, June 2025
2. IBM, Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025, July 2025