--- title: "Indoor Golf Access Control: PIN & Phone | Golf O'Clock" description: "A practical guide to choosing the right access control setup for your simulator venue, from single-bay studios to multi-location operators." url: https://golfoclock.com/blog/access-control-guide --- [Skip to content](#main) Technology # Access control for indoor golf: PIN codes and phone-based access Feb 7, 2026Updated October 20267 min read Access control is one of the most consequential infrastructure decisions you will make for your indoor golf venue. Get it right and your venue can [operate efficiently with minimal staff involvement](/solutions/unmanned-venues). Get it wrong and you will spend a disproportionate amount of time managing access issues, dealing with customer complaints, and worrying about security. This guide covers the three ways customers get in at indoor golf venues today, a button on their phone, a QR code and a PIN, plus what to check in the hardware and what to tell customers before they arrive. ## Phone unlock is the default now With Golf O'Clock, every confirmation email and booking text carries a Getting in link. It opens the customer's [booking page](/features/online-booking) in the browser, with an Unlock button beside every door the booking can use. There's no app to download and no account to create beyond the booking. Tapping the button tells the lock provider to open the door. The button only works inside a window around the booking: 15 minutes before the start until 15 minutes after the end, by default. Anyone on the booking can unlock, not only the person who paid, and staff can unlock on their behalf. Every unlock is logged against the booking, so you know who opened which door and when. The weak point is the phone. A dead battery or no signal at the door means no button. That's why most unmanned venues keep a second way in. ## QR codes and PINs as the second way in For doors whose readers support them, a signed QR entry code is attached to the confirmation email. The code can be checked offline, so the reader doesn't need the internet to accept it. You choose per door whether the code is emailed at all, and whether it only shows once the unlock window opens. Keypad codes on the door itself are a different thing. Golf O'Clock doesn't program codes into lock hardware. If your lock uses keypad codes, they live in the lock provider's own system. The PIN Golf O'Clock does generate belongs to the bay screen. [Screen Marshal](/features/screen-marshal) calculates one per booking, 4 digits by default, and the customer types it on the locked simulator screen or reads it under the bay's Unlock button on their booking page. There's no list of codes to leak, and no code that works for the next customer. ## Choosing the right hardware The access control hardware you choose determines which software integrations are available to you. Not all smart lock systems integrate with booking platforms, and not all integrations are equally reliable. The key requirement is a direct integration between the lock provider and the booking system, so a confirmed booking can open the door with no manual step in between. Golf O'Clock connects to Kisi, Avigilon Alta (formerly Openpath), RemoteLock and Rhombus, plus the O'Clock SmartLock and any lock with a secure web interface through a generic option. When evaluating hardware, ask the manufacturer about their API, their existing booking integrations, and how quickly the lock responds to a command. If a lock provider doesn't answer within 10 seconds, Golf O'Clock shows the customer an error and lets them tap again rather than failing silently. A fast lock makes that rare. ## One door per bay, or one front door Some venues put a lock on every bay door. Others have one front door and open bays behind it. Both work, and the setup is different. With a lock per bay, each door is set up separately, and conditions on a door decide which bookings can open it. A members-only back door works the same way. Conditions like these are set up with support during onboarding. With one front door, the booking opens the front door, and Screen Marshal keeps each simulator locked until that bay's booking opens it. The customer can walk past every bay, but only theirs will start. ## What to tell customers Clear pre-arrival communication heads off most access calls. The confirmation already carries the Getting in link. Add the bay number, where the door is, and a phone number for the rare time it doesn't open. A short "how to arrive" section in the confirmation email, covering the three steps from parking to starting their session, takes five minutes to write and prevents dozens of confused phone calls. Customers who know exactly what to expect when they arrive have a better experience and are more likely to return. Written by [Mathieu Morin](/about), CRO at Golf O'Clock. Based on operating data from 300+ indoor golf venues. ## Frequently asked questions **How do customers get into an indoor golf venue with no staff?** Through their booking. With Golf O'Clock, the confirmation email and text carry a Getting in link to the booking page, where an Unlock button opens each door the booking can use, from 15 minutes before the start to 15 minutes after the end by default. Signed QR codes and a bay-screen PIN are there as a second way in. **Is phone access or a keypad better for indoor golf?** Phone unlock is easier to run: there's nothing to program, and every unlock is logged against the booking. Its weak point is a dead phone or no signal at the door, so most unmanned venues keep a QR code or keypad as a second way in. **Does Golf O'Clock send a door PIN with the booking?** No. Golf O'Clock doesn't program codes into lock hardware, so keypad codes live in the lock provider's own system. The PIN it generates is for the bay screen through Screen Marshal, shown under the bay's Unlock button on the booking page. **Which smart locks work with Golf O'Clock?** Kisi, Avigilon Alta (formerly Openpath), RemoteLock and Rhombus, plus the O'Clock SmartLock and any lock with a secure web interface through the generic option. **What happens if a customer can't unlock the door?** If the lock provider doesn't respond within 10 seconds, the customer sees an error and can tap again. Staff can also unlock on their behalf from the booking. Put a phone number on the door for the rare case that neither works. ## Ready to see Golf O'Clock in action? Book a demo and we'll walk you through the platform with your venue setup in mind. [Book a demo](/demo)