Golf Stars

What Golf Stars does

Golf Stars is a French-headquartered golf media and commerce platform that rates golf courses on a proprietary 1-to-5 star scale and publishes destination guides across France, Spain, Italy, and other international locations. The product surface is organized into several distinct modules: a Directory of rated courses searchable by region, an editorial magazine titled "Le Cercle," a ProShop e-commerce vertical for golf equipment, an Events vertical for tournaments and golf trips, and "Golf Stars Manager," a B2B tooling layer for course operators to manage their listings and customer engagement. Underlying technology is a conventional content and directory platform with SEO-optimized course pages; no proprietary AI, mobile-app stack, or marketplace infrastructure is described in the available data.

The business model mixes consumer, advertising, and B2B revenue streams. On the consumer side, golfers browse ratings and articles for free while the platform monetizes through affiliate/retail margin on ProShop equipment sales and through sponsored content inside "Le Cercle" and across the directory. On the B2B side, Golf Stars Manager functions as a SaaS/listing-fee channel targeting course operators and pro-shops, while brand partnerships with golf equipment manufacturers underpin both editorial and event sponsorships. Go-to-market is primarily inbound via organic search, with the international multi-country directory acting as the top-of-funnel for both retail and listing-fee monetization.

The company operates without disclosed external funding, without public headcount data, and without disclosed financial metrics, suggesting a bootstrapped SME structure. Strategic posture is one of incremental platform-building: expanding geographies, layering B2B tooling, and adding commerce and event revenue on top of an existing ratings asset, rather than fundraising-driven hyper-scaling.

Name

Golf Stars

Legal name

GOLFSTARS

Website

https://golfstars.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Golf Stars is a French golf media and commerce platform that publishes a 1-to-5 star rated directory of courses across France, Spain, Italy, and international destinations, alongside an editorial magazine, equipment shop, events vertical, and B2B course-management tool.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Golf Course Directory and Rating Services

NAICS

Golf Courses and Country Clubs (71391), Golf Courses and Country Clubs (713910)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Courses & Golf Facilities (MPAKAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Golf Equipment, Apparel & Pro Shop Retail (CRAMABAG)

Keywords

• Golf course directory
• Golf course ratings
• Golf magazine
• Golf equipment retail
• Golf travel planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Verrières-le-buisson

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions (Le Cercle): Golf Stars publishes a print and digital magazine featuring golf course articles, competition coverage, and destination features. Subscribers join 'Le Cercle' (The Circle) membership for access to exclusive content, events, and benefits.
2. ProShop E-commerce: Online golf equipment and merchandise store selling golf gear, apparel, and accessories directly to golfers.
3. Golf Course Listing and Classification Services: Golf courses pay to be listed and receive star ratings on the platform, with dedicated onboarding pages ('Devenir un golf étoilé') for course managers to register their establishments.
4. Advertising and Sponsorship: Golf equipment brands, golf-related businesses, and resorts advertise on the platform and in the magazine. Partner brands appear in the partner logo section.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Golf Stars operates an official directory and rating platform classifying golf courses from 1 to 5 stars across France, Spain, Italy, and additional international destinations. The platform combines a searchable course directory, editorial magazine content, an e-commerce ProShop, a subscription membership program (Le Cercle), and a B2B listing and classification service for golf course operators.

Product overview

GolfStars operates as a golf course directory and rating platform, offering a unified ecosystem of products: the core Golf Course Directory featuring the official 1-to-5-star rating system, complemented by GolfStars Magazine (golf publication), ProShop (equipment sales), Events (event listings), Le Cercle (subscription membership), a Manager Platform for golf course operators, Mystery Visits (quality assessment service), and Golf Trip Planner. The platform connects golfers with rated golf courses across multiple countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Golf Course Directory (Guide Officiel)
• GolfStars Magazine
• ProShop
• GolfStars Events
• Le Cercle (Membership)
• Golf Course Manager Platform (Espace Manager)
• Mystery Visits
• Golf Trip Planner

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• OnOff GolfminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOnOff Golf is featured as a partner in the Golf Stars partner section, indicating a commercial/marketing partnership for cross-promotion with the golf equipment brand.
• TorominorGTM or Marketing PartnerToro (golf course equipment manufacturer) is featured as a partner, suggesting a marketing or sponsorship relationship with Golf Stars.
• Caligari GolfminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCaligari Golf (Swiss golf equipment retailer) and its Evnroll brand are featured as partners, indicating a commercial relationship for equipment promotion.
• GCC 1855minorGTM or Marketing PartnerGCC 1855 (Golf Country Club) is featured as a partner, suggesting a reciprocal marketing or referral relationship.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• GolfNow: GolfNow is the largest online tee-time booking platform in the US, owned by NBC Sports. It offers course listings, ratings, and booking — overlapping with GolfStars' directory but with a much broader portfolio of features (booking, tee times, lessons) and a global footprint.
• GolfPass: GolfPass (NBC Sports/Golf Channel) is a subscription-based golf membership offering course reviews, instructional content, and tee-time benefits. It competes with GolfStars' Le Cercle membership and magazine content offering at a much larger scale.

Regional players

• Golfbreaks: Golfbreaks is a UK-based golf travel booking company offering package deals to courses across Europe and beyond. It overlaps with GolfStars' Golf Trip Planner service, though Golfbreaks is more transactional and focused on the UK market.
• Your Golf Travel: Your Golf Travel is a UK-based golf travel agency offering tee times, packages, and courses reviews. It competes with GolfStars in the golf trip planning and booking segment, primarily in the UK and European markets.
• TeeTimes Bookings: TeeTimes is a European golf booking platform operating in Spain, Portugal, and other markets. It has overlapping functionality with GolfStars' directory and trip planner, serving a regional Southern European market.

Direct peers

• Where2Golf: Where2Golf is a golf travel and course guide covering European and international destinations with detailed course reviews. It is a direct competitor in the golf travel and directory space, particularly in the European market.
• Leading Courses: Leading Courses is a global golf course directory and rating platform with crowd-sourced reviews and a 1-10 rating system. It directly competes with GolfStars in the golf course discovery and rating category, serving similar golfers across Europe and beyond.
• Top100GolfCourses: Top100GolfCourses is a leading golf course ranking and review platform focused on elite and top-rated courses globally. It competes directly with GolfStars' premium ranking and rating functionality, particularly for higher-end courses.

Others

• FFT (Fédération Française de Golf): FFT is the French Golf Federation, an industry authority that publishes course directories and ratings. While not a direct commercial peer, it represents an authoritative reference point that GolfStars competes against for trust and discovery in the French market.

Emerging players

• Albatros Golf Club Rating: Albatros is a French golf reservation platform offering tee-time booking and course reviews in France. It is a regional/niche competitor with similar audience to GolfStars on French golf content and booking.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC-HnYzkXfY5EKy1SJzbmhiA?cbrd=1
• Facebookfacebook.com/golfstarsguide
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/golf-stars
• Instagraminstagram.com/golfstarsguide
• Xx.com/golfstarsguide

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Golf Stars