Lottery Bookings - Sample member email for clubs

Please find below, club materials which may assist in communicating Lottery Ticketing process to club members. 

• Sample Email 

• Downloadable guides for desktop (2 versions) and mobile in Word format (refer attachments at bottom of page) 

• Sample video (Coming soon) 

Sample Email: 

Important Change to Timesheet Bookings

Dear Members,

To ensure a fair and enjoyable booking experience for all members, our club will be introducing MiClub's Lottery Booking process for busy timesheets from Thursday 9 July.

This new process has been adopted by more than 80% of MiClub Golf clubs and provides a secure and equitable way of managing access to heavily subscribed timesheets.

Why is this change being made?

MiClub has recently identified a significant increase in automated booking systems ("bots") attempting to access popular timesheets. These systems are designed to gain entry immediately before, or at the exact moment, a timesheet opens, providing an unfair advantage over members booking through the normal process.

Lottery Booking has been introduced to protect members from this activity while providing a fairer method of allocating access to busy timesheets.

How Lottery Booking works

Instead of waiting for the timesheet to open and trying to book as quickly as possible, members simply join the Lottery Draw before bookings open.

When the countdown reaches zero:

• Every member who joined the draw is randomly allocated a position in the booking queue.
• Members are then admitted into the timesheet in queue order.
• Once it is your turn, you book your tee time exactly as you do today.

As queue positions are randomly allocated for every draw, the process provides a fair and impartial method of allocating booking access over time.

Benefits of Lottery Booking

• Protects busy timesheets from automated booking bots.
• Removes the "fastest click wins" approach to bookings.
• Creates a secure virtual waiting room before bookings open.
• Does not favour faster internet connections, newer devices or specific browsers.
• Gives every member who joins the draw an equal opportunity to receive an earlier queue position.
• Reduces booking conflicts by limiting the number of members accessing the timesheet simultaneously.
• Already trusted by the majority of MiClub Golf clubs across Australia and New Zealand.

How to join the draw

1. Log into the Member Portal, Club App or mobile website as normal.
2. Open the desired fixture before bookings open.
3. Select Join Draw during the Lottery entry period.
4. Wait for the countdown timer to reach zero.
5. Once your allocated queue position reaches the front, you will automatically be admitted to the timesheet to complete your booking.

There is no advantage to joining the draw the moment it opens. As long as you enter before the draw closes, your queue position will be randomly allocated along with all other participants.

Note that there is no change to timesheet opening times. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Does joining earlier improve my chances?
No. Every member who joins the draw before it closes is included equally in the random allocation.

Will a faster internet connection or newer device help?
No. Lottery Booking is designed so that internet speed, device type and connection method do not influence your position in the booking queue.

Can I improve my chances by opening multiple browsers or devices?
No. Members can only enter the draw once. Multiple attempts do not improve your queue position.

Will I still book the same way once I'm in the timesheet?
Yes. Once admitted, the booking process is exactly the same as the current booking experience.

Will this slow down bookings?
Only slightly for members further back in the queue. In return, members experience fewer booking conflicts and a much fairer opportunity to secure available tee times.

END

Further Club Information

If you would like to learn more about Lottery Booking, including screenshots and step-by-step instructions, please refer to the following resources:

• Lottery Booking – Virtual Draw for Busy Timesheets
• Lottery Booking Frequently Asked Questions
• Member Booking Guide

If you require any assistance, please contact the Club Office.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we introduce this improvement. We believe Lottery Booking will provide a fairer, more secure and more enjoyable booking experience for all members.