Privacy Policy

1. Who we are and how to contact us

This Privacy Policy explains how GongGolf (https://gonggolf.com) collects, uses, shares and protects personal information when you visit our website, read our golf how-to tips, equipment buying guides and Thailand / Southeast-Asia golf-travel articles, leave a comment, contact us, or place an order in our small online shop. We aim to be clear and honest about our data practices, and to describe only what we actually do.

GongGolf serves an international, English-speaking audience, including visitors from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and Thailand and the wider Southeast-Asia region. Because our readers are global, this policy addresses both EU/UK data-protection rights (GDPR) and US privacy rights (such as those under the California Consumer Privacy Act, or CCPA), as well as international transfers of data.

Our online shop is powered by WooCommerce; its store base country is the United States (Delaware), our default currency is US dollars (USD), and our servers run on US Eastern time. For the purposes of the EU GDPR and the UK GDPR, GongGolf is the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. If you have any questions about this policy or your personal data, you can contact us by email at karmand@yandex.ru.

Last updated: 1 July 2026.

2. Information we collect

We only collect the information described below. We do not run an email newsletter, we do not send marketing text messages (SMS) or push notifications, and we do not operate any advertising network beyond the third-party services named in this policy.

Comments

Comments are enabled on our articles. When you leave a comment, we collect the name, email address and optional website you enter in the comment form. To help detect spam, WordPress (the software that powers our site) also records your IP address and browser user-agent string at the time you comment.

An anonymized string created from your email address (a hash) may be sent to the Gravatar service, operated by Automattic, to check whether you have a public avatar. You can read the Gravatar privacy notice at https://automattic.com/privacy/. When your comment is approved, your profile picture (if any) is visible to the public alongside your comment.

If you choose, you may opt in to a cookie that stores your name, email and website in your browser so you do not have to re-enter them the next time you comment. This is entirely optional and lasts about one year.

Contact form

If a contact form is available on the site and you use it, we collect the name, email address and message you submit so we can read and reply to your enquiry. To reduce spam submissions, the form uses a CAPTCHA provided by the “Captcha Them All” plugin, which is self-contained and does not share your data with any third party.

Orders and the WooCommerce shop

Our shop runs on WooCommerce and currently offers 25 products, with guest checkout allowed (you do not need to register to buy). When you place an order, we collect the billing and shipping details you provide — your name, email address, postal address and phone number — together with your order history.

Payment is handled by third-party payment providers; we do not store full payment-card numbers on our website. Please note that no payment gateway is currently enabled on the store.

WooCommerce usage tracking is enabled. This shares non-sensitive information about our store and how the software is used with WooCommerce/Automattic, the companies behind the WooCommerce platform.

Accounts

Open user registration is disabled on GongGolf. A customer account may be created only in connection with a purchase; we do not offer general sign-ups.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 (via the gtag.js script, measurement ID G-M6VJ81E5JW) across the whole site to understand how visitors use it. Google Analytics sets cookies and collects usage information such as the pages you view, your approximate location, your device and browser type, and how you arrived at our site (referral data). This information is processed by Google; see Google’s privacy policy at https://policies.google.com/privacy.

Embedded content (YouTube videos)

Many of our articles embed YouTube videos using the standard youtube.com embed (not the privacy-enhanced “no-cookie” variant). When such an embed loads, or when you interact with it, YouTube and Google may set cookies and collect data about you in the same way as if you had visited YouTube directly. This behaviour is governed by Google’s privacy policy linked above.

Server logs and security

Like almost all websites, our web server automatically keeps standard log files. These typically record your IP address, the request you made, and your browser user-agent. These logs help us keep the site running, diagnose problems, and protect against abuse. The site is served over HTTPS to encrypt traffic between your browser and our server.

3. How and why we use your information (and our legal bases)

We use the information we collect only for clear, limited purposes:

  • To publish and display comments, and to fight comment spam.
  • To read and respond to messages you send us through the contact form.
  • To process, fulfil and keep records of orders you place in our shop.
  • To understand site traffic and improve our content and layout (analytics).
  • To display embedded videos and other content within our articles.
  • To attribute referrals from affiliate links to our partners.
  • To keep the site secure, stable and available.

For visitors in the EU and the UK, we rely on the following legal bases under the GDPR / UK GDPR:

  • Consent — for optional, non-essential activities such as analytics cookies, cookies set by embedded YouTube videos, affiliate cookies, and the optional comment-convenience cookie. Because we do not currently display a cookie consent banner, you can manage this consent through your browser settings, as explained below.
  • Performance of a contract — to process and fulfil an order you place with us, arrange delivery, and provide customer support.
  • Legitimate interests — to run and secure the website, detect and prevent spam, respond to enquiries, and understand how our content is used, in a way that respects your rights.
  • Legal obligation — to keep certain records, such as order and accounting information, for as long as the law requires.

4. Cookies and tracking

Cookies are small text files stored in your browser. GongGolf does not currently use a cookie-consent banner, so we describe our cookies openly here and explain how you can control them yourself. The cookies and similar technologies that may be used on our site include:

  • WordPress functional and session cookies — needed for the site to work correctly. These are typically session cookies (expiring when you close your browser) or short-lived cookies.
  • WooCommerce cart and session cookies — remember what is in your cart and support your progress through checkout; these generally last for the duration of your session or up to about two days.
  • Caching cookies — set by the WP Fastest Cache plugin to serve pages faster.
  • Google Analytics cookies — measure and report on site usage (measurement ID G-M6VJ81E5JW); these typically persist for up to about two years, though the duration is set by Google.
  • Possible advertising cookies set by embedded YouTube — set by YouTube/Google when a video embed loads or you interact with it; their duration is determined by Google.
  • Comment-convenience cookies — set only if you opt in when commenting, to remember your name, email and website (about one year).
  • Affiliate cookies — used by affiliate partners to attribute referrals when you follow certain outbound links; their duration is set by the individual partner or network.

On pages served from our cache, no tracking cookie is set before you interact with the page. You are always in control of cookies: you can view, block or delete them at any time through your browser settings — most browsers let you block or remove cookies, including third-party cookies, or warn you before one is stored. You can also opt out of Google Analytics using Google’s browser add-on. Please be aware that blocking some cookies may affect how parts of the site (such as the shop) work, but essential functions will still be available.

5. Who we share your information with

We do not sell your personal information. We share personal data only with the service providers and processors that help us operate the website, and only as needed for the purposes described above:

  • Google — for Google Analytics and for embedded YouTube videos.
  • Automattic — for the Gravatar avatar service and for WooCommerce usage tracking.
  • Third-party payment providers — to process payments when a payment gateway is enabled (none is currently active).
  • Affiliate networks and partners — to attribute referrals from affiliate links, as described below.
  • Our web-hosting provider — which stores and serves the website and its data on our behalf.

We may also disclose information where required to comply with the law or to protect our rights, our users, or the security of the site.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not “share” it for cross-context behavioural advertising as those terms are used under California law. We have not sold personal information in the past, and we do not exchange it for money or other valuable consideration. Any sharing that does occur is limited to the service providers and processors named above, who act on our behalf.

6. International data transfers

GongGolf operates from the United States and serves a global audience. Several of our service providers — including Google, Automattic, and our hosting and payment providers — operate in the United States and in other countries. This means that if you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or elsewhere, your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries whose data-protection laws differ from those in your own country. Where such transfers involve the personal data of EU/UK visitors, our providers rely on recognized safeguards, such as the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent legal mechanisms, to help protect your information.

7. Data retention

  • Comments and their associated metadata are retained indefinitely (the WordPress default) so that follow-up comments can be recognized and displayed, unless you ask us to remove them.
  • Order records are kept for as long as necessary to fulfil orders and to meet our accounting, tax and other legal obligations.
  • Analytics data is retained according to the settings we configure in Google Analytics.
  • Contact-form messages and server logs are kept only as long as needed for the purpose for which they were collected, such as handling your enquiry and maintaining the security and operation of the site.

8. Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold, including serving the entire site over HTTPS and limiting who can access personal data. However, no website or method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, so while we work to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If you have a customer account, we encourage you to use a strong, unique password. Please contact us if you have any concerns about the safety of your data.

9. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you have rights over your personal information.

EU / UK (GDPR) rights

If you are in the European Union or the United Kingdom, under the GDPR / UK GDPR you have the right to:

  • access the personal data we hold about you;
  • rectify inaccurate or incomplete data;
  • erase your data (“right to be forgotten”);
  • restrict how we process your data;
  • object to processing based on our legitimate interests;
  • data portability — receive your data in a portable format;
  • withdraw consent at any time, where we rely on your consent; and
  • lodge a complaint with your local data-protection supervisory authority.

California (CCPA/CPRA) rights

If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect and how we use and share it, the right to correct inaccurate personal information we hold about you, the right to request its deletion, and the right to opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information. As noted above, we do not sell your personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of, but you may still exercise your other rights. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.

How to exercise your rights

To exercise any of these rights, please email us at karmand@yandex.ru. If you are a registered customer or you have left comments, you can request an export of the personal data we hold about you, or ask us to delete it (this does not include data we must keep for accounting, legal or security reasons). We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we will respond in line with applicable law.

10. Children’s privacy

GongGolf is not directed to children under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

11. Affiliate links

Some outbound links on GongGolf are affiliate links, managed through the Affiguru plugin. These links may use redirects and third-party cookies so that our partners can attribute a referral to us and, in some cases, pay us a commission at no extra cost to you. For full details, please read our Affiliate Disclosure.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date near the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

13. Contact us

If you have any questions, requests or concerns about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, or if you wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us by email at karmand@yandex.ru.