MCP server OpenGolfAPI

@opengolfapi/mcp-server

Golf, for AI agents — the open data layer for golf. Give your assistant every US golf course (16,845), free, and let it contribute back, sign players in, and run tournaments. Build a whole golf app from a prompt.

OpenGolfAPI is a community-owned commons. One free key, and your agent can read the world's golf data and write to four open standards.

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The standards (the whole story)

OpenGolfAPI is built on open, composable protocols — implement one or all:

Standard	What it is	You use it to…
OpenShot	A CC0 shape for a launch-monitor shot — one schema every device maps to (Trackman, GSPro, Garmin, …).	Ingest shots from any monitor/sim → log_shot.
Moments	The universal event ingest — any sensor signal (GPS breadcrumb, swing, putt, club, score, pin, condition, presence) as one flexible event.	Send whatever signal you have → submit_moment.
OpenJoin	Signed, scoped, expiring join tokens. One QR/link → everyone who redeems lands in the same round/tournament = the group, linked.	Onboard a foursome or a whole tournament in one tap → create_tournament_invite / join_tournament.
OpenGolf ID	A portable golf identity — "Sign in with OpenGolf." One pseudonymous player_id across every app; handicap + history follow the player everywhere (engines fold by player_id, so a claimed identity's cross-app record just exists).	Give a player one identity the whole ecosystem shares → sign_in_with_opengolf.

The big idea: every shot, moment, and round contributed makes the shared commons better for everyone — a true two-way data layer. Read is free; contributing is how you earn your place in the standard.

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What your agent gets

• Read (free, no key): search & compare courses · full scorecards (par / handicap / yardages) · hazards · live weather & climate · nearby places · tee advice.
• Contribute (free key): log_shot, submit_moment → write to the open standards · get_my_shots → read your own data back.
• Identity & tournaments (free key): sign_in_with_opengolf (portable ID) · create_tournament_invite + join_tournament (run an event — handicaps optional, gross or net).

A great golf app is an afternoon, not a year.

Install (MCP client config)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "opengolfapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@opengolfapi/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "OPENGOLFAPI_KEY": "<free, optional — enables contributing, identity & tournaments>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Get a free OPENGOLFAPI_KEY at https://courses.opengolfapi.org/api-keys. Read tools work with no key.

Claude Desktop: the config file is claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer → Edit Config). Claude Code: claude mcp add opengolfapi -- npx -y @opengolfapi/mcp-server. Going keyless? Delete the whole env block — every read tool works without it (do NOT paste the placeholder as a key).

First prompt to try: "Find golf courses near Chicago and show me the hardest one."

Which score tool when: casual one-shot scoring → score_round · leagues/tournaments (scores arrive over time, standings matter) → create_competition → record_attempt → finalize_competition · streaming devices/live apps → submit_moment. Canonical domain model: https://api.opengolfapi.org/api/v1/model

Tools

56 tools:

• search_courses — Search US golf courses by name, US state, or location (lat/lng + radius). Returns matching courses with location, type, par. Free, ODbL data.
• get_course — Full detail for one course by id: scorecard (par + handicap per hole), tees, location, contact, nearby. Free.
• get_tees — All tee sets for a course with ratings, slopes, and yardages. Free.
• get_weather — Live weather forecast for a course location (Weather.gov). Free.
• get_climate — Monthly climate normals + best months to play for a course. Free.
• get_nearby — Nearby hotels, restaurants, and other courses for a course. Free.
• log_shot — Contribute a golf shot to the open OpenShot standard (any launch monitor). Requires a key. Units: speed mph, angles deg, spin rpm, distance yds.
• submit_moment — Contribute an Open Connect event from any sensor/wearable/phone. The whole sensor spectrum rides through here — type-specific data goes in payload. Requires a key.
• get_my_shots — Read back your own contributed shots by player or session. Requires a key.
• get_my_moments — Read back your own contributed moments (breadcrumbs, swings, putts, conditions…) by player, session, or type. Requires a key.
• propose_correction — Propose a fix to a course FACT field (phone, website, address, architect, year_built, course_name, city, postal_code, course_type). Our AI reviews it (approve/reject/needs_info). Requires a key. Geometry is not correctable here.
• respond_to_review — Respond to a correction that came back as needs_info — add a source or explanation and re-open it for review. Requires a key.
• get_correction — Check the status/verdict of a correction you proposed (approved | rejected | needs_info | applied). Requires a key.
• how_to_build — The safe playbook for building on OpenGolfAPI and contributing data the right way. Call this once before contributing.
• get_passport — FREE (public, no key). Any golfer's shareable record — display name, OpenGolf Member #, courses played, rounds, trophies, referrals. Show a player's golf resume in your app.
• record_referral — Record that one user referred another (a REFERRED_BY edge) — build YOUR app's invite loop on the shared graph, namespaced to your app. Needs a key.
• get_referrals — How many golfers a user has referred (+ the list) — the viral-loop metric for your app. Needs a key.
• about — What OpenGolfAPI is and how to use this MCP server.
• request_sign_in_code — Start "Sign in with OpenGolf" for a person: emails them a 6-digit code. No API key needed. They read you the code, then call complete_sign_in.
• complete_sign_in — Finish sign-in: exchange the 6-digit code for their OpenGolf ID + access token (use as X-OpenGolf-Token to act as them). Pass ref= when another player's invite brought them — it credits the referral.
• create_dev_key — Mint a developer API key bound to an OpenGolf ID (sign in first via request_sign_in_code → complete_sign_in). Returns the key ONCE. First-party rail: no OpenGolf ID, no key.
• sign_in_with_opengolf — Derive a user's OpenGolf ID deterministically from their email (sub = ogid_ + sha256(lower(trim(email)))[:16]) — one line, no redirect. For a VERIFIED session token use request_sign_in_code → complete_sign_in.
• register_webhook — Register an https URL for your domain events (HMAC-signed deliveries, owner-scoped). Requires your key (Authorization: Bearer ogapi_…).
• create_tournament_invite — Create a shareable invite (QR/link); everyone who redeems it joins the SAME event/session. max_uses caps size (foursome=4). Requires key.
• join_tournament — Redeem an invite token — the player joins the group/event. Requires key.
• list_game_formats — Every OpenMatch scoring format. GROSS scoring is free & keyless.
• score_round — Score a round in any format — GROSS, FREE, no key. players:[{player_id,holes:{"1":4}}] or entries:[{player_id,hole,value}]; holes:[{hole,par,stroke_index?}].
• plays_like — Effective distance — THE canonical "plays like" number (wind/elevation/temp/altitude), factors itemized. FREE, no key. Pair with get_conditions for live wind.
• get_conditions — LIVE weather at a course (temp/wind/precip, forecast-model, 15-min cache). FREE. Feeds plays_like.
• link_dev_key — Confirm your OpenGolf ID on an EXISTING key. Sign in first; pass that access_token + the key.
• list_dev_keys — List the keys owned by your OpenGolf ID (prefixes only). Needs access_token from complete_sign_in.
• get_profile — A player's public OpenGolf ID card — name, avatar, links, prefs. Free.
• update_profile — Edit a player's self-asserted profile fields (derived facts can't be set). Requires key (claimed players need their grant).
• get_awards — A player's OpenAwards — derived trophies + course passport. Requires key.
• set_beacon — Broadcast a consented, EXPIRING presence/availability beacon (present|available|open). Requires key.
• find_beacons — Discover ACTIVE public beacons (find-my-group / matchmaking). Requires key.
• record_consent — Record a player's consent grant (auditable, revocable). Requires key.
• create_competition — Create a Competition (any OpenMatch format). Requires key.
• list_competitions — List Competitions (free). Filter org/course/status.
• get_competition — A Competition + live gross standings (free).
• record_attempt — Record an Attempt (score or side-game value). Idempotent. Requires key.
• finalize_competition — Finalize — run the kernel, store the gross Result. Requires key.
• broadcast_feed — OpenBroadcast P1 — ONE typed feed for a session: broadcast-worthy items (score/side_game/money/award/condition) in ascending (recorded_at, seq) order, each with template narration (headline<=60/ticker<=80). Money appears only via settled records. Replaces stitching moments+results+live_state. Requires key + session access (participant or compute).
• get_handicap — OpenIndex (beta) — a player's estimated handicap computed from real, notarized rounds (every score stamped when it happened; verifiable by anyone). Not official — provable. Reading your OWN is free with your key; player_id must be the ogid_… form.
• get_showcase — A player's public showcase — the collectibles/records on their OpenGolf ID (og.* namespaces + course.*). Free, keyless: pass their ogid_. Tombstoned (revoked/expired) records hidden. The provable trophy wall.
• verify_record — Verify a record/collectible against the OpenGolf Chain (a signed, hash-linked, Bitcoin-anchored transparency log). Returns the hash + whether it matches + the CLIENT-RECOMPUTE recipe (sha256 of the canonical record) + the anchor. Then you can go further, all keyless: pull a merkle inclusion proof (GET /chain/anchors/:id/inclusion?hash=), verify the checkpoint's RS256 signature against /.well-known/jwks.json, and resolve the Bitcoin (OpenTimestamps) anchor. Free. Trust no one — recompute the hash, check inclusion, resolve Bitcoin yourself.
• list_webhooks — List your active webhook subscriptions. Requires key.
• remove_webhook — Deactivate one of your webhook subscriptions by id (audit row kept). Requires key.
• list_orgs — Public directory of verified orgs (free).
• mint_asset — Mint an Asset (trophy/badge/stamp/coupon/membership) into the owner's trophy case + chain. Requires key.
• file_claim — File a Claim in the trust ledger (ownership/attestation/identity/record/correction). Requires key.
• list_claims — List Claims (free). Filter claimant/subject/status.
• post_beta — Drop local course knowledge ("beta") on a hole — the AI-caddie's fuel. Requires key.
• get_beta — Read local course knowledge for a course/hole (free).
• get_my_chain — Export YOUR tamper-evident OpenGolf Chain + checkpoints. Requires key (own-read free).
• verify_chain — Verify a Chain export OR walk the public transparency log (GET /chain/log?subject=), public + keyless — recompute the hash-links, verify each RS256 checkpoint signature against the JWKS, and resolve the Bitcoin anchors; reports tampering and where. The whole history (registry, per-course, master) is independently auditable — trust no one.

The bigger ecosystem — two front doors

Agents come through this MCP; sensors/devices come through OpenGolf Connect (one open connector streaming shots from any launch monitor — R10, MLM2PRO, Uneekor, SkyTrak, Foresight — into POST /v1/shots). Both write to the same open commons. → https://opengolfapi.org/connect

Learn more

• Full AI-coder guide: https://api.opengolfapi.org/llms-full.txt
• Machine spec (OpenAPI 3.1): https://api.opengolfapi.org/openapi.json
• OpenShot field catalog: https://api.opengolfapi.org/api/v1/openshot/fields
• Moments field catalog: https://api.opengolfapi.org/api/v1/moments/fields

MIT licensed. Course data ODbL. Shots CC0.

Attribution (required if you display or redistribute the data): Course data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0) via OpenGolfAPI · Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0) · Descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Contact + social from Foursquare / Overture (Apache 2.0). Full list: https://opengolfapi.org/attribution