Choose a QR scanner for your front desk
Any USB 2D/QR scanner works with OpenCourt — there's no proprietary hardware and no per-device fee. The scanner reads the customer's Check-In QR and sends it like a keyboard, so an inexpensive model and a premium one both check customers in the same way.
Note
Once a scanner is plugged in, scanning works from any admin page. Full setup and testing is in Set up the QR scanner at your front desk.
What to look for
Any scanner that meets these works:
Reads 2D / QR codes (not 1D-only). The Check-In QR is a 2D code.
Reads from a phone screen, not just paper — customers show the QR on their phone.
Connects as a USB keyboard (plug-and-play, no driver or app) and sends an Enter after each scan — the default on virtually all scanners in this class, including the ones below.
Recommended models
Four options, from a hands-free desktop stand to a professional handheld:
These are examples to point you in the right direction, not endorsements or affiliate links — we don't sell hardware. Any scanner meeting the checklist above works.
Choosing: a hands-free stand suits a staffed desk (the customer holds their phone up — nothing to press); a handheld suits staff who prefer to pick up and scan; the Zebra is for high-volume clubs that want professional durability.
Tip —
If you pick a handheld, plan on a stand or mount too. Most clubs want the scanner resting on the counter so customers present their phone to it hands-free — without one, staff pick the scanner up for every check-in. The ScanAvenger includes a charging stand; for the Tera D5100 or Zebra, a compatible stand is an inexpensive add-on.
Configuration
These scanners work out of the box — no software and no settings to change. If you do want to change a default, there's no app: you scan a configuration barcode from the scanner's manual (or the setup card in the box), and the scanner beeps to confirm.
The one setting worth changing for a front desk is always-on. Many scanners — hands-free stand models especially — sleep after a few idle minutes, so the first scan after a quiet stretch can lag or miss. To prevent this, find the barcode for "always on", "disable sleep", or "continuous / presentation mode" in the manual and scan it once. The same manual has barcodes for an Enter suffix and keyboard layout if scans aren't registering (see Set up the QR scanner), plus a "restore defaults" barcode that undoes any change.
Tip —
Keep the scanner's setup card or manual at the desk — it's the scanner's only control panel.