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How Golf Cart GPS Systems and Smart Data Have Improved The Golf Majors

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Golf cart GPS systems and their smart data collection capabilities have helped to quietly transform the Majors behind the scenes. As the pinnacle of golfing, any Major tournament hosting venue is held up to incredibly high standards of course management. The secret to success? Major-hosting courses use golf cart GPS systems and smart data to help them meet these aspirations.

Golf cart GPS systems help these courses prepare for tournaments by collecting data on past rounds. Courses can learn from these to help plan the best possible strategies to prevent interruptions that could sour the experience for everyone involved. This might come as a surprise to people who still hold the outdated notion that a golf cart GPS system is merely a simple navigation tool. This is no longer the case, as these well-designed systems are now capable of guiding players, sending out instant notifications, and collecting relevant data that is processed via AI and machine learning features for operators to analyze when forming management strategies.

Tagmarshal is a leading golf course optimization platform providing courses with real-time, actionable insights into day-to-day efficiency, helping to boost the overall experience and operation through automation and AI. In partnership with courses such as Pinehurst, St Andrews, and others, Tagmarshal’s golf cart GPS systems are used to help form clear and effective ways to set out management strategies for tournaments. It’s not just happening at the upper echelons either; courses worldwide are getting wise to how golf cart GPS systems can help them keep track of the pace of play, set out better tee time spacing, and communicate important information to their golfers quickly. In this article, we discuss exactly how AI-driven platforms like Tagmarshal are improving the Majors.

Golf Cart GPS Systems – An Overview Of What They Do

golf cart gps systems geofence alerts

Golf cart GPS systems are capable of much more than what you may have thought. Many believe they’re just a useful digital navigation aid, but this is far from the truth. They’re superb tools for helping both course managers and golfers alike, making life easier for everyone.

Yes, they do help golfers navigate around the course, but they also help keep golfers from experiencing any interruptions to their play by letting them know if they’re heading toward an off-limits area, such as a sensitive turf zone. The GPS is also linked up to weather systems that’ll let golfers know if things are going to take a turn for the worse. Beyond that, these GPS systems have a digital interface where players can order their favorite foods and drinks directly from their carts, adding that extra layer of convenience for golfers while increasing revenue for your course.

There are plenty of ways in which you can reap the benefits of golf cart GPS for your course. Just via the system, you can keep tabs on the location of players at all times and quickly spot issues, like approaching bottlenecks or any single group getting left behind. These insights can help you stay proactive about dealing with any problems that might interfere with a golfer’s experience, nipping issues in the bud.

Pace of Play – A Constant Talking Point at the Majors

golf cart gps systems pace distribution

Slow pace of play is a nightmare for anyone and everyone. The only thing worse than experiencing it on a regular day of golfing is to see it happen at the Majors, where even a slight mishap can endanger the competitive integrity of the game and disappoint everyone watching. Delays and interruptions not only mess with players’ focus but also annoy spectators and can damage the reputation of the course.

So how does a venue hosting an elite tournament virtually guarantee that the day is going to run at a pace that delights golfers, spectators, and broadcasters alike? The secret lies in the features of golf cart GPS systems like Tagmarshal, which collects data relevant to the pace of play from past rounds. This data is invaluable for you to analyze and use when making educated decisions regarding how to manage the pace of play. The great thing is that even if the system isn’t active during the tournament itself, past data should be more than enough to help management anticipate bottlenecks, set out the best tee time intervals, and implement other preventative measures against plodding play.

Tagmarshal’s insights have helped refine course setups for tournaments that keep the pace of play moving, spectators happy, and golfers focused.

Real-Time AI-Driven Data Enhances Daily Operations And Tournament Prep

golf cart gps systems analytics hub

Real-time data is a powerful tool to any golf course operator with access to it, as it helps you take a more proactive approach to how you manage the course, letting you handle existing issues instantly and effectively while setting up solid preventative strategies for future tournaments.

A system that collects data on player movement, pace trends, and the overall flow of the course helps build up a larger picture, which you can then go on to study to build educated strategies around important points like pace expectation, optimized tee time intervals, bottlenecks, and smart staff deployment. The great thing is that the system doesn’t even have to be active for this to work, as the trends identified from past rounds help inform future tournaments.

Players benefit from these insights too, as data helps courses communicate realistic pace expectations to golfers and offer good pairing strategies. With these little bonuses, it’s easier for golfers to have a smooth experience of the game and not have to face any interruptions. Naturally, this improves the spectating experience, too.

If there’s any doubt about how well golf cart GPS systems work, simply look at how the DP World Tour and a number of select events run by the R&A and USGA have benefitted from the real-time data collected for them on the Tagmarshal platform. They’ve been able to use this information to craft highly effective strategies for managing their setup, staffing, and pace-setting policy. As Tagmarshal uses AI and machine learning systems to capture key data points across the board, you are guaranteed to get relevant, accurate, and actionable insights into how best to improve operations and prepare for tournaments.

Improving the Everyday Player Experience at Iconic Courses

New technology has helped make the experience of a golfer more memorable without having to sacrifice efficiency on the part of the operator. The trick lies in the player-centric data being offered by golf cart GPS systems coupled with premium services provided by the courses.

golf cart gps systems geofences

In practice, this often boils down to a ‘less is more’ policy, with AI-driven tech allowing courses to send out staff to address players only when strictly necessary. You can see this in the geofencing systems. By letting a golfer know when they’re nearing a restricted area, they can quickly adjust their own course without accidentally summoning a marshal to usher them away.

Small details like this go a long way in guiding players without any hand-holding or constant interruptions. On top of this, players can use golf cart GPS systems to view information like precise yardage and regular pace updates. Plus, as an added layer of convenience, they always have the option to place a food or drink order right from their screens. You’ll even find courses using player-centric data to offer personalized specials and offers.

Sustainability and Operational Efficiency

golf cart gps systems heatmap visualization

Today, the importance of sustainability and an ecofriendly business practice is incredibly important. The golf industry has been searching for ways to make operations greener without having to sacrifice efficiency or profitability for courses, and golf cart GPS systems have emerged as a strong tool in this regard. Platforms like Tagmarshal come equipped with features that drive eco-friendly, efficient and cost-effective operations more than ever before. It’s already been established that advanced GPS systems and data-driven decision-making help make a course more efficient. Now, let’s consider how this adds to a more sustainable and eco-friendly practice overall.

One of the best examples of this centers around a typical challenge of any golf course: turf health. With so many carts traveling across a course per day, areas with too much traffic begin to suffer, and the turf quickly gets torn up from beneath the wheels. With access to real-time tracking on GPS systems, you can immediately set up a geofence around the over-trafficked area. If damage does occur, superintendents can use heat maps to receive detailed reports on which parts of the course’s turf need maintenance, and you can send out resources to deal with the damaged area specifically rather than spreading them out uniformly.

By reducing unnecessary use, management can help petrol-powered carts become significantly more fuel effective, and electric carts drain far less power while extending their lifespan.

When you start adding these practices up, you quickly realize that the increases in efficiency translate directly into a lower environmental impact, making the golf course greener and, therefore, more appealing to eco-conscious clients. You’ll also notice significant cost savings throughout operations, better efficiency, and longer lifespans on course infrastructure.

To Conclude

Golf cart GPS systems are so much more than simple navigation tools, they’re powerful ways of collecting essential data that some of the world’s best courses are using to help prepare themselves for the Majors. Paired with platforms like Tagmarshal, golf courses are using relevant and useful data to perform wonders in building strong proactive and preventative management strategies, even when the system isn’t even active. By drawing from deep sources of collected data on past plays, top venues hosting the Majors can confidently host tournament experiences that not only meet but also exceed the expectations of players, spectators, broadcasters, and operators alike.  

Tagmarshal is the leading golf court optimization platform, using the power of AI and golf cart GPS data to create improved experiences for players and operators alike. With our help, you can improve your pace and flow of play, reduce labor hours and costs, and optimize capacity to the fullest.

To see how your course could benefit from the same innovative and forward-thinking technologies, reach out or book your demo today!

ABOUT TAGMARSHAL

Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.

Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 10 billion data points from more than 75 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 700 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.

Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 40 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $40-$60 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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