NEWS
Education Series: How to use tech to attract off-course golfers to your operation
For the first time, according to National Golf Foundation (NGF) research, growth in off-course golf is now higher than in on-course golf.
Off-course golf – real club, real ball, full-swing driving range or simulator-related – has illustrated the openness of that audience to technology as part of their experience, and their expectation that this extends into the on-course environment.
An estimated 2.5 million (10%) of today’s 25.6 million on-course players “credit their off-course experience(s) for getting them to the golf course,” with around half of on-course golfers agreeing that off-course “reengaged them” with the sport, according to a follow-up NGF study.
It’s clear that an opportunity exists for the industry to capitalize on this, appealing to an engaged and tech-savvy market segment to get them onto the course.
Here are 5 ways you can use technology to attract off-course golfers to your facility and turn them into repeat players.
1. Manage pace and flow of play effectively
Time is a barrier to entry for many off-course golfers who are interested in playing on-course golf.
With optimization technology like Tagmarshal, you can proactively manage pace and flow of play, steadily reducing average round times and addressing potential bottleneck issues before they affect the entire field.
Knowing they will play their round in a clearly communicated time makes golf more accessible to time-stressed people, like parents or working professionals.
PRO TIP: Encourage ‘ready golf’ and have visible signage that outlines the rules and etiquette around doing so for new players.
2. Embrace player-facing golf cart GPS tech
Off-course golf is largely centered around the use of technology and reveals a market segment that is comfortable on this front. Showing that on-course golf is embracing the myriad ways technology benefits players and courses helps with this transition.
When new players see golf cart GPS devices in use, or screens around the clubhouse showing real-time pace-tracking measures like Tagmarshal’s Live Map, it reinforces that the golf space is rapidly modernizing.
PRO TIP: On courses using Tagmarshal’s 2Way 8inch screens, players can see to-the-pin yardage, pace of play and other real-time stats, mirroring some of what they’re used to off-course.
3. Allocate specific tee times for newer players
Courses need to balance the desire to attract off-course golfers with the importance of pace of play, given that 74% of players list pace as a top 3 factor impacting their experience.
To mitigate this, offer new players the opportunity to tee off later in the day when their pace won’t impact the rest of the field as much.
You can also offer shorter formats, like 9-hole rounds late in the afternoon, to encourage new players who may not want to (or are unable to) commit to a full round.
PRO TIP: Advise new players on which tees they should play from, to speed up pace and increase their enjoyment.
4. Upskill and empower your player assistants with golf cart GPS data
USGA research shows that negative interactions with player assistants have the potential to derail a player’s enjoyment of their round.
Off-course players are used to having golf cart GPS systems data and statistics readily available as part of their experience. If you can give your player assistants access to objective data, such as real-time pace updates on where each group is relative to your round goal time, new golfers are likely to respond well to their feedback, rather than the exchange adversely affecting their round.
PRO TIP: Train your player assistants to offer encouragement and advice wherever possible, creating a less intimidating environment for new golfers.
5. Get feedback to drive improvement
Embrace technology to elicit feedback from first-time on-course players, finding out which areas they enjoy and where they feel you could improve.
Companies like Players 1st, a customer experience management platform, will help you get rapid, quantifiable insight from those transitioning to on-course golf.
If you listen to player feedback and adapt services to their needs, they will reward you with loyalty.
PRO TIP: Tagmarshal acts as a central hub for integrations, combining multiple data sets that all drive improvement, with player feedback as one such example.
CONCLUSION
Golf courses have been gifted an opportunity to attract an already engaged audience, with interest in taking up the sport five times higher among those with off-course experience than those without.
The conversion rate is steadily growing and the NGF estimates that two-thirds of those who have just taken up on-course golf have prior off-course experience
By embracing the use of technology at your course, you can help attract first-time players and turn them into repeat players who remain loyal to your facility.
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.
SOLUTIONS
NEWS
Tagmarshal Webinar On-Demand: How Fieldstone uses data and tech to increase revenue and transform operations
Watch our latest webinar, “How Fieldstone uses data and tech to increase revenue and transform operations”, on-demand and in your own time!
In the webinar, Chip Hierlihy, PGA, General Manager, Fieldstone Golf Club, details how the club has harnessed the power of tech and data to optimize operations and generate additional revenue.
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.
SOLUTIONS
NEWS
Watch: How Fieldstone uses data and tech to increase revenue and transform operations
Topic: How Fieldstone uses data and tech to increase revenue and transform operations
Expert Guest: Chip Hierlihy, PGA, General Manager, Fieldstone Golf Club
Duration: 1 Hour
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.
SOLUTIONS
NEWS
Tagmarshal Webinar On-Demand: How CC at Castle Pines uses tech to automate processes, saving time and creating exceptional player experiences
You can now watch our latest webinar, featuring CC at Castle Pines, on demand and in your own time!
Expert guest Cade Hassel, PGA, Head Golf Professional, CC at Castle Pines, shares insight into how the club uses tech and automation to enhance the player experience and optimize efficiency.
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.
SOLUTIONS
NEWS
Watch: How CC at Castle Pines uses tech to automate processes, saving time and creating exceptional player experiences
Topic: How CC at Castle Pines uses tech to automate processes, saving time and creating exceptional player experiences
Expert Guest: Cade Hassel, PGA, Head Golf Professional, CC at Castle Pines
Duration: 1 hour
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.
SOLUTIONS
NEWS
The Innovation Jump
By Jim Tatum, Golf Inc. Magazine
Courses are embracing technology at a faster pace, leading to even more innovation.
Technology long promised to drive golf courses to new heights. But for years, operators were slow to embrace change. The came the pandemic.
Forced to adapt, golf course adopted new technology at such a breathtaking pace that some say the traditional business model is now dead, replaced by a new faster-paced tech-driven one.
This transition could not have taken place without a host of new cutting-edge advances in golf technology. While the industry’s tech companies have been improving their offerings for more than 20 years, the pandemic and post-pandemic surge in play opened the doors to more companies and greater innovation.
“What remains unknown is the extent to which golf courses, historically latent adopters, will embrace the current wave of innovation,” said JJ Keegan, an industry strategist. “Online booking of tee times remains below 50%, even among the large management companies.”
But Keegan views this new wave of innovation as having great potential if adopted by progressive managers.
Here, we highlight 25 companies that are leading this new wave of innovation. Whether it’s tech that helps manage a tee sheet and minimize costs or tech that makes golfing more meaningful, operators are using it to enhance their businesses.
Many have found that technology can provide a safer and more enjoyable experience for players from the moment they enter the grounds to the moment they leave.
Erin Hills Golf Course in Erin, Wisconsin, was an early adopter of technology. It was the first course to use Tagmarshal, which helps course operators manage the pace and flow of play.
“It’s all about data and analytics. If you don’t have it, you don’t know your golf course, and you’re leaving money on the table.”
Jim Lombardo, Director of Golf, Erin Hills
Tagmarshal introduced its Social Distancing Monitor in 2020 to help courses manage flow during the pandemic. Now renamed the Gap Time Monitor, it uses data collected from GPS-based tracking tags clipped to golf bags or from two-way screen devices in golf carts. The real-time information is delivered to attendants via the Tagmarshal dashboard, showing the distance and time between playing groups.
Each caddy that goes out with a group is given a small tracking device. It shows how and where people are walking.
“You can see where every group is and track how fast they are moving,” Lombardo said. “If they are slower than what it should normally take, then you can send a marshal directly out to them, rather than roam the course looking for them, and help them with whatever is holding them up.”
Lombardo said the information is useful in other areas of the operation as well. For example, the F&B people can see exactly when they will be busiest, based on where all the golfers are and how long it will take them to finish their rounds.
Lombardo said they have been able to track peak play periods, the time it takes to play, and other data, which is then used to refine their operation.
For example, data showed that pace of play on the course is faster prior to 11 a.m. With that data, Lombardo said, he was able to add two tee times per day.
While Gamble Sands and Erin Hills were early adopters, most courses are just starting to add such tech to their operations. Is there a learning curve for integrating technology?
Innovative management tools for owners and operators
With so much new technology, it can be mind-boggling to keep track of it all. Golf Inc., with Keegan’s help, grouped the most innovative technology into categories. From business management systems to marketing, pricing, merchandise and analytics, these tech tools are at the forefront of change.
For the full list of innovative management tools, read the full article here
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.
WATCH DEMO
