Article by Steve Pike, Spike on Golf and Travel, December 2024

Bodo Sieber readily admits he’s not a golfer, but the former rugby player turned tech entrepreneur is changing the way golf courses and golf management companies deal with “real time’’ operational oversights and reporting. Through his Tagmarshal company, Sieber is taking “real time’’ data-driven insights and on-course optimization to the next levels.

Tagmarshal’s golf cart GPS technology – first introduced at Erin Hills in 2015 – has collected over 10 billion data points from over 75 million tracked rounds of golf and has relationships with more than 600 partners. Those on-course partners include some of golf’s more celebrated courses, including Pinehurst No. 2 and 4, Pebble Beach Golf Links and Bandon Dunes Golf Resort. 

All told, more than 40 of the top U.S. Courses use Tagmarshal technology to track players (and equipment) from the first tee to the 18th green.

“By tracking the players from the first tee, you can get players off quicker… maybe eight minutes instead of 10-minute tee times. That increases profit,’’ Sieber said.

How did it all begin?

“I was looking for a new challenge,’’ said Sieber, Tagmarshal’s CEO. “Two of my friends – who are both passionate golfers – said that one of golf’s biggest problems today is slow play. So, we analyzed the market and began building solutions.’’

Tagmarshal’s software and resulting data, gathered using golf cart GPS tracking, Sieber said, each give golf operators the tools to manage operations effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency, cost savings, and additional revenue.

“Better decision-making through data. You’re no longer flying blind.’’

Those pieces of data and solutions each are key components to what Sieber calls his “Technology Toolbox.’’

“Number One, analyze everything that moves on course,’’ Sieber said. “Line of sight (one of Sieber’s favorite phrases) creates better decision making. Everything on the live map is color-coded, so we know where on the course each group is. Are they playing slow? Are they getting better or worse? Each of those things is dynamically calculated to help make better decisions.

“Number Two is accumulating data traffic patterns. You (an operator) can see where there is a bottleneck and where people are slowing down because of those traffic issues.’’

This past Spring, the company, whose U.S. headquarters is Kennesaw, Ga., launched its first version of software to be powered by AI (artificial intelligence), building on the previous machine-learning-based release. Real-life data from more than 75 million rounds of golf was gathered from many current Tagmarshal partners to create the new version. The updated golf cart GPS software was put through its paces in real-world field testing at Bandon Dunes, Erin Hills, the Country Club at Castle Pines, Pinehurst, Kiawah and other public, private, and resort courses.

This helped to ensure that this latest release continues to meet the company’s fundamental goals of providing intuitive tools to help course operators enhance the player experience, improve efficiency through automation, and generate additional revenue.

“The golf course is the economic engine that drives everything on the property,’’ Sieber said. “Make the data work for you. If you do what the data tells you to do, you’ll find that golfers will have enhanced player experiences, as well as more time for food and beverages and more time in the pro shop. There are endless opportunities for on-course optimization if you really follow the data.’’

Read the full article here: Spike on Golf and Travel

Kettle Hills Golf Course was founded by Don Zimmermann in his hometown of Richfield, Wisconsin, with the Ponds & Woods original 18-hole course opening in 1987.

In 1992 the first 9 holes of the Valley course were added, with the second 9 holes following in 1995. The 45-hole facility was completed in 2001 with the Rolling 9 course.

Nick Tarasoff, PGA, the Director of Golf at Kettle Hills GC, gives us some insight into what an average day looks like and why the facility decided to implement golf cart GPS technology.

How would you describe your morning routine to kickstart your day?

My mornings usually start with a coffee and feeding our two German Shepherds. They are always ready to eat and love the morning attention. A few times per week, when I’m working a later shift, I’ll head down to the barn (we own a horse farm with 24 horses on-site) to help with the morning chores before cleaning up for my day at Kettle Hills.

Has golf always been your first love?

No. I was all-in on soccer in my younger years. I played some golf, but was not very good. Once I got into college, my love for the game grew and I found myself pursuing a career in the sport.

Tell us about your role at Kettle Hills GC. Why is it important?

My position oversees the entire 45-hole operation. While I have a great team in place, it is my job to keep everything in order, organized and provide quality communication to my team. I run over 100 golf outings, 25 leagues, a 250-player junior program, summer clinics and do all the purchasing for the golf shop merchandise. All that comes to about 80,000 rounds per season and we have a short season compared to most of the country.

Why has your course decided to invest in Tagmarshal?

With 45 holes, it was always challenging to have a real feel for what was happening on the course. Tagmarshal allows us to easily monitor the whole property while also providing a service to the guests. The pace of play shown on the golf cart GPS screens has, without question, improved our average pace of play by nearly 15 minutes per 18 holes.

Since implementing Tagmarshal, how have your golfers responded to the on-course experience?

They love it. We had a little trouble with the new dashboard, so the system was down for a couple of days. Our guests were really missing the functioning screens. It’s been great all around.

Describe Tagmarshal in three words.

Easy, Effective, Profitable

What is your dream golf destination? Why?

I have always wanted to play golf in Japan or somewhere in that neck of the woods. I’d like to experience the atmosphere of a high-end facility where golf is treated so much differently than in the US. I think that would be an excellent experience.

Your best golf moment?

2013 – Albatross. Hole #4, Bass Creek Golf Club, 525-yard par 5, 3-wood in the hole from 242 yards.

If you could be a caddie on Tour, whose caddie would you like to be and why?

I’d go with John Rahm. I love his passion and that he wears his heart on his sleeve. I think we’d have some great conversations.

2024 has been a bumper year for Tagmarshal, with the successes of our course partners one of the more rewarding aspects of what we do.

Two of this year’s men’s Major hosts – Pinehurst and Valhalla – had exceptional seasons, earning Tagmarshal 2024/2025 Diamond and Gold Award status respectively, and we also partnered with The Old Course at St Andrews Links to track the 2024 AIG Women’s Open, among other highlights.

As the year draws to a close, we’re looking back at some of the standout golf cart GPS data gathered from our more than 600 course partners over the past 12 months.

Data is at the core of everything Tagmarshal does, powering our AI and machine learning algorithms so that they identify and highlight ways in which courses can make smarter operational decisions.

To see how Tagmarshal’s golf cart GPS system and data will optimize your operation, visit Booth #3123 at the PGA Show 2025, or watch our short demo video.

Optimization Technology Company To Host Educational Seminar on January 23

Kennesaw, Ga. (Dec. 10, 2024) – For the 10th consecutive year, Tagmarshal, the robust optimization technology platform, will showcase its products and expertise at January’s PGA Show.

The Tagmarshal team (Booth 3123) will run live system demos, outlining how the data insights gathered from over 75 million tracked rounds of golf and best-in-class AI-powered analytics empower operators to make data-driven decisions, proactively manage pace and flow, and increase operational efficiency using automation while generating additional revenue.

“We believe data and technology work hand in hand to assist operators in significantly improving on-course levels of performance,” said Bodo Sieber, CEO, Tagmarshal. “Managing pace and flow effectively has a positive impact on the player experience and drives the economic engine of the course, empowering operators to increase their capacity and revenue.”

Operators and managers are invited to book a meeting and run a return on investment (ROI) calculation utilizing their course’s data to see the business impact of on-course optimization. Tagmarshal representatives will demonstrate new features in action and attendees can familiarize themselves with the latest GPS-enabled devices for both cart and walking golf.

New features include:

• Fully customizable widgets and dashboards to show operators and staff what they need when they need it.
• Industry-Leading Analytics and Reporting: Make better decisions with a deeper understanding of your course’s pace, capacity and other custom metrics.
• Pace Disruptors: Industry-leading algorithms automate pace and flow management to optimize the player experience, efficiency and revenue.
• Cart Stop: Advanced geofencing and turf protection for your course.

Appointments may be booked in advance.

Attend an Exclusive PGA Show Education Session Presented by Tagmarshal

A Major championship host will offer valuable insights into how optimization tech and data are reshaping their operations. Tagmarshal hosts this education session on Thursday, Jan 23 at 9:45am. PDR credits apply. Additional details and panelist information are available at  tagmarshal.com/PGAShow2025

Tagmarshal’s Online Training Gets A Significant Upgrade

New interactive learning content and practical, easy-to-follow step-by-step training is now available for all key features of the Tagmarshal system. These upgrades ensure that on-course teams maximize the value of the platform to save labor hours and generate additional revenue.

For additional information about Tagmarshal, access tagmarshal.com.

Great news – our webinar, “How Pine Hills & Spy Ring drive revenue gains and labor savings with optimization tech and data,” is now available to watch on-demand and in your own time!

Expert guests Justin Plank from Pine Hills and Jack Romano from Spy Ring detail how the courses have increased efficiency and opened up additional revenue opportunities, thanks to the shrewd use of technology and data.

Pine Hills has been voted the number-one golf course on Long Island by GolfNow and Spy Ring, the newest public golf course on Long Island, is a modern 9-hole destination designed by up-and-coming golf course architect, Tyler Rae.