Thank you to everyone who joined us at this year’s PGA Show, helping to make this – Tagmarshal’s 6th consecutive year at the Show – our most successful to date! It was fantastic to catch up with our partners and friends.

Let’s take a look at the 2020 PGA Show in numbers:

The number of PGA Head Golf Professionals and PGA Ambassadors who took part in the PGA Magazine Golf Invitationals at Mission Inn Resort & Club and Reunion Resort, where players enjoyed using the Tagmarshal 2Way Mobile & Classic devices, keeping them on pace throughout play.

Over 200 live Demos took place at the Tagmarshal Booth #3023, keeping the booth buzzing with activity. Our Product Experts made sure that everyone was given a valuable overview of the Tagmarshal system, showcasing how it optimizes the on-course experience, driving player satisfaction, efficiency and increased revenue.

The number of people who attended this year’s fantastic Education Session, which focused on Pace and Flow of Play, the key Player Experience factor for the Modern Golfer. This engaging session was hosted by our Expert Guests, Jim Lombardo (PGA Head Golf Professional, Erin Hills) and Ryan Fountaine (PGA Head Golf Professional, Baltusrol), in conversation with Bodo Sieber, CEO Tagmarshal.

Tagmarshal Awards were presented to our partners who achieved the highest levels of performance in 2019, delivering exceptional player experiences, pace and flow of play, communication and on-course service at their courses. 6 Diamond Awards, as well as Special Awards for the Biggest Mover, Top Innovator and Top International Achiever were presented.

Expert Sessions hosted at the Tagmarshal Booth 3023. Our first Expert Guest, Prof. Kris Schoonover, Head of Operations, Erin Hills, shared her insights on the Player Experience, based on research conducted for the USGA in this riveting session. She was joined by USGA Head of Innovation, Hunki Yun, who introduced the session. Our second session, focused on Connected Courses, hosted by Expert Guest, Jon Schultz, CEO EZ Locator, who highlighted the opportunities presented by harnessing technology to create connected courses.

Partners and friends joined us in what is fast becoming a Tagmarshal tradition – relaxed beers and dinner at Miller’s Ale House on Thursday evening. What a fun night and so great to catch-up with everyone! We hope to see you there again next year.

The Tagmarshal team representing at the PGA show 2019. With team members from our Atlanta, Ireland and South African offices present.

Tagmarshal to Showcase Remarkable Results for Clubs, Courses & Resorts at

2020 PGA Merchandise Show, Booth 3023 and at

Education Seminar for Operators, PGA Professionals, Club & Resort Managers

Thursday, January 23, 12:30-1:30 Room WF3 West Hall East

Orlando, FL  (January 17, 2020) – Tagmarshal, the global leader in golf course intelligence software will again exhibit at the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show and welcome course operators, PGA Professionals, club and resort managers and the media to its booth #3023, – the same location as last year – just off the main walkway.

“The past year the company achieved remarkable results for many of America’s most elite venues as well as many grass-root facilities. Real, actionable and proven solutions have improved pace and flow of play, enhancing the player experience. This has translated into Tagmarshal growing at a formidable rate – more than double last year’s impressive results,” noted Bodo Sieber, Tagmarshal CEO. 

Tagmarshal’s success is rooted in the positive impact it has on player satisfaction – while driving operational efficiency and generating additional revenue.

The company will host an insightful Education Seminar for Show attendees with Expert Guests, Jim Lombardo (Erin Hills) and Ryan Fountaine (Baltusrol), who along with Bodo Sieber, Tagmarshal CEO and Co-Founder, will discuss “Pace and Flow of Play, the Key Player Experience for the Modern Golfer.” This session will focus on:

•  How to optimally manage pace of play (do’s/don’ts)
• Insights from data and USGA research
• How to optimize savings and unlock significant revenue

In addition, Bodo Sieber will describe how Tagmarshal’s proven ability to optimize on-course operations have been embraced by famous clubs including the likes of Whistling Straits, Erin Hills, Kiawah Island, Pinehurst, East Lake, Baltusrol, Quaker Ridge, Valhalla, Calusa Pines, Skokie, and Conway Farms, but more importantly, many regular daily fee and private facilities across the U.S.

Golf operators who are serious about improving the golfer experience at their operations in 2020, will want to make sure they don’t miss out on what promises to be the event of the Show – the Tagmarshal Education session taking place on January 23 at 12:30. Seats are filling up quickly, so it’s best to register in advance on tagmarshal.com to avoid disappointment on the day.

Tagmarshal will also be hosting a series of Expert sessions at its booth throughout the Show, with the Tagmarshal team and leading Industry Experts such as Professor Kris Schoonover discussing the USGA Research, “Defining the Golfer Experience” and Jon Schultz, EZLOCATOR, discussing “The Connected Course.” Learn more about these and other exciting events on tagmarshal.com

Real-time data collected by the system using small “tags” clipped onto golf bags, installed in buggies or offered on handheld or cart-installed proprietary 2Way screen devices, transmits information to on-course staff or personnel in the pro shop identifying groups that are out of position before issues arise. Player assistants can then intervene in a proactive, objective, non-confrontational manner resulting in improved player experience, consistent round times and player time freed up to purchase on-site food and beverage items as well as opportunities for additional tee sheet capacity.

“The company has tracked and improved over 10 million rounds of golf with the clear goal to optimize golfer experiences everywhere. USGA research shows that good pace and flow of play are key experience factors to the modern golfer and a non-negotiable on-course service delivery component,” Sieber said.

In the past year, Tagmarshal established partnerships with ten PGA sections across the United States and is currently working with the European Tour and other organizations to assist with pace and tournament optimization during its 2019-2020 season. 

Tagmarshal management will be at Booth #3023 Wednesday through Friday (January 22, 23 & 24). Industry attendees may schedule an appointment on Tagmarshal’s PGA Show page.

How Tagmarshal optimizes pace of play

Tagmarshal CEO and Co-founder, Bodo Sieber, is in conversation with Rich  Styles on the Back9Boys radio show. Sieber shares his insights on how Tagmarshal’s golf course intelligence system optimizes pace and flow of play, a valuable asset that courses can use to improve the golfer experience.

Listen to the full conversation here:

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About Rich Styles

Rich is an avid golfer, who enjoys anything and everything about golf. He is a host and producer of award winning internet and radio show about golf including interviews, tips, commentary and more. Producing new shows every week available 24/7 online at http://www.back9boys.com. 

Guests have included Billy Casper, Gary Player, Davis Love III and other PGA/Web.com Tour Pros; Peggy Kirk Bell; and several Top 50 instructors including Todd Anderson, Mike Shannon and head pros at various golf courses. It’s all about golf.

A quick 9 with Tom Woodard

Foothills Golf Course & Meadows Golf Club

Tom Woodard is the Director of Golf at Foothills Park & Recreation District golf courses, namely Foothills Golf Course & Meadows Golf Club.

As a golfer, Woodard competed on the PGA Tour, and qualified for two U.S. Opens and a PGA Championship. He is a two-time Colorado PGA’s Player of the Year and three times the Section’s Apprentice Player of the Year. He also won a national professional tournament on the United Golfers Association tour in 1979.

In this Quick 9 series edition, Woodard tells us more about himself and why he has chosen to implement golf course optimization technology at his courses.

1. What was your favorite Major to watch this year and why?

The Master’s, because I enjoyed seeing Tiger Woods win another Major.

2. Who’s the Slowest / Fastest player on tour?

Slowest – Bryson De Chambeau / Fastest – Brooks Koepka

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

Jon Rahm – A good young player who plays a lot of international golf

4. Has golf always been your first love? What other sports/team are you a fan of?

Football and Basketball. I’m a huge Bronco fan!

5. Where does Pace of Play rank as an industry priority? Top 3?

Easily a top-three priority, right behind golf course conditions and customer service

6. Why have your courses decided to invest in pace of play?

Pace of play is ruining the game, especially given the fact that people look at time as one of their most valuable commodities!  

7. What operational opportunities have you identified and how will implementing Tagmarshal at your courses help to achieve these?

Tagmarshal will complement the current pace of play policy we have in place, allowing us to increase our bottom line by reducing our Golf Course Assistant man-hours.  

8. How important do you think having golf course intelligence technology like Tagmarshal is in improving golfer satisfaction/experience?

I personally play golf a couple of times a week, and when I arrive at a golf course and discover that the golf carts have GPS technology, I’m always elated!!!!

9. Besides The Meadows and Foothills, what is your dream golf destination? Why?

I’ve played in U.S. Opens, a PGA Championship, and several of the British Open golf courses so the only golf destination remaining is Augusta National, can you get me on?

Pebble Beach’s, Eric Lippert, on Pace of Play Optimization for Success

One of the best parts of my job is the privilege of meeting scores of eager golfers every day. Many of them are here for the first time, most of them anticipating this day for a lifetime.

Whether your tee sheet is full of golfers crossing your course off their bucket list or is a group of members or customers who enjoy their facility every day, ensuring they have a positive and memorable experience is vital to bringing them back, retaining their business, and increasing participation.

Regardless of the type of facility you run, pace of play is one of the biggest influences of that experience. With technology leading the way in tee time reservations, coaching, and equipment, it seems logical we’d use it to help us keep play moving on a daily basis.

So in 2017, we began testing a GPS-enabled hardware and software system, Tagmarshal, and found that by clipping a GPS tracking unit onto one bag in each group, we are able to monitor the pace and spacing of every group on the course from any connected device.

This real-time information has fundamentally changed the role of our on-course player assistants, who now can dedicate nearly all of their time to solving issues as they develop rather than trying to identify them.

In addition, this technology generates thousands of data points each day that we analyze and use to inform our pace of play communications, expectations, and policies.

Safe to say, an advancement in technology has been the cornerstone of a refocused pace of play program at Pebble Beach that has yielded considerable improvement recognized by new and repeat guests alike.

And his views were echoed by Francisco Cadete, the director of golf at Praia D’El Rey and West Cliffs, the finest new course in Portugal.

“Tagmarshal has given us the ability to have a line of sight and full control on the course. It allows us to know where the players are, when they finish etc. We can now provide an exceptional on-course experience to our members and guests,” he said.

Indeed, Alcanada’s year-on-year performance for August to October – the busiest month for the Mallorcan club – shows an average 10-minute reduction with an improvement for groups within 10 minutes of goal time of 10 percentage points. While in October itself, when the most rounds were played, the improvement was almost 12 minutes, with a goal-time increase of 21 percentage points.

Tagmarshal’s industry-leading algorithms display real-time alerts for clubhouse staff and marshals to pre-emptively address golfers falling out of position the required pace of play. Data transmission is provided from a small GPS device clipped to golfers’ bag, or a 2Way screen installed on buggies.

The business impact of maintaining an acceptable pace of play:

Simply put, the best way to promote a return visit from a guest is to exceed his or her expectations. Our biggest challenge in meeting that goal historically has been pace of play.

As a public facility, we have golfers of all skill levels intermingled, and of course it only takes one slow group at the beginning of a summer day to potentially ruin the experience for over 200 guests.

Technology has now given us the tools and information to revamp the way we address these problem groups. As a result, we’ve been able to increase the percentage of golfers who play in under five hours from 60 percent in the first month we began tracking this data, to over 85 percent in the most recently.

Not surprisingly, the number of complaints we receive about pace of play has dropped meaningfully too. This improvement is something we are very proud of and are confident will enhance the attractiveness of Pebble Beach as a golf destination.

TAGMARSHAL MAKING WAVES ON IBERIAN PENINSULA

Leading courses saving an average of 20 minutes per round

Real Club de Golf Sotogrande, Praia d’el Rey, West Cliffs, Alcanada – four top golf courses that are on the bucket list of many golfers visiting Spain and Portugal for a golfing break.

In addition to being much-lauded designs and exquisitely manicured, one of the reasons a round at these clubs stands out from the crowd is that each has adopted the market-leading Tagmarshal course-management system, which improves the golfing experience for the player, while benefiting the venue with optimised on-course efficiency, resulting in cost savings and additional revenue.

The proof of Tagmarshal’s effectiveness lies in the data the company retrieves from its clients. Between the four courses, they achieved a 20 minute reduction in average round time between June and August.  This 20-minute average round-time improvement, on the back of optimally balanced play on the course, freed up more than 66 hours on a single busy day, with 200 players. 

The improvements are well received by golfers who rate a positive flow and pace of play as a key experience driver. Leading the way were West Cliffs and Alcanada, who reduced their average round time by 28 and 23 minutes respectively.

Agustin Mazarrasa, the general manager at Sotogrande – one of Europe’s premier layouts – explained: “I do not know how we could not have used Tagmarshal until now. It is a great tool that is allowing us to optimise the job of our marshals, monitor pace of play, control restricted areas on the golf course and be able to make decisions based on information.”

And his views were echoed by Francisco Cadete, the director of golf at Praia D’El Rey and West Cliffs, the finest new course in Portugal.

“Tagmarshal has given us the ability to have a line of sight and full control on the course. It allows us to know where the players are, when they finish etc. We can now provide an exceptional on-course experience to our members and guests,” he said.

Indeed, Alcanada’s year-on-year performance for August to October – the busiest month for the Mallorcan club – shows an average 10-minute reduction with an improvement for groups within 10 minutes of goal time of 10 percentage points. While in October itself, when the most rounds were played, the improvement was almost 12 minutes, with a goal-time increase of 21 percentage points.

Tagmarshal’s industry-leading algorithms display real-time alerts for clubhouse staff and marshals to pre-emptively address golfers falling out of position the required pace of play. Data transmission is provided from a small GPS device clipped to golfers’ bag, or a 2Way screen installed on buggies.

From pace-tracking and utilisation heat maps, to geo-fencing and individual player history, Tagmarshal software can provide data essential to the smooth running of any size of venue. And it pays off: partner courses are routinely able to shave off between 14 and 24 minutes from an average round in just six months using Tagmarshal’s systems, the equivalent of one or two more tee-times per day.

Having cornered the market in the US, with major venues like Whistling Straits, Erin Hills, and Pinehurst Resort & Country Club, Tagmarshal is now establishing itself in mainland Europe as the ‘go-to’ golf course optimisation provider.

Indeed, the world renowned US business magazine, Forbes, has gone as far as describing Tagmarshal as “the pace of play software leader”.

As Tagmarshal’s managing director, Stephen Knoop, explained: “Soon, all golf course operations will be managed in this way and we are delighted to have some really high-quality adopters. Their positive experiences will help fuel our push into southern Europe. 

“Courses now have the tools to inform players they’re on track, or that they’re falling slightly behind. This means players no longer feel they are being policed; when players have awareness, they can self-manage better, which benefits everybody on the course and off it.”

Through pace of play management and on-course optimisation, Tagmarshal is able to improve the player experience, increasing loyalty and driving repeat play, and additional F&B spend, thus affording material benefits to both players and operators.