The Value of golf cart gps tracking to your course

Every season golf courses across the globe, look for ways to improve and offer the best possible player experience and value to the golfer. While this is always the case, they are often left having to make critical operational decisions based on assumptions, without any clear data to inform their decisions.

With significant advancements in the golf industry and ever-rising challenges in day-to-day operations, not to mention the golfer’s high expectations, adopting a golf course intelligence and a golf cart gps tracking management solution becomes a no brainer for golf clubs to stay ahead of the game.

Tagmarshal, the leaders in pace of play management and golf cart gps tracking software, improve the golfer experience through on-course optimization.  We use data insights to make informed decisions and optimize the golfer experience, improve course flow, identify efficiencies and drive additional revenue.

• Over 10 million rounds of golf tracked and improved
• 25 of the US Top 100 Courses partner with Tagmarshal
• 250 leading course partners globally

How it works:

Tagmarshal’s GPS tracking tags are installed into golf carts or clipped to golf bags, pace of play is tracked and monitored. Our 2Way Mobile and Tablets have built-in GPS tracking. 

Tagmarshal’s golf intelligence software feeds this information back to management and staff, in real-time, who gain access to the data from any location whether you are at the pro shop, on the course or at home.

Staff are able to identify risk groups and proactively provide accurate, objective support to alleviate pace challenges before they arise.

Pace of play optimization, using golf cart GPS tracking, to achieve maximum golfer satisfaction

What sets apart the average course from a top class course, is the quality of on-course service delivery that results in positive player experiences. To achieve this, management and  staff need the right tools to give them line-of-sight of the on-course operations – data insights to identify pace of play issues proactively as well as opportunities for efficiency and a deeper understanding of  the course’s behavior. This makes it easier to streamline operations and optimize the player experience, while generating additional revenue.

Tagmarshal’s on-course optimization and golf cart GPS tracking  system results in better golfer experiences, improved efficiency and increased revenue. 

Real-time, intuitive data is instantly made available to staff and the golfer, through Tagmarshal’s 2Way system, empowering and enhancing their experience in the following ways: 

The Power of Data: Tagmarshal’s proprietary algorithms translates data into insights. It enables golf courses to gain an extensive understanding of the course’s behavior by streaming pace and golf cart tracking and course utilization data, to make it possible to observe and analyze your course’s operations in real-time, to make better operational decisions.

Pace of Play management: Actively track pace of play in real-time. It provides round timing analytics, distinguishes between delayed and slow players, and create pace-of-play profiles for players. It tracks the movements of player groups, evaluating their progress and playing time and initiates automatic alerts to highlight potential slow-play bottlenecks.

Dynamic pace notifications: Inform golfers if they are behind, on pace or ahead of the goal time. It creates self-awareness among golfers so that they can constantly see where you are in terms of their pace of play.

On-course visibility: The system gives line of sight to track carts and identify risk groups, and empower on-course staff to provide accurate, objective support to proactively address any pace challenges before they arise, reducing average round times and materially improving the pace experience. 

The system gives line of sight to identify risk groups and empowers on-course staff to provide accurate, objective support to address any pace challenges before they arise, reducing average round times and materially improving the pace experience. 

Operational efficiency: The data that is analyzed and evaluated, in relation to the rest of the field enables the team to set defined goals, giving course management invaluable intelligence to make informed decisions on how to optimize flows and proactively plan pace management and GPS cart tracking. 

“Optimizing staff at peak hours, confirming operational efficiencies, and giving the on-course team the data to manage the pace of play in a professional and objective manner are immediate benefits. It is an investment we’re making to ensure our members are having a successful golf experience. ” – Andrew Adamsick, PGA Head Professional | Conway Farms Golf Club

Golfer-Staff interaction: Allows communication between golfer and club staff members in the clubhouse, pro shop and restaurant. Players can also order drinks from drinks carts, and pre-book orders at the F&B, which management can also track. 

Player safety and on-course optimization: Tagmarshal’s integration with GolfWeather adds another informative data layer to the pace of play management and GPS cart tracking system by establishing the field flow in line with the weather. This module enables course management to set round times and interval goals in line with expected weather conditions.

 “Hours of sunlight, wind and rain all impact the flow of golfers, and now that information is reflected and enables more informed courses of action,” says Bodo Sieber, CEO and  Co-founder of Tagmarshal. 

 “In our quest to deliver the most data-driven tool possible, it was essential that these contextual variables be factored into the equation.”

 Other benefits include geofences to protect sensitive areas in wet settings, refined golfer capacity reporting, adjusted player profiles, and preemptive severe weather alerts.

Player Experience: Tagmarshal’s data driven approach to pace of play management, creates an objective, neutral, proactive engagement, to speed up pace, resulting in a positive golfer experience.

“Our goal is to improve the experience for our guests while maximizing our revenue potential and Tagmarshal has helped us to do both. We have reduced our labor expense, increased our round capacity, and realized many operational efficiencies.”- Mike O’Reilly, PGA Head Golf Professional | Whistling Straits

Improved Efficiency: Staff perform with greater efficiency, as they have objective, real time data to focus pace of play efforts. Freeing up their time to spend on player satisfaction and service.

Data-Driven Decision making: Golf Management Team have data insights which they can use to benchmark performance and measure success. These can be invaluable for course optimization & management reporting.

Powerful Features

We offer a range of features suited to Public, Resorts and Private courses. 

Our intuitive interface makes easy to navigate and access the information you need, at a click of a button.

Pace tracker: On-course staff and management can be alerted in real time to slow play, before it becomes a bigger issue and direct marshal attention to these groups.

Detailed analytics: Insights into hole times, goal times, player assistance, weather and access advanced maps, variable goal times and more.

Individual Member profiles/Round history: You can access your members’ or guest’s history, so that you can personalize and enhance their experience.

Geofencing: Geofences are a way of gps cart tracking or tags at any given time. 

Get alerted when your tag is exiting your course or a cart is driving on fairway.

Easy Tee Assignment: With this module you can build Player, Caddie, League profiles, as well as manage your starter accuracy. It makes it easier to assign groups to your tee times.

The return on investment superpower:

Every golf club’s ultimate goal is to strike a balance between delivering a memorable golf experience while maximizing revenue opportunities. Our partners using our on-course optimization and golf cart gps tracking system to realize a substantial return on investment, and an almost immediate improvement in daily rounds through optimized field management, improved player experiences and reduced staff requirements.

“Creating an environment where customers know they can come and play in a reasonable amount of time is very important to us. This keeps members happy, customers happy and it helps create a reputation of a place that does care and wants everyone’s day more enjoyable. Happy golfers make for happy people towards our staff and throughout our entire facility prompting repeat visits and spending money in other areas of our facility.” –Matt Summers, PGA Head Professional at Mountain Branch 

Tagmarshal can assist clubs to maximize the return on investment by means of: 

Labor savings: Fewer staff are needed to manage pace of play, as technology identifies issues proactively.

Increased F&B and Pro-Shop spend: Time saved during play, gets spent in the Pro Shop and on F&B, resulting in increased spend. When players finish their game on time, they are more likely to spend on F&B and in the pro-shop. 

Unlocking revenue by adding capacity and optimizing peak periods: As the average round time improves, additional tee sheet capacity is created, generating significant additional revenue for operators. 

Waste no further time this season in reaching operational and financial targets set by your club committee and the expectations set by the golfer. Tagmarshal’s golf course optimization and GPS cart tracking is everything you need and more.

With 74% of golfers believing pace and field flow is critical to the enjoyment of their rounds, and being willing to pay more for this experience according to a USGA survey, it is imperative for golf clubs to make the necessary adjustments.

Tagmarshal offers a substantive opportunity to strengthen the club’s future by creating a more captivating experience for golfers through improved player experiences, optimized efficiencies and data-driven decision-making.

CELEBRATE EXCEPTIONAL PLAYER EXPERIENCES AND

LEVELS OF ON-COURSE SERVICE

Tagmarshal Awards Certification Program

Tagmarshal, the golf course optimization and pace of play management platform, introduces its exciting new awards certification program for its partners, to recognize their commitment to providing excellent player experiences and levels of on-course service.

From the moment a golfer arrives at the course right through until they leave, understanding what really matters to the golfer and learning how to define that experience, are key to creating a seamless and unique customer journey.

It takes ongoing commitment to provide excellent on-course service delivery and player experiences, each and every day of the year, to achieve success, and thus Tagmarshal recognizes the golf clubs for championing the player experience throughout 2019.

Brookside G&CC, CC at Castle Pines, Erin Hills, and Quaker Ridge GC are among the first recipients of the Diamond Award as the top achievers of the certification program delivering world-class levels of service and player experiences.

“Our experience with the system and integration into our operation has been exceptional. The data provided and a facts-based discussion is an asset in our day to day operations. We are excited about the development of analytics and insights into improving our pace and experience as a whole.” – Andrew Hedrick, Head Golf Professional at Castle Pines.

The awards system ranks courses according to Gold, Platinum or Diamond status based on achieving outstanding results, with regards to:

• Player experience

• Pace and Flow of Play

• Player communication

• On-course service delivery

Data from over 10 million rounds of golf tracked gets used to benchmark and track progress on results achieved, implementation executed, as well as on-going up-skilling and best practice guidance of management and staff, to empower top industry standards and service delivery. 

Pace and flow of play data, improvement and results statistics form the backbone of the grading, with top accolades achieved through continuous improvement over multiple years. 

These awards are a powerful seal of approval for clubs who prioritize on-course experience and player satisfaction.

“To achieve consistent flow of play and reduced playtime, managed in a non-confrontational, data powered way, is a key opportunity for the industry and we are proud to have so many of our partners excel in it.” – Bodo Sieber, CEO and Co-Founder, Tagmarshal

Tagmarshal aims to empower its partners to go above and beyond in ensuring excellent service delivery and player experiences are delivered, and the certification program can be seen as a benchmark to achieve such.

“We pride ourselves on delivering the best rounds of golf possible, and Tagmarshal’s analytical pace tracker helps achieve that. Leveraging data to make informed management decisions provides golfers with an even better outing at Kiawah.” – Stephen Youngner, Head Professional at Kiawah Island, site of the 2012 / 2021 PGA Championship and Platinum Award-winning course

It really pays to invest in a golf course optimization system, because great flow and pace, quality service delivery and how you present your course, results in excellent golfer experiences, as well as additional revenue-generating opportunities, both on-course and off-course.

To find out more about how your golf club can get involved with Tagmarshal, watch our free demo at www.tagmarshal.com/demo.

Diamond Winners

Platinum Winners 

Gold Winners

The 19th Hole with Michael Williams

Bodo Sieber, CEO and Co-founder of Tagmarshal, the golf course optimization and pace of play management system, returns for his second appearance on The 19th Hole with Michael Williams radio show.

Bodo Sieber discusses the importance of data in managing daily golf operations, and how Tagmarshal partner courses use the data insights that the system provides, to deliver exceptional golfer experiences. He also shares Tagmarshal’s involvement, working on pilots with the European Tour and the LPGA.

Listen to the full conversation from 08:20 here:

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About Michael Williams

Williams has a reputation as a savvy broadcaster, and as an incisive interviewer and writer. An avid golfer himself, Williams has covered the game of golf and the golf lifestyle including courses, restaurants, travel and sports marketing for publications all over the world.

He is currently working with a wide range of outlets in traditional and electronic media, and has produced and hosted “Sticks and Stones” on the Fox Radio network, a critically acclaimed show that combined coverage of the golf world with interviews of the Washington power elite. His work on Newschannel8’s “Capital Golf Weekly” and “SportsTalk” have established him as one of the area’s most trusted sources for golf reporting.

Williams has also made numerous radio appearances on “The John Thompson Show,” and a host of other local productions. He is a sought-after speaker and panel moderator, he has recently launched a new partnership with The O Team to create original golf-themed programming and events. Williams is a member of the United States Golf Association and the Golf Writers Association of America.

In case you missed it, the Tagmarshal Expert Session webinar on demand, is now available to watch in your own time. Watch the video and find out what the optimal player experience looks like, and how this can be achieved, by using data and processes to enhance golfer satisfaction.

Sports Innerview with Ann Liguori

Join Ann Liguori in conversation with Bodo Sieber, CEO and Co-founder of Tagmarshal, the golf course optimization and pace of play management system used at Pebble Beach, Erin Hills, Pinehurst, Quaker Ridge, East Lake and many other leading golf courses – including 20 of the US Top 100 courses.

Bodo Sieber discusses how Tagmarshal partner courses, generate additional revenue and drive efficiency, while delivering exceptional golfer experiences.

Listen to the full interview from 13.24 here:

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About Ann Liguori

Award-winning sports talk show host, network golf correspondent and author, Ann Liguori, talks with top names in sports, with a heavy emphasis on golf, her passion. Described as “a woman who has transformed sports broadcasting,” Ann is a trailblazer in the industry as the first woman to host a call-in sports talk show on WFAN-NY, the first all-sports radio station in the country; one of the ‘originals’ on Golf Channel where she hosted her own weekly, prime-time series, golfing with and interviewing stars in sports, entertainment and business; and the host, executive producer and owner of the award-winning cable series, “Sports Innerview with Ann Liguori,” a treasure chest of interviews she has done with legends in sports.

In her “Sports Innerview with Ann Liguori” podcast, Ann takes you inside the lives and minds of the current-day movers and shakers, stars and influencers in sports and entertainment. Billed as one of the best interviewers in the business, Ann has a way of getting the most out of her fascinating guests. You will enjoy hearing both fun and serious discussion, keen insight and opinions, on a wide variety of issues and topics in golf and beyond. Be sure to reach out to Ann with questions, comments and your own opinions on the subjects she and her guests discuss.

Taking the Lead on Pace of Play Management

Pace of play has been in the spotlight this year, with major golf professionals speaking out and the USGA, making this a major focus. At the 2019 USGA Golf Innovation Symposium, the USGA put out a challenge to the industry: 

To improve golfer satisfaction by 20 percent while reducing the consumption of key resources by 25 percent before 2025.

With golfer satisfaction directly linked to pace of play, this challenge emphasized the importance of this issue. In addition, the new Rules of Golf, issued by the USGA earlier this year focused on pace-orientated changes. The industry has recognized this challenge – and both golf courses and players are committed to finding solutions. 

1. A key challenge and opportunity for the game – PLUS a key revenue opportunity

The USGA has carried out a significant amount of research on pace of play, with one of their key findings being that “74% of Golfers believe that pace of play and field flow, is the crucial enjoyment factor.” (USGA)

In addition, the research shows that “positive playing speed and ranger etiquette” rank as the top positive scoring experience factors (+0.966). Conversely, negative marshal engagement and pace, are rated as having the biggest negative impact on player experience scores (-1.000).

While the golf industry understands the impact, many courses have failed to take action.

“Our research showed that 75% of facilities think that pace of play is a key factor in golfer enjoyment, but only 35% of facilities have any kind of formal program to improve pace. So there’s a significant gap right there between knowing there’s a problem and trying to do something about it.”  – Scott Mingay, Director of Product Development, Research, Science and Innovation for the USGA

For those courses that have embraced pace of play management, the opportunity to drive additional revenue is significant. The impact of improved pace is broad reaching – resulting in more time spent engaging at the golf course, with increased F&B spend. It also allows for additional time on the tee sheet, which at a busy course, can add thousands of dollars in additional revenue, to the bottom line.

“Research shows that Golfer satisfaction is improved through the optimization of pace of play, but the data insights generated, also identify unique opportunities to drive efficiency and generate additional revenue, which have positive implications for the bottom line.” – Bodo Sieber, CEO and Co-founder, Tagmarshal.

Read more…

2. Traditional ways require A LOT of man-power and effort

Traditionally, pace of play is managed by a team of marshals, who spend their days circling the course, looking for slow play – but with no real line of sight. Some proactive courses, such as Deer Run, created “Fast Play Fridays” placing a marshal at every 3rd hole and posting tee times on each golf cart, to try to speed up pace of play. 

But even with a team of motivated marshals, once a slow group is identified, a difficult conversation often ensues. Players tend to be defensive, and fail to identify as part of the problem. Further to that, as members (or frequent visitors), feel entitled to spend as long as needed playing their round. This results in confrontational interactions with marshals, who are not always service orientated, and have no objective data to support their position. Resulting in a negative experience, for both the slow group and the groups stuck behind them. 

Findings from a  recent Elite Junior Golf Survey (Golf.com), highlighted this point:

“86% of golfer consider pace of play a problem. Only 3% consider themselves slow.” 

This is in stark contrast to data driven solutions like Tagmarshal, which use technology to optimize pace of play in real time, in a neutral and objective way, which is difficult to achieve using traditional marshals. Technology allows staff to pinpoint exactly where the issues are, allowing for efficient intervention, before it affects other groups of players. Courses relying on manpower alone, would need a significant number of marshals to effectively manage pace in this proactive way.

“Before 2017, we were operating blind – we could put two staff members out in golf cars and ride around, but you could go halfway around the course before you got to the trouble spot. We had members asking if we could just pay more retirees to help manage pace of play as hourly employees.” – Andrew Hedrick, PGA Head Golf Professional, The Country Club at Castle Pines

“Our members expect an optimized experience, which is what we get from technology in so many other parts of our lives.” Says Hedrick.

Read more: Castle Pines Case Study

3. Data is critical to understand, benchmark and measure improvement 

Pace of play is an issue which golf has grappled with for some time, but through the use of new technology and the data insights which it provides, courses are able to find new ways to optimize pace. These data insights provide a deeper understanding of the issues, and can be used as metrics to measure success over time. 

“The ability to visualize and analyze data on a large scale makes new strategies possible. To get data points from hundreds of rounds or thousands of golfers really helps move the needle in a way that anecdotal evidence simply can’t.”

“A lot of this isn’t possible without today’s technology – it empowers everything we’re looking at in pace of play.” – Scott Mingay, USGA

“There’s an increasing understanding that you need to measure something to understand it – and improve it – and that’s where this technology, with all its optimization data, comes into play.”  – Bodo Sieber, Tagmarshal CEO and Co-founder

Adding to this, Sieber says, “A (data driven) solution like ours can help you accurately know when to step in to speed somebody up with a polite visit from a golf team member, and how to stagger tee times, goal times and intervals to get more out of your quicker time of day and literally pull more business along.”

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4. Improving Pace is essential for service delivery  

Matt Summer, PGA Head Golf Professional at Mountain Branch, was looking at ways in which to improve service delivery at his course. Aware of the perceptions around pace of play at daily fee courses like Mountain Branch, he was determined to find a solution. He reviewed a number of options and selected Tagmarshal, as his on-course optimization partner.

By installing Tagmarshal’s GPS trackers into his fleet of golf carts, he is able to monitor pace of play, with the system feeding this (data) information back to his team in real time – where they are able to intervene in a proactive, neutral and objective manner. 

As result of implementing this solution, he could significantly reduce the number of marshals (there are days when no marshals are present), while improving pace of play, and was able to reinvest this budget into hiring additional PGA Professionals, adding significant value to the golfer experience and improving on-course service.

By combining technology and excellent customer service, he has improved golfer satisfaction, resulting in frequent, repeat visits amongst his daily fee players. In peak season, round times have improved by over 15 minutes – reducing from 4:08 to 3:53. In addition, his team are freed up to focus on delivering impeccable service at this busy 23,000 a year course.

Read more: Mountain Branch Case Study

5. It works: High buy in from Players and Members and the results speak for themselves 

Players and members have responded positively to the use of Tagmarshal at their courses, recognizing the value that it adds to their experience, through pace of play management and on-course optimization. The discreet, objective way in which Tagmarshal works, respects the traditions of golf, while enhancing player satisfaction. 

“The members love that we’ve invested in a solution that helps them move consistently around the golf course, and they ask about their times. We also have data on which players could speed up, and we can have that conversation from a position of being helpful instead of embarrassing them.” – Andrew Hedrick, PGA Head Professional, The Country Club at Castle Pines

“Most important, when players come off 18, we see more happy faces. That keeps the staff in a good mood, too, which is why this is one of my favorite things we’ve done while I’ve been at Mountain Branch.”   – Matt Summers, PGA Head Golf Professional, Mountain Branch

“The response from the membership has been ecstatic. It’s added to their appreciation of our events that they don’t have to take all day to play anymore. We have more members playing in our events, and they’re having a great experience. As PGA Professionals, we’re always trying to create better member experiences and interactions.” – Jim Morris, PGA Head Golf Professional, National Golf Links of America

Read more: Success stories