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The Dusty World of Slow Play on Tour

THE DUSTY WORLD OF SLOW PLAY ON TOUR  

“Brilliant Bryson storms to maiden win in Dubai” trumpeted the European Tour on its website after Bryson de Chambeau plotted (plodded?) his way around to a record-breaking score in Dubai.

As De Chambeau was going through (his) many variables facing him on his approach to the final green, fellow competitor Haotong Li was busy falling foul of one of the new Rules changes – his caddie inadvertently stood behind him as he began to take his stance on his final putt, resulting in a post-round two-shot penalty, which translated into $96 000 off his week’s paycheck!

And Twitter howled at the “injustice” of it all.

As it happened, the ruling was absolutely correctly applied (see Rule 10.2b(4) ), even though there was no intention by the caddie to line Li up. Golf is not fair. What this ruling highlighted, however, was that as fastidious as the rules officials are at applying the technical rules, they seem to take no notice of slow play for which, the Twitterati were quick to point out, Bryson de Chambeau has become the latest poster boy.

Why, if 74% of all golfers say that pace of play is crucial to their enjoyment of a round of golf, do the major Tours around the world seemingly continue to ignore their own pace of play policies, allowing their stars to take their merry time to get around 18 holes. Golf followers with a reasonable understanding of the rules will know that “they have 40 seconds to play their shot”, but it’s really not that simple.

For a professional player to be “put on the clock”, the group in which he or she is playing needs first to be “out of position” – in other words, substantially behind the group in front of them. Rules officials will first “have a word” with them, asking them as unobtrusively as possible (they don’t want to be blamed for distracting said professionals) to catch up. If, having been given a reasonable opportunity to get back into position, the group is still lagging behind, they will be told that they are being put on the clock – each individual will be timed (first player has 50 seconds, subsequent players have 40 seconds to play their shots when it’s their turn). If they then register more than one “bad time” – they are given plenty of leeway around those 40 or 50 seconds – they are then penalized one shot for each bad time or fined.

If they are fined, we’re unlikely to ever hear about it because Tours seldom make that sort of information public.

So why are Tour rules officials reticent to apply their pace-of-play policies? According to PGA Tour rookie and two-time European Tour champion Dylan Frittelli, commenting on Twitter, “Because the powerful golfers who will likely be fined/penalized will find a way to relieve said officials of their job.”

There certainly is an element of intimidation, but does golf need the “tail wagging the dog” to this extent? The answer should, of course, be a resounding negative. The problem is that live television coverage does not really show the real story of slow play, especially in the period leading up to the final few holes. Producers have upwards of 14 cameras around the course sending live pictures to the outside broadcast van all the time, so have plenty of action to choose from at any one time. Plus, they have the (now rather quaintly named) “Video Tape Recorders” to shore up more “live action” should they need to fill a gap while the leaders dilly dally over a shot.

World No 2 Brooks Koepka waded into the debate at a presser at the Saudi International this week. Koepka, speaking to Michael Weston on the Golf Monthly podcast, said “it’s not that hard” to hit a golf ball and called the speed at which some players play “embarrassing.”

Unfortunately, this will all quieten down in the next few days and it’ll be back to the status quo. But what can we take from the media and social media fuss? Well, clearly, slow play is definitely a topic that simmers at the top of golfers’ minds – enough for that abovementioned 74% of all golfers to want to talk loudly about it.

It is proof that golf facility owners operators should be taking it seriously and, if they do, they will see positive bottom-line results. The best way to tackle pace-of-play problems is to have knowledge of what is actually happening on one’s facility in order to take action when issues arise. Using this knowledge to assist golfers to get around the course at a consistent, decent pace and operators will have happy golfers. Our pace-of-play, golf club management software helps solve this issue. 

And a happy golfer is a returning golfer.

About the author:

Duncan Cruickshank, Marketing Manager of Tagmarshal

Duncan Cruickshank heads up marketing at Tagmarshal. He has been in the golf industry for some 25 years and is the former Editor of Compleat Golfer magazine and Marketing Director of the Southern Africa PGA Tour. In addition, he has co-authored two books with Gary Player and has a Level III rules certification from the R&A.

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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A Quick 9 With Mario Guerra – Quaker Ridge Golf Club

A QUICK 9 WITH MARIO GUERRA – QUAKER RIDGE

Mario Guerra, PGA head professional at Quaker Ridge, listed among America’s 100 Greatest Courses by Golf Digest, shares his love for golf and key insights to achieving on-course success.

1. How long have you been in the golf industry?

I have been in the golf industry for 14 years! My first golf job was at Kinderlou Forest Golf Club, in 2005, when I was attending Valdosta State University, in Georgia.

2. Give us a quick snapshot of your career experiences and some of the highlights over the past few years.

In 2009, I met Michael Breed, who at the time was the Head Golf Professional at Sunningdale Country Club, in Scarsdale, NY. Michael took me under his wing and I spent six seasons at Sunningdale CC moving up the ranks form outside operations to first assistant.

I’ve been at Quaker Ridge GC since 2015, I was an Assistant Golf Professional for 3 seasons and in 2018 was named the Head Golf Professional. I’ve been fortunate to have many highlights the past few years, being named by Golf Digest as one of the Best Young Teachers in America and most importantly becoming the Head Golf Professional at Quaker Ridge GC has been an incredible honor. I give all the credit to all the great Professionals who have mentored me along the way.

3. If you could be a Professional Caddie on the PGA Tour, who would you like to caddie for and why?

Tiger Woods. When Tiger is in contention almost everyone is excited or at the least paying attention to golf and being the guy on his bag is the best seat in the house!

4. Has golf always been your first love? What other sports are you passionate about and do you participate in any other sports besides golf?

I have loved sports since I can remember but my first sports love was actually basketball. I played a lot of basketball from 11-18 years old and was never really that good so I wished I would have spent it playing golf! I was introduced to golf at 20 years old and since then I would call it more of an obsession than love.

5. Who was your golf hero growing up and why?

Tiger Woods got me interested in golf. When I saw highlights of him playing and winning tournaments it looked like a lot of fun.

6. What is your favourite Golf Major to watch and why? What were your highlights and what stood out for you?

The Masters is always the major I always look forward to the most. Seeing Sergio Garcia finally win a green jacket was awesome but what stood out for me most was when Tiger got into contention on Sunday at The Open Championship.

7. Where, in your opinion, does pace-of-play rank as a priority to the golf industry? And what is needed to make it more of a priority?

If you are a GM or Head Golf Professional member satisfaction and enjoyment of the golf experience is the most important thing. Slow play will quickly ruin anyone’s golf experience so I would say it’s definitely a priority and very important.

8. Why did your course decided to invest in golf course intelligence and, since it’s installation, what has the technology successfully influenced?

Quaker Ridge GC is always looking for tools to help us improve our member experience while at the club. Our goal for the first year was to educate ourselves and the members on pace of play. To create a culture and awareness of how long it should take to play golf on our curse.

We wanted as much information as possible and Tagmarshal delivered on giving us the data we were looking for. This technology has been instrumental in helping us create rules and implement them in an objective manner.

9. What are the most important on-course success factors for a golf course? How would golf course intelligence assist in achieving this success?

Members and guest having a great experience with every interaction is our most important on-course success factor.

One of the objectives is to increase member participation at the club. The more golf they play during the season the more time they will also spend at the club doing other things.

If we can get them on the course for an enjoyable round that doesn’t take too long they will have more time to take advantage of the other great amenities and experiences that we offer. Using Tagmarshal allows us to be proactive instead of reactive when it comes to pace of play experience.

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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Five Habits of a Highly Successful Golf Course

5 HABITS OF A HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL GOLF COURSE

With the wealth of information that today’s golf course management software provides, especially when it comes to pace of play, clubs are increasingly able to use the extensive data provided to make changes that enhance the player experience.

In addition to generating increased revenue opportunities through further food and beverage spending and extra tee times, clubs know that when they can offer on-pace rounds, players will keep on coming back.

Put most simply, courses that equip their staff with line-of-site tools create opportunities for a far better understanding of the course, and make it easier to provide a consistent pace-of-play and optimal player experience.

Tagmarshal, the industry-leading golf intelligence software, already services more than 150 courses throughout North America and has gathered just shy of a billion data points during that time. Rather unsurprisingly, the most successful facilities follow a similar recipe when it comes to managing their on-course operations, and this is borne out by the data collected.

They can distil the continued success of these courses down to five key habits:

  • They understand their golf course, not just based on intuition (although this certainly helps), but also through the analysis of quantitative data and established trends.
  • They’ve tailored a pace-policy that matches their course’s unique characteristics, which includes dynamic goal-time setting and efficient resource allocation, such as marshals placed strategically at select times of the day and week.
  • They generate awareness among members and guests regarding said pace-policy, ensuring that groups and players know exactly what is expected of them.
  • They equip teams responsible for managing the golf course with line-of-sight tools, an understanding of what to look for before problems arise, and the skills and authority necessary to intervene when needed.
  • Finally, they capture and analyze course data, and are constantly refining their approach and looking for key areas of improvement.

A course that follows these five habits, pairing an in-depth understanding of their offering and extensive quantitative data, is one that sets itself up for success going forward.

Take for example Canyon Springs Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas. They realized that it’s not simply enough to keep tabs on average round times and dug deeper into the Tagmarshal analytics.

They found that there were a number of very quick morning rounds, which skewed the average round time downwards. For example, there were 13 rounds in August faster than two hours (more than likely one- or two-balls), and 11 such rounds in September.

As such, a better measurement to consider when analyzing round-time trends would be the median time and distribution in relation to the existing goal time.

Below is a chart of the average versus median times from June through to October:

Here, the median is generally five to six minutes slower than the average, which is to be expected considering the aforementioned sub-two-hour rounds.

Going forward, Canyon Springs would be best advised to use the median time as the measurement, rather than the average.

It’s Tagmarshal reports like these, along with many best-practice pointers, that enable courses to achieve their key objectives and optimize the on-course experience.

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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Tagmarshal Introduces 2Way System Featuring Smart Golfer Facing Front-End

TAGMARSHAL INTRODUCES 2WAY SYSTEM FEATURING SMART GOLFER FACING FRONT-END

Experience Golf’s Smartest Operational System at Booth #2323

Tagmarshal – the golf course intelligence and pace-of-play system coveted by golf courses, country clubs and resorts globally – unveils its next generation 2Way System at Booth #2323 during the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla., January 22-25.

For golf course operators, the next generation 2Way System features accurate automated marshalling based on Tagmarshal’s proprietary pace algorithms, which display real-time alerts that dynamically and preemptively address golfers slowing off pace. Data transmission from the devices and handhelds provide a wealth of information that allows course staff to decisively monitor golfers’ on-course positions, prevent bottlenecks and accelerate flow and pace of play. Faster golfers mean 1shorter tee-time intervals, streamlined staffing, and greater golfer enjoyment and member-guest lifetime value.

Offering 2Way screens for carts and 2Way mobile handhelds for walkers and push trolleys, additional features include:

  • Dynamic pace notifications: For advanced golfer awareness and accountability, to ensure better flow, pace and player experiences, as well as effective, non-confrontational management.
  • Weather, player safety and geofence alerts: Providing smart management tools to communicate effectively and ensure player safety, player compliance and reduced turf damage.
  • Range finding: System delivers accurate yardages to front, center and back of the putting surfaces.
  • Course staff interaction: 2Way System allows communication between golfer and club staff members in the clubhouse, pro shop and restaurant.

“We are thrilled to unveil our next generation 2Way System, as it will provide golf courses even more ways to improve the on-course capabilities and create more memorable experiences for guests,” says John Wilmore, Director of Sales for Tagmarshal. “Golfers will also enjoy the benefits by having have a wealth of information in front of them to help them play their best golf.”

After the first three months implementing Tagmarshal, courses reduced average round times by 14 minutes. More than 7 million rounds were tracked and improved, resulting in 73% played on pace or within five minutes of target goal times, and average pace improved by as much as 30 minutes.

Among those trusting Tagmarshal include Pebble Beach (site of the 2019 U.S. Open), Carnoustie (site of the 2018 Open Championship), Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (2019 U.S. Amateur Championship), The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (2021 PGA Championship), Whistling Straits (2020 Ryder Cup), Erin Hills (2017 U.S. Open), East Lake (2019 TOUR Championship) and Valhalla (2014 PGA Championship). 

In addition to marquee golf courses, dozens with greens and cart fees less than $50 also benefit from Tagmarshal. By pre-empting golfer logjams and using the proprietary tools and data insights of Tagmarshal’s course optimizer platform, more tees times are created. The net annual gain can eclipse $140,000 per course, validating Tagmarshal’s affordability.

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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Tagmarshal’s Expert Conference Session at the PGA Show

TAGMARSHAL’S EXPERT CONFERENCE SESSION AT THE PGA SHOW 

Tagmarshal invited PGA Show attendees to a special education session titled: Increasing Revenue via On-course Experience, Flow and Pace OptimizationThe conference took place on Thursday January 24th, 7.15am, in Room 101 of the Orange County Convention Centre Orlando, Florida.

The session featured Jim Lombardo from Erin Hills, hosts of the US Open 2017. Erin Hills are an early adopter of the system and have been at the forefront of innovation with Tagmarshal since 2015.

Joining him for the session was Steve Houg from Valhalla Golf Club, site of the PGA Championship 2014. Together they shared expert insights on:

  • The importance of data to a successful golf operation
  • How on-course flow has a direct effect on the golf experience
  • The risk and opportunities of time in influencing the bottom-line
  • Increasing revenue through on-course and pace optimization

We came to learn why data-driven insights are key to empowering your team to set the pace by optimizing golf operations to generate revenue while providing consistent member and guest experiences.

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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Tagmarshal Lining Up a Great Showcase at the 2019 PGA Merchandise Show

TAGMARSHAL LINING UP A GREAT SHOWCASE AT THE 2019 PGA MERCHANDISE SHOW 

The Tagmarshal golf course intelligence platform, engineered to empower staff, management and players with objective data to better manage on-course operations, will be exhibiting at the PGA Merchandise Show from January 23-25 in Orlando, Florida.

Over the past year, Tagmarshal has experienced exceptional growth, developing our next Generation 2Way handheld and cart screens, Tagmarshal Tournament Track system, a significant partnership with ExpressGolf and developing the game-changing FastLane Golf.

Bodo Sieber, CEO of Tagmarshal, said, “We are excited to be attending our 5th consecutive Show. It is a fantastic opportunity to meet with existing and prospective customers and we are looking forward to showcasing our new products and offerings for 2019 and beyond.”

Tagmarshal Show Booth:

Situated at booth #2323 diagonally behind EZGO / Textron, there is lots of excitement around the launch of their new products to market.

Media Day at Lake Nona CC:

Tagmarshal will be a headline sponsor of the media day on Monday January 21st at Lake Nona Golf & Country Club, which will be attended by some 100 members of the golf and related media. Showcasing the Tagmarshal platform as well as its new products for 2019. As a pilot demonstration of Tagmarshal’s pace-of-play and course optimizer platform, the day will see the new interactive 2Way screens live on the club’s carts for the afternoon’s golf played by the media.

Conference Session at PGA Show:

Tagmarshal this year offer an educational conference session at the PGA Show’s conference day.

Thursday, 24th 7.15 on Room 101.

The session entitled: Increasing Revenue via On-course Experience, Flow and Pace Optimization, features expert guest speakers Jim Lombardo from Erin Hills (US Open 2017) and Steve Houg from Valhalla Golf Club (PGA Championship 2014), who will share their experiences and learnings using the Tagmarshal system. (To book your place, visit the PGA Show site)

This is an excellent opportunity to learn how golf course intelligence technology creates a lasting impact at your course – not be missed!

To schedule a meeting or for any further questions follow this link here: Tagmarshal PGA Show 2019

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 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 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 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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