Established in 1920, during the so-called ‘Golden Age of Golf,’ Butterfield Country Club was designed by renowned golf course architect William Langford.
The Oak Brook, Illinois Club boasts three exceptional nine-hole Par 3 courses, standout practice facilities, an indoor golf practice facility with two state-of-the-art golf simulators, and a teaching bay.
Managing three courses without booked tee times means real-time oversight is essential, says Director of Golf Ben DeArmond, PGA, which is why Butterfield implemented Tagmarshal’s optimization technology in his first season at the Club back in 2024. A mix of Classic Installed and Classic Tag devices covers both walking and cart rounds.
Tagmarshal provides us with eyes on the course to ensure pace is managed well for everyone, so that we don’t let slow groups negatively impact the rest of the day.
Butterfield CC uses Tagmarshal’s Live Map to address early pace issues and try to amend them before they reach their turn to the next nine. If the group has not made significant progress, staff keep track and notify them that they are changing their rotation to a different nine.
On a busy day, this may happen with two or three slower groups, or those affected by slower groups, to control the pace line and reduce the impact on the rest of the day. According to DeArmond, if he and his team are attentive to the Live Map throughout the day, there are no surprises in their daily operation.
Tagmarshal’s data shows that during September, 9-hole rounds averaged 1h50m, with 86% of groups finishing in under two hours.
DeArmond also relies on the Analytics Hub to compile custom data sets that aid oversight and reporting, filtering by dates and round types (9 holes or 18 holes) to better understand when and where pace issues are most likely to arise. Round Reporting has proven invaluable in addressing common “delayers” or slow players who have a recurring effect on pace and other members when they play, as the Club can rely on fact-based data rather than opinions.
As Butterfield CC nears the end of its third season using Tagmarshal, the focus is on continuous, incremental improvement, ensuring all members and guests enjoy an exceptional on-course experience.
I have used multiple technologies in the past and can honestly say that there are no pace of play technologies comparable to Tagmarshal. None are as comprehensive for courses with both a high volume of walking and riding.
The above quotes and information were first shared by PGA Magazine, which interviewed Ben for a recent ‘Product Review’ feature.
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 100 billion data points from more than 95 million tracked and improved rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 900 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, The Old Course at St Andrews Links, Serenoa and Erin Hills.
Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 50 of the Top 100 courses, as well as many $40-$60 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.
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