SUMMING IT UP
• GPS can improve pace of play and minimize labor costs. |
Remember treasure maps? Those enchanting childhood props promising an infinite amount of buried loot?
Now there’s a digital equivalent.
Pretty much every club and resort now either has some sort of global positioning system (GPS) on its property, or plans to add one or significantly enhance and upgrade what’s already in place. But as with a lot of technology, having the capability, and making full use of its potential, are often two widely different stories.
Used to its full advantage, GPS technology can improve pace of play (by first helping the golf staff and marshals pinpoint where the laggards are, and then sending messages to groups that need to speed up); promote F&B and pro shop specials and improve service through online ordering; and bring new precision to course and grounds maintenance, by making better use of the mapping and coordinates that underpin the GPS so they can also help to determine the best locations for irrigation system sprinkler heads, keep track of tree locations, allocate materials, and assist with other valuable purposes.
So, while some club operators still only equate GPS with the most visible application of the technology on the golf course—roof-mounted screens on golf cars (as pictured above)—those who’ve pushed its capabilities are learning, to their pleasure, that its benefits can take them into many new and profitable directions.
Some of these operators, in fact, are now firm converts to the belief that GPS technology, when used properly, can bolster the personal experience for members and daily-fee players. At Tangle Creek Golf Club in Thornton, Ontario, it did just that, and more.
Bolt From Heaven
"Sometimes a technology comes along that dramatically improves our everyday lives," says Jamie Sheppard, Director of Golf at Tangle Creek GC. "We marvel at how we got along without it."
The technology Sheppard is referring to is the club’s recently upgraded GPS system.
A few months ago, a thunderstorm knocked out the electricity at Tangle Creek and with it the club’s GPS system, which among other things is used to monitor golf car position and pace of play.
That day reinforced how integral the system had become to the club’s operations. "It’s not just a computer that sits in the corner of the shop," says Sheppard.
Sheppard, along with Tangle Creek GM Mark Elliott and Managing Partner Tom Fischer, were first introduced to the technology while attending the National Golf Course Owners Association annual conference in Orlando and playing at GPS-equipped Victoria Hills Golf Club. It didn’t take them long to agree that the $400,000 investment would be money well-spent.
"We were looking for something to help make our club stand out from the mushrooming crowd of courses in the Greater Toronto area," Sheppard explains. Ironically, it took a member of their foursome, who decided to drive off the cart path on a par-3 at Victoria Hills, to literally stop them in their tracks.
"The cart shut down on us," says Sheppard. Then, via the cart’s GPS monitor, the driver was instructed to return the cart to the path, where it would regain power.
"All day, we commented on how we were impressed with the user-friendly features," he reports. "This glimpse into the back-end side really got us interested from a management standpoint."
Once it decided to get its own system, the goal for Tangle Creek from the beginning was to use GPS to increase management efficiencies and add value for customers, but without passing along a surcharge. That meant the system would have to pay for itself through the advertising it could carry. So far, Sheppard reports, the new GPS system has generated anywhere from $75,000 to $85,000 in annual additional revenue for the club.
Revenue aside, the system has helped to produce other positive operational byproducts. Pace of play has improved by 25 minutes on average, and the club was able to scale back on labor because course marshals were no longer needed. Sheppard also hired a new, full-time employee devoted specifically to selling GPS and related programs.
Overall, he says, GPS has turned the club’s pro shop into a revenue-generating command center.
Bonus Features
GPS systems can streamline operations by optimizing tee-sheet yield and enhancing the monitoring of golf cart wear-and-tear. It can also help courses be better equipped to manage large tournaments and corporate outings, thus attracting additional events and incremental profits.
For some courses like Poplar Creek Country Club, GPS systems have now essentially become a vital marketing and management tool.
Poplar Creek, located just north of Chicago in Hoffman Estates, challenges golfers with water in play on 14 holes alongside 61 bunkers. It recently implemented GPS to enhance the golfer experience and deliver advertising revenues.
"As an agency property [the club is owned by the Hoffman Estates Park District] and as a golf course, we look for ways to differentiate our facilities from the competition," says Tony LaFrenere, Deputy Director. Marrying new-age technology with solid customer service tactics, he says, can create an ideal golf experience.
"Operationally, I’m big into retention and customer relationship management," he says. "I think the more a technology can relate to the golfer, the better it will be for the club. So I wanted the system to really engage the golfers, not just tell them where the next hole was."
The GPS system selected by Poplar Creek is now mounted on its cart units and displays dynamic, easy-to-read graphics, including distances to the pin and hazards, pro tips, a pace-of-play timer and a radial arc for cart path-only holes. It also boasts an on-cart ordering system that golfers can use to order food and beverage items with a touch of a button on the GPS screen.
"The ‘live leaderboard’ feature has been immensely popular with our outing coordinators," LaFrenere reports. "And now, with the integration of tournament software, it’s even easier for the staff to manage our numerous outside events. From a business standpoint, the GPS drives a number of revenue streams, while the advertising program significantly offsets the system’s cost."
Fruitful Endeavors
When Blueberry Pines Golf Club in Menahga, Minn., installed a GPS system a few years ago, the feeling was that soon all courses would be offering the technology. "We wanted to be the first in our area," explains Jim Carlson, the club’s PGA Professional.
"One of the biggest attributes of the GPS for us is that it has also helped us to attract and retain a higher-level clientele—customers with expendable income for merchandise purchases and dining, etc.," Carlson reports.
The ability to send a message to anyone on the golf course instantly is also quite popular from a management standpoint—especially during weather emergencies.
"Another feature that our system has lets it show how far the carts in the group ahead are," Carlson adds. "This really helps keep groups from not hitting into one another, especially in blind-shot areas."
As the technology evolves, GPS is becoming increasingly valuable for other areas of a golf operation, most notably in the maintenance shed.
A growing number of superintendents are discovering that being able to store information in small, hand-held units can help streamline golf course maintenance operations. Using a Web portal and personal digital assistant, superintendents can count and record virtually every inch of the course. The information can then be used to store and reference historical data, build custom reports, and generate useful records.
But first it starts with a map. From aerial photographs to laser robotics, there are many ways that companies gather data for mapping/surveying needs.
The Club at Admiral’s Cove in Jupiter, Fla. uses GPS to calculate the square footages and acreage of its bunkers, tees, collars, approaches, greens, fairways and rough, and to create maps for irrigation, drainage and cart path systems.
With these maps, the club can accurately quantify how much material to use on a given area and keep more accurate records and up-to-date inventories. "Since spot applications are more common, we can circle an area on the map and instantly get the square footage, to calculate how much material we need," says Shannon Wheeler, Golf Course Superintendent.
Wheeler can also record audio notes and create schedules on his pocket PC as he makes his morning rounds. Once back in the office, the maps and notes are transferred to a desktop PC. When he docks to the PC, the notes and work schedules are instantly added to the staff’s pocket PCs, so everyone knows what tasks need to be completed. The pocket PCs have removable, 128-megabyte memory cards that can hold up to three years of data. C&RB
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