HOUSTON (Oct. 17, 2005)-Driving home two new ways for golf courses to benefit tournament organizers as well as players’ enjoyment and safety, Houston National Golf course in northwest Houston, debuted and demonstrated 102 golf carts fitted with the UpLink GPS-based course management system. Today’s media briefing was prior to the shotgun start of the Land Tejas-Michael Garfield Celebrity Golf Classic.
AdSmart and IQLink are two features unique to the Austin-based UpLink GPS-based system debuting at Houston National and they do more than add high-tech fun to the game.
AdSmart is a tool that permits tournaments to display their sponsors’ messages. It is especially effective during tournaments for hole sponsorships. "AdLink is a great asset for tournament coordinators and can provide a golf course with its second largest profit center," said Barry Rumac, vice president of UpLink Corporation, who demonstrated types of sponsorship ads that could be put on the golf cart monitors and how with a "drag and drop" one can get ads from the Adbank and change ads by hole anytime.
"AdLink will allow us to co-mingle outside advertisers with tournament sponsors and no other course in Houston can do that," said Jeff Sheehan, general manager of Houston National. "Golfers during the tournament pay attention to these ads as they go around the course because they are targeted to that particular day’s charity and sponsors," added Sheehan.
IQLink , connecting each golf cart to a centrally located computer, will keep golfers safer with alerts to car path hazards, speed control and preventing carts from entering unsafe areas. It even could save lives.
"UpLinks two-way emergency messaging system shows the operating status including 17 different diagnostics of golf carts at all times," said Sheehan. "If a player needs help, he or she can activate the Emergency Help button and we will know about it immediately and take action. On a lighter note, the interactive GPS caddies also feature full-color graphics of each hole."
Al Brende, co-founder of Land Tejas, developers of the Stone Gate Community and golf course, which opened in 2000, said the UpLink fleet management system is one more key to taking the golf club to a higher level.
Spencer Clements, CEO and founder of Houston-based William Cole, Inc., golf course development and management firm, says his company invested in Houston National because of the vision of Land Tejas. "Too many golf course owners are reducing services in an attempt to regain profitability in this overbuilt market. In contrast, we are installing this state-of-the-art UpLink System, a new fleet of golf carts and further increasing our investment in course maintenance and player services. Our members and guests have noticed the difference and Houston National has never been so popular."
Celebrity golfer Michael Garfield, The High-Tech Texan, chose Houston National for his charity tourney benefiting the Muscular Dystrophy Association, especially because the UpLink system would be operational just in time for his Oct. 17 event.
"With 200 golfers expected and a goal of $75,000 for MDA, the GPS-based system will keep our golfers safer on a course they may have never played before," said Garfield. "Naturally, I am attracted to the latest technical systems with electronic scorecards and live leader boards."
Contact:
Shirley Barr
713-622-4747