Cambridge, Mass. – OpenRounds, Inc. marked seven years of diligent growth by signing its 400th partner club and closing out a round of funding that drew over $1 million in November ‘21.
Serving member-only private golf clubs with solutions and services that enhance member experience, the Cambridge, Mass., firm has earned the trust of a highly discerning market of prestigious clubs. Meanwhile it has convinced angel investors it could execute with increasing velocity and success on the business model it conceived in 2014. Generating more value for all concerned from the time-honored but unwieldy tradition of reciprocal golf privileges among clubs is what OpenRounds was built on, although a natural expansion of experience opportunities for users is part of the company’s longer-term plans.
“In the early going, it was understandably hard for clubs to trust our promise of discrete, reliable and customized service,” commented company founder and CEO Jon Wyeth. “Likewise it was challenging to find believers with investible capital who appreciated the power of our potential and the heights we felt we could attain.”
When the OpenRounds website went live in early 2015, its network amounted to just 3 early adopting tech-savvy clubs. It took almost three years to hit the 100-club mark, but momentum was building. Reaching 200 partner clubs took an additional 22 months and reaching 300—that happened in January of 2021—took but another 14 months. “The forecast now is for expansion to 500 partner clubs by June of ’22,” commented Wyeth.
Evaluating network growth involves not just numbers but also geographical coverage and various measures of club quality. “We now can offer playing opportunities in 46 U.S. states, plus two Canadian provinces,” said Wyeth. “Our partner clubs are disproportionately recognized as current Golf Digest ‘Best in State’ courses, with many others having earned ‘Best in State’ honors in past years. Clubs on the site have hosted events on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, PGA Champions Tour and the Korn-Ferry developmental tour.”
With 21,000-plus golfers from those 400 clubs now using OpenRounds digital accounts, additional staff has been brought on to provide the concierge service required in this market—the full-time employee roster doubled from five to 10 in 2021.
“Despite what we’ve managed to achieve,” says Wyeth, “we’ve never seen our company operate when it was fully funded, fully staffed and well past critical mass in terms of network size. We’re looking ahead to a very strong growth year in 2022.” Along with that growth will come a more streamlined experience including live tee times, and the introduction of exclusive offerings that include non-golf experiences, like celebrity chef dinners, private art showings, vineyard tours, and VIP event access.
About OpenRounds:
OpenRounds is a service for private golf clubs and their members, giving golf professionals a tool to streamline the traditional unaccompanied-play process. Since coming to market in 2015 it has provided an access point for verified golfers belonging to 400+ clubs enrolled in the network, allowing these members to seamlessly explore and book golf accommodations at affiliated private clubs. Well established with club officers, golf professionals, PGA Section partners and golf management groups, OpenRounds is able to increase club utilization while deepening member engagement. Private club professionals, operators, and members can learn more about how to get involved at OpenRounds.com or by emailing yourcaddy@openrounds.com.
