TAGMARSHAL FEATURED IN PGA MAGAZINE PACE OF PLAY COVER STORY
Palm Beach Gardens, FL – Tagmarshal, the global leader in golf course optimization and pace of play management systems, received feature treatment in the October 2019 issue of PGA Magazine, the official publication of the Professional Golf Association of America, circulated monthly to its 27,000 PGA members.
Entitled “New Approaches to Pace of Play” by senior editor Don Jozwiak, the article studies how private clubs, daily fee access courses, resorts and municipal facilities, are taking advantage of new technologies to improve player experience and increase revenues.
Citing USGA data that 75 percent of golf facilities think that pace of play is a key factor in golfer enjoyment, but only 35 percent of these have any kind of formal program to do something about it, as well as a method that is data-driven, objective, and cost-effective, the article showcases Tagmarshal’s technology driven pace of play solution.
“Pace and flow of play, as well as the overall time it takes to play, is key to the golfer experience and a non-negotiable part of any club’s service delivery. It is great to see that operators are turning to technology to make accurate, non-confrontational flow management with trackable results a reality,” explained Bodo Sieber, Tagmarshal CEO.
“More importantly, continuous optimization not only improves the player experience, but unlocks considerable revenue via tee sheet optimization, additional food and beverage spend and increased repeat play and player loyalty,” he added.
Tagmarshal has tracked and improved over 10 million rounds of golf with results achieved across the board. The cover feature highlights a few examples including Mountain Branch GC in Joppa, MD, a semi-private club open to the public. By adding discrete Tagmarshal GPS tags to its golf cart fleet, with immediate impact, followed by continuous improvement over a three year period, the facility was able to virtually eliminate course marshals completely while average round times have improved by more than 15 minutes during peak season, from 4:08 to 3:50.
Another example, but at an upscale private club, The Country Club at Castle Pines in Denver, CO, has implemented the Tagmarshal technology for its second season. Following immediate improvements, the club has seen significant benefits including average round time dropping from 4:20 to 4:04. “But more important,” according to head professional Andrew Hedrick, “is the feeling among members that rounds flow more smoothly. Our members expect an optimized experience. Tagmarshal’s technology has given them that.”
The article further highlights one of the nation’s oldest and most venerable golf courses, National Golf Links of America in Southampton, NY. Ranked 8th in the Golf Digest Top 100, the club’s 350 members, most of whom have “a high golfer IQ,” as noted by head professional Jim Morris. An increasing number of members play in events, and while a satisfactory golf experience is expected during casual rounds, it is essential in tournament play, he added. Tagmarshal was brought in to highlight risk areas and provide pre-emptive line of sight of all playing groups on the course in an effort to smooth out day to day tournament play. Using Tagmarshal’s data helped Morris and his staff to optimize their facility. “The response from the membership has been ecstatic,” he said.
“To date, this is the quintessential editorial piece on the pace of play issue and we are proud to be an integral part of it. The content shows the industry’s move towards workable solutions and sheds light on the individuals and facilities who are doing so with marked results.” Sieber added.
Tagmarshal’s system uses small “tags” clipped onto a player’s golf bag or 2Way screens are installed in carts or offered as handheld devices which transmit geo-location data to the pro shop. Importantly, Tagmarshal eliminates subjectivity allowing for non-confrontational, fact-based interaction with the facility’s staff.
Tagmarshal is in use at over 250 clubs, courses and resorts world-wide including 25 of the world’s top 100.
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Media Relations Contact: Les Schupak laschupak45@gmail.com 914-774-6060
Tagmarshal Contacts:
Natalie Davidsson natalie.davidsson@tagmarshal.com
Bodo Sieber bodo.sieber@tagmarshal.com
Tom L. Cox tom.cox@tagmarshal.com 678-907-0777