1 Mar 2012

NEW BOOK ON ARNIE NOW AVAILABLE

From his first steps onto the public stage, Arnold Palmer captured fans’ passionate loyalty, and his substantial record – 92 titles worldwide, four Masters championships, a U.S. Open crown, and back-to-back British Open victories – speaks for itself. Readmore
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24 Feb 2012

Your Golf Course in an App

These are challenging times and golf clubs are increasingly looking at ways to ensure they stand out from the crowd in what is a competitive market. It wasn’t so long ago that having a professional web site became essential for all golf courses, in the same way that you need to ensure your club house menu is refreshed regularly or your resort’s hotel insurance remains appropriate for your needs. Now that over a third of all adult Americans have a smartphone it is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the opportunities a smartphone brings in marketing and promoting your course to new and existing customers. Apps for Smartphones A smartphone is a cell phone with advanced capabilities such as Internet access and the ability to download and install software applications typically called “apps”. Users of Android and iPhone smartphones can choose to install apps that interest them. Typically an app is like an interactive brochure that functions like a web site on a PC, with the added benefit that a customer can access this information anywhere, including on the golf course. Benefits of having an app Many golf courses across America have already made the decision to produce apps and a significant number are now available for smartphone users to download. Many apps will use the information and functions already available on your web site, such as online booking, so if your web site is well established then you are already well placed to develop your own app. If you have invested in multimedia such as course flyovers and yardage guides then these can easily be incorporated into the app for the user to view on their phone. Apps can also pay for themselves in increased revenue. Offering an easy booking system within the app makes it likely that customers will return more frequently. This is even more likely if you create daily, weekly or monthly leader boards to encourage golfers to play more rounds. Adding a food ordering system linked to GPS that reminds golfers to order food when they reach the ninth hole can add to restaurant revenues. What content should the app have? If you are going to offer an app to customers then you need to ensure that it is used regularly, and the best way to do this is by providing as much quality interactive content as possible. The best apps combine all the information that customers get from your web site, brochures and at the golf course itself into one easy to use package. Some ideas for great content would be:
  • A course overview with detailed hole-by-hole maps, with Google satellite images. You could provide a customised GPS rangefinder for those with GPS-enabled phones. Some apps provide audio descriptions to accompany the hole-by-hole maps
  • A tee time booking facility within the app. Discounts and select offers could be provided to those who have downloaded the app.
  • An interactive scorecard that keeps score for an individual or group. Players input their handicap and tee they are playing to provide both gross and net scores.
  • Clubs can create daily, weekly or monthly leader boards from the individual scores entered in the player’s scorecard. You could even provide the option to create their own leader boards with their playing partners and create their own mini-tournaments.
  • As previously mentioned you can provide details of the restaurant menu and reminders during a player’s round. Customers could then book a table via the app or you could provide restaurant contact details.
  • An events calendar that would provide the facility for members and guests to book or reserve social and other club activities.
  • Other features could include a latest news page, information on the latest weather conditions, and a text message delivery service for news alerts and club promotions that would be delivered to the user even if the app wasn’t running.
  Getting started In order to create and publish your app, you will need a developer with expertise in the field of golf apps. There are several to choose from and a short search on Google will reveal several options. Most will ask for a small flat development fee and then an on-going monthly payment thereafter. They will manage the creation, publication and on-going revisions to the app on your behalf. It really is that simple. Before long you will find that your smartphone app is an essential communication tool for your club. With proper continued investment and promotion it will repay your efforts many times over.
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NO BETTER SPORT THAN GOLF TO REVEAL A PERSON’S CHARACTER
9 Feb 2012

NO BETTER SPORT THAN GOLF TO REVEAL A PERSON’S CHARACTER

There’s an old saying, “It’s not what happens to you but how you react.” Kyle Stanley reacted in a spectacular way to failure.

On the 72nd hole of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Stanley had a 3-stroke lead when he put his third shot on the par-5 into the water. After a penalty and a 3-putt, Stanley found himself in a playoff with hardened veteran Brandt Snedeker, who won on the second playoff hole. The defeat was all the more crushing because Stanley earlier had a 7-stroke lead during the final round.

You might expect Stanley, being a young guy, to take weeks or even months to recover from such an event. Nope. Stanley promptly won the following week at the Waste Management Open in Phoenix by overtaking Spencer Levin, who ironically also held a 7-stroke lead at one point. (At the time of this article, written prior to Levin’s next event, it is unknown how Levin responded.)

What we can say about Stanley is that he reacted very well to his meltdown in San Diego. He could have let it affect him negatively in Phoenix, but he chose to put it behind him and put to use whatever lessons he learned from his previous week’s failure.

Many people say golf is a reflection of a person’s character, because how they operate on the golf course is how they operate off the course. Does a person cheat at golf? Likely he will cheat in business. Does a person throw clubs and curse when things go bad? Likely he will not handle adversity very well off the course. Stanley’s instant comeback was not likely forged over a week’s time. More probable is he has always reacted to adversity in a positive manner.

Golf has also been said to develop character, but more often, it reveals it. You can learn a lot about a person simply by observing how they conduct themselves on the golf course.

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