Could your club benefit from having an app?

According to the SPORTS MARKETING SURVEYS INC research from last year, 96 per cent of UK golfers own a mobile phone, and of that group, almost half own a smartphone. Another – non-golfing – survey found that there has been an enormous trend within the general population in the last two years towards buying smartphones, and that the number of them in use worldwide is expected to quadruple by 2015, from 500 million to two billion. Meanwhile Google’s Android, which is used by several different smartphone models, has already overtaken Apple, manufacturer of the iPhone, as the dominant player in the market.

“This effectively means that a huge number of golfers have access to a new marketing avenue for golf clubs; this being available to the mobile owner most of the day, compared to the possibly few hours a day where the average person has access to a PC,” said Paul Martin, from IT consultancy Cymerau Solutions.

Bearing this in mind, three years ago, a few dozen American golf clubs had a Twitter account, while barely any British clubs did. Today, several hundred British clubs have one, and it could be possible that mobile phone apps are mimicking the same trend today: in the last few months of 2011, dozens of US clubs began launching apps.

“The adoption and proliferation of smartphones and apps has created a huge opportunity for golf courses to market and promote their facility,” said a spokesman for Best Approach, an American technology firm that has developed apps for eight golf clubs. The apps, which include flyover videos of holes, are compatible on both Android phones and iPhones.

“We use clubs’ current yardage guide graphics, animated flyovers and GPS data to build the app and gather the course description and contact information from their website.”

“In today’s competitive marketplace, providing your customers with a mobile option to book a tee time at your course is essential to earn new and repeat business,” added Jason Wilson, director of sales and marketing at US-based gallus golf.

“You can even offer special discounts or advanced tee time privileges to those who have downloaded your app.”

The firm’s app is also integrated with Facebook. “We integrate simple ‘one-click’ sharing features which makes it fun and easy for golfers to use during or after their round. This translates into word of mouth advertising at a whole new level. Your golfers recommending your course to all of their friends with a push of a button!

“Furthermore, the ‘leaderboard’ feature of the app means clubs can create daily, weekly or monthly leaderboards to entice more golfers to play more rounds, while golfers can even create their own leaderboards with their friends for fun and have their own mini-tournaments. This links in with the app’s interactive scorecard, which keeps score for an individual golfer or the whole group. Players can input their handicap and tee they are playing to provide both gross and net scores.

“And what’s more – a food and beverage GPS-enabled feature means that when golfers come to the ninth tee they are sent a menu to order food when they finish the round. This impacts on food and beverage revenue.”

Another American firm that has worked with golf clubs is appitise.

“The general features of our apps include the branding of a club’s logo and images, news displayed in a quick-read, scrolling format,
current weather conditions, tee time booking, links to Facebook and Twitter, a text message delivery service for special news, alerts or promotions (even when the app isn’t running), an events calendar list including social functions and the ability for members and guests to request reservations for club activities – these reservations are then emailed directly to your staff,” said a spokesman.

“Clubs can also have a course overview and detailed hole-by-hole maps, with Google satellite images, and an augmented reality view with a GPS rangefinder. Some clubs even have audio descriptions alongside the hole-by-hole maps.

“The apps can include branded scorecards, interactive on-screen scoring, auto-calculated course handicaps and net total scores.”

At the end of last year, Club Systems in theUKsurveyed 149 golf clubs and asked if they would sign up to a smartphone app if it was for free. Over 96 per cent (144) stated that they would.

The company did the poll because earlier in the year, technology giant Microsoft, which runs the Windows operating system on some mobile phones, impressed with the online HowDidiDo golf network that Club Systems operates, approached the company with the view to producing an app for golf clubs. The resultant app will be available for free to any club that runs the CLUB2000 software and uses HowDidiDo, and can also be downloaded for free by any club members using a Windows Phone 7 smartphone, from this month.

“Our app integrates with our handicapping and membership software, so that if a club updates their HowDidiDo or their Club Systems’ website with any information, ranging from news stories to competition results, it will automatically be updated on the app; you will not have to manually update both. This also means that a member of a club can use the app to book in for a competition,” said Richard Peabody, managing director.

While the app will only be available on Windows Phone 7 devices, Club Systems is looking at other operating systems and investigating the feasibility of introducing those too, probably at a cost to the club and / or member.

“To get an app right needs serious investment by the developer – if you simply let a member create it, the app will fall by the wayside as its development is too labour intensive,” said Richard.

He also warned that an app may not be relevant to every golf club.

“It’s fantastic to have an app that will text you the menu of the restaurant as you’re finishing your round,” he said. “But that might only be applicable to five per cent of your members and visitors. A sign at the 16th tee that gives the phone number of the bar and restaurant could be relevant to nearly 100 per cent of them.

“Similarly, there is no point in having an app if your website is out of date, just as there is no point in having a website showcasing the clubhouse if the clubhouse needs to be refurbished. But if everything else is right, then an app is a superb way to market the club. It could also be a fantastic way for clubs to communicate with members and help create a community spirit at the club whereby the members feel like they belong to something.”

Other mobile marketing opportunities are being introduced this spring by Club Systems. “Our new marketing module allows you to text and / or email news stories, special offers or funtion details to members or visitors,” said Richard. “Everyone has a mobile phone nowadays and almost all have access to email, this great new feature not only allows you to communicate with more people, but check to see who have received and read those messages.”

Although this new Club Systems package is free, the text messages will need to be purchased, but bulk buying has allowed the company to reduce that price to approximately four to six pence per text.

British clubs have begun to tap into this potential. Pwllheli Golf Club, situated on the Llŷn Peninsula, investigated the possibilities that a mobile app could have in terms of marketing the club, and club manager, Dennis Moore, approached Cymerau Solutions.

“The Android app the club now has got is free to download, and, at a cost to the club of £750 plus VAT, which compares favourably with a website, should pay for itself over a relatively short period of time through the additional revenue received from hole sponsors on the course planner screens, as well as all the other screens which are available for sponsorship. There is also another potential revenue stream as the ‘play and stay’ screen provides the opportunity to form accommodation partnerships. And of course that excludes the potential increase in revenue through green fees, equipment hire, restaurant and functions usage, and bar takings that an app can generate,” said Paul Martin.

“Having a mobile app for your club can provide a great convenience for potential visitors as well as the local players. For example, whatever their current location, as well as being able to view such things as a photo gallery, the packages and various offers available, green fees, equipment hire, up to date news and so on, they can also check the local weather for the next few days, view and book tee times, book a meal, and organise accommodation. If they are visiting a new course, they can view a live map of their current position and destination to help find their way to the club. Then at the course, they have a course planner right on their phone. They also have a live map view from the golf club to their accommodation.”

According to Cymerau Solutions, supplying the information required for an app to be developed is quite straightforward; much of it can be taken from a club’s website. “The turnaround from supplying the information to having the app available with Pwllheli was less than two weeks,” said Paul.

To access the app, all anyone with an Android smartphone needs to do is enter Pwllheli Golf Club in the Android Market search box on their phone and select install, or use a barcode scanner app to scan the QR code on the club’s website.

Some of the over 40 screens available on the Pwllheli Golf Club app include: course planner, photo gallery, ‘golf and dine’, fixture list, facility to purchase green fees and hire equipment, tee booking facility, ‘club professional’, weather information, ‘how to find us live map’, open events, ‘play and stay’, ‘accommodation live map’, special offers, ‘clubhouse and functions’, ‘one click contact details’, corporate golf, societies and news.

“Similarly to updating a website each season, the club will pay a relatively small fee to have the app updated to include the new fixture list, new green fee / membership prices, updated packages and offers and so on, with the updated version being notified to the users and very simple to install,” said Paul. “And further functionality is expected to be added to the app during 2012. If any golf club is interested in getting a mobile phone app, they can email me via admin@cymerausolutionslimited.com.”

In addition, the AppInsitute offers a solution for golf clubs looking to take advantage of the app revolution. It offers a flat fee of £997 to design, build and submit the app for both iPhone and Android platforms, and offers an easy monthly payment plan.

“With app push messages having a 97 per cent read rate, compared to four per cent for email, sending push messages to your customers is an important marketing tool,” said a spokesman. “With an app from AppInstitute you can send unlimited push messages, anytime, using the simple web interface.

“To take full advantage of the marketing might of smartphones and their ability to know where they are, the AppInstitute builds its apps with full integration with Facebook and Twitter. Allowing customers to use social sharing and check-ins within your app can be linked to loyalty and discount schemes, and help you get discovered by new customers.

“Aside from the advanced social marketing features embedded into the AppInstitute’s apps, somewhat more impressive is the ability it offers to update the content of your app in real time. Once your apps are live in the iPhone Appstore and Android Marketplace, you can update content and publish to both apps instantly from any web browser, without the need for any technical skills.

“If you have a new event, new restaurant menu or special offer in the pro shop, update your app in seconds, and send out a push message to all your customers, with the apps from AppInstitute. It’s that simple.”

From all the app solution providers, the AppInstitute claims to offer the widest selection of services it can build into a golf club’s app, including booking tee times, app shopping cart, course guides, videos, a picture gallery, an event calender, specials and discount management, restaurant menus and sponsor pages.