All hands on tech

From developments at industry leader Club Systems, including the software and hardware that supported Royal Liverpool during last month’s Open Championship, to a tournament scoring system being introduced to the UK, here’s a look at some top stories from this year from major technology suppliers to the UK golf industry.

The 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool will go down in history as a tournament in which Brian Harman’s meticulous efforts were rewarded in the form of the Claret Jug. But off the course, efforts of a similar fashion from several companies ensured the smooth running of golf’s oldest and most cherished Major.

From Monday through to Sunday, Club Systems, market leader in golf club management solutions, proudly supported the staff and members at Royal Liverpool during an extremely busy week in the clubhouse.

The company provided spare tills and extra hardware prior to Open week, while support and technical staff were on-site throughout the championship to assist with any potential issues or queries.
Since being acquired by ClearCourse last summer, Club Systems has been busy continuing to put together customer feedback in order to develop a full range of products and services designed to make running a golf club simpler and more efficient.

Those changes have included the opportunity to offer clubs a new integrated payment solution via ClearAccept. More than 100 of Club Systems’ customers have now been upgraded and are enjoying quicker, easier and less expensive payment processing. Several other clubs are also in the early stages of their transition and will soon be able to use the software.

The solution integrates directly with ClubV1, and the MerlinTouch EPoS system works in conjunction with ClearAccept credit card terminals to offer a single source reporting solution, saving time and minimising the potential for mistakes.

Earlier this year, Club Systems launched a full redesign of ClubV1, the cloud-based golf club management system which has been setting the industry standard for almost a decade, as well as an all-new ClubV1 Admin App.

The design features a range of enhancements with the aim of improving usability, streamlining the completion of tasks and providing even more options to golf club officials regarding reports and other aspects of administration.

Since its initial launch, the company has sought feedback from customers and the development team continues to work to fulfil these requests.

The app is free to download and provides all the same features of the standard ClubV1 system, but in a new-look design which is specifically suited to phones and tablets, making it easier than ever to take your golf club with you everywhere.

HowDidiDo has also had a year of innovation, with the introduction of an Open Booking Aggregator. This feature allows HowDidiDo users to search and book into any open competition in the UK and Ireland, with the option to search by town / city and on specific dates. Whilst benefiting the golfer it will also serve as a valuable tool for golf clubs to be able to promote and take bookings for their open competitions.

Although plenty of work has been undertaken already this year, the company is not resting on its laurels. Next on the agenda are a number of improvements to the ClubV1 Booking system, with a rewrite of the buggy management service seeking to improve the offering for both the golf club and the golfers, with group bookings and flexible rates for different categories of golfer.

Club Systems will also be on-site at next year’s Open Championship to assist Royal Troon with the smooth running of the event.

SMART Golf Software lands in the UK

SMART Golf Software is a revolutionary program designed to provide golf professionals with a user-friendly and efficient tournament scoring solution. Unlike traditional scoring programs with complicated interfaces and spreadsheet-like results pages, SMART Golf Software offers a refreshing update to the industry. Here are some key features of the software:

Live Scoring: Stay updated in real-time with live scoring capabilities, allowing players and staff to track scores and progress instantly.

No app to download: Say goodbye to the hassle of downloading and installing additional applications. SMART Golf Software can be accessed directly without the need for any app installation.

Custom Scorecards: Create personalised scorecards tailored to your event’s requirements, ensuring a seamless experience for participants.

Easy to Navigate: The software boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface, making it effortless for both golf professionals and participants to navigate the system.

The software has received praise from industry professionals who have experienced its benefits firsthand. Doug Rankin, the head professional at The Toronto Golf Club, was an early adopter and attests to the program’s success: “SMART Golf Software approached us and explained what they were offering. My staff and members quickly fell in love with the program. Unlike other software options that create headaches for golf shops, we couldn’t be happier with SMART Golf Software and the excellent service they provide!”

Excitingly, SMART Golf Software is now available in the UK. To learn more about the program and to try it for your next golf event, visit SMARTGolfSoftware.uk. Take advantage of this innovative solution to elevate your tournament experiences and deliver tour-quality results effortlessly.

Zest.Golf

The Zest.Golf Channel Manager is a 100 percent B2B online portal built using open API connections between golf courses, tee sheet providers and booking channels worldwide.

The Channel Manager’s mission is to aggregate and connect golf courses and global B2B sales channels in one place for live, real-time availability and bookings – eliminating the time and manual process of phone calls and emails.

The Channel Manager technology integrates with leading tee sheets and provides hassle-free connectivity to increase bookings for the entire B2B space. Golf courses can sell their desired tee times online through traditional golf tour operators, and automatically extend rates with guaranteed payment conditions to non-partner channels like online travel agencies, high street retailers, local activity providers and media outlets.

To help ensure payments are made on time, Zest.Golf added a payment solution for golf courses to automate controlling and receiving tee time payments. This secure, seamless product, powered by Stripe, collects funds from booking channels and distributes them automatically to golf courses, without Zest handling any money as an intermediary. Sales conditions are pre-arranged with channels giving golf courses peace of mind and the reassurance that their payments are received when they want them.

No hardware or software installation is required and Zest.Golf is currently integrated with 15-plus tee sheet providers and more than 230 golf courses across Europe, connecting more than 150 booking channels including all IAGTO operators.

Bookings are underway for autumn / winter golf and 2024, visit ZEST.GOLF to sign up today.