Technology in your golf club

gerrymadden1

We've got the online timesheet. What other modern I.T. solutions are being used in your golf clubs?

I've heard some clubs use mass text messages to inform members of course closures etc. Is this expensive? What else it it used for?

Any other clever I.T. solutions? Who are the recommended providers??

PhilipMarlowe

Online booking is in testing and is iminent.
Blog is getting going too.
Texting has just started too. I pointed out that it costs 2.7 cent (+vat) with www.golftext.ie to text a member and 55 cents to send a letter. I'm not sure if that's who they went with but presume so. Text 300 members for about €8 as against €165 for a posted letter.

Mister Sifter

Licksy wrote: »

Online booking is in testing and is iminent.
Blog is getting going too.
Texting has just started too. I pointed out that it costs 2.7 cent (+vat) with www.golftext.ie to text a member and 55 cents to send a letter. I'm not sure if that's who they went with but presume so. Text 300 members for about €8 as against €165 for a posted letter.

Interesting stuff. What type of stuff is going to be on the blog?

PhilipMarlowe

Only really testing it at the moment with a template...
Usual stuff... results etc. are often posted to the local newspaper (rag) so these would be put up online also and open for comments from members too...
Any sort of club notice.... upcoming fixtures... GOTY standings etc. etc.
Photos (shudder)...

The texting is an important one in my opinion because plenty of casual members could be 'encouraged' to participate more if reminded via text.. not all (many) are computer savvy but most everyone has a mobile. Letting them know that the 9-hole competition is starting this week or that there is a presentation night on friday or letting them know that they need to put their names down now for inter-club teams... that kind of thing.

Mister Sifter

Licksy wrote: »

Only really testing it at the moment with a template...
Usual stuff... results etc. are often posted to the local newspaper (rag) so these would be put up online also and open for comments from members too...
Any sort of club notice.... upcoming fixtures... GOTY standings etc. etc.
Photos (shudder)...

The texting is an important one in my opinion because plenty of casual members could be 'encouraged' to participate more if reminded via text.. not all (many) are computer savvy but most everyone has a mobile. Letting them know that the 9-hole competition is starting this week or that there is a presentation night on friday or letting them know that they need to put their names down now for inter-club teams... that kind of thing.

I think it's a great idea and should definitely bring about a more active and informed membership. Unfortunately in many clubs, information that should be common knowledge is often only available word of mouth. If you happen to miss a couple of Sundays then chances are you'll miss out on a noticeboard announcement.

PhilipMarlowe

Yes.. you have howdidido for singles results which is great (when it works).
You also have fourballs and inter-club results which can't really be posted to howdidido.
I know there is a club forum on howdidido but people have to register and it's tumbleweed city.
Mount Juliet has a blog at http://www.mountjuliet.ie/blog/ which is now done by Sean Cotter (the teaching pro there I think) if you want to see an example...

gerrymadden1

Great stuff guys...

So, we have online booking... (fair to all members & a brilliant system)

A club blog.... as good as a newsletter, online & low cost...

Text messages for closures, results, events etc at 2.7 cent per text...

www.golftext.ie

Any more offerings on how clubs can be brought into the 21st century???

Trampas

We have online ts.

We get emails the odd time also about any changes.

We still get post but I don't think this is needed as waste of money

jimjo

Not got anything. Would like if internet booking came in as i feel awkward calling the club all the time, feel that im interrupting them!

pansoul

Yeah we've the online timesheet as well (including automatic e-mails if there are any changes). Not sure what it costs to maintain but it's a great system with very few drawbacks as I think nearly everyone either has internet access or knows someone who can do it for them. Also get texts occasionally on upcoming events or teams for whom "support is welcome" - that kind of stuff.

I think most clubs have the swipe-card-to-enter system? Maybe a possible extending innovation in that regard would be that you'd have to put monetary credit on your card and that when you enter your entry fee would be automatically deducted. So everyone has to put on €100 at the start, and then €10 is deducted per entry.
It's not without drawbacks, but would have the benefit of cutting out the need for someone (who is likely paid) to take entry fees on a Sunday when they're probably not doing much else. I can't imagine the software would be too difficult to install. This might be an idea for cutting costs.


I suppose the blog idea is a good one, though will probably be very slow to catch on in clubs given the demographics of club committees! It would be good as it has greater potential than an ordinary "Club News" section of a website. Instead of club-to-member feed of information it could be more inclusive, maybe with a section where members could submit their own posts. For example, (and I've worked this news in nicely), I got a hole-in-one yesterday. It was only in a mess-around fourball so I'm sure won't get publicised too much (not that I'm bothered), but it might be nice to throw it up and start a debate on other hole-in-ones and whathaveyou.

I think the overall benefit of the blog-type idea is creating a more club-y feel to your club. I'm sure many people just turn up and play without really feeling a part of the club. In my experience, golf clubs lack the same club-spirit of what I've felt in my GAA and football clubs. Is that the general consensus? There's no need to delve into reasons why that might be the case: it's enough to say that club-spirit could be improved by enthusiastic use and promotion of technology.




Just as I try to think of other technology, wouldn't it be great if we could get the full stats of our play like the Tour players do. Does anyone know how all that info is collated? I presume Driving Distance must be done by satellite? And are the amount of putts counted and noted by someone or how is it done? It'd be a great selling point if a club could offer that service!

Rowley Birkin QC

I put my home club, I'm not a member yet, on Wireless18. Told them about it but just got a confused look from the guy!

Ridiculously useful little mobile phone application.

'scorthy

Pansoul, very comprehensive. I've been involved in getting our club across the 21st century divide this year. I was instrumental in getting the website up and running and I've now created a club blog with my limited experience. It cost me (personally) about €12 to register the domain name (.com) no problem - free hosting (Blogger). Licksy mentions www.golftext.ie but I've not aquainted myself with this yet (job for the office ). But Vodafone now give 600 free webstext a month and have extended the characters to 470! Post or snail-mail is dead - far too expensive but beware...some constitutions written back in the dark ages will have a statement that 'members must be notified by post'. With AGMs comming up soon it might be advisable to correct this. I suppose in listing the best form of technology (and cheapest)
1) Mobile phone
2) email
3) Screen saver: place notices on booking PC displays
3) Blog (advantage that it accepts 'comments')
4) Website (maintenance contract usualy involved)
5) twitter
6) Skype

Old methods of communication:
a) Weekly notes
b) Internal notice boards
c) Post
d) Word of mouth

gerrymadden1

Thanks guys...

That's a pretty comprehensive collection of solutions.

Well done! :cool: