Golf booking systems

PARlance

AGC wrote: »

Without any rumour or stories being told has Peter Laurie moved onto another role elsewhere within golf?

https://www.golfnet.ie/news/gui/3110/gui-exclusive-endorsement-for-bookgolf365

He has just launched a new booking system with the GUI.

Seve OB

PARlance wrote: »

https://www.golfnet.ie/news/gui/3110/gui-exclusive-endorsement-for-bookgolf365

He has just launched a new booking system with the GUI.

I'm happy with BRS.
But anything has to be better than Chronogolf

AGC

Seve OB wrote: »

I'm happy with BRS.
But anything has to be better than Chronogolf

Ha that system is horrific.

Ollieboy

PARlance wrote: »

https://www.golfnet.ie/news/gui/3110/gui-exclusive-endorsement-for-bookgolf365

He has just launched a new booking system with the GUI.

That software is pretty horrible and after 2 years of work this is the best the GUI can do! They are a shambles. All the recent bad weather and they never ask the government for help for clubs but the farmers got everything and fair play to them.

But BRS is killing clubs with there pricing structure and it needs to go ASAP.

AGC

Ollieboy wrote: »

But BRS is killing clubs with there pricing structure and it needs to go ASAP.

I used to be involved with committees and never had an issue with BRS, never had a case to know the cost but surely to say BRS is killing clubs is OTT?

Any of the booking systems I’ve used or come across BRS is by far the best.

Mantis Toboggan

Isn't he just endorsing that new system? Surprised he left Luttrellstown for that.

Anyone any idea of costs for the BRS?

PARlance

Tyson Fury wrote: »

Isn't he just endorsing that new system? Surprised he left Luttrellstown for that.

Anyone any idea of costs for the BRS?

Don't take my word for it but I think it is about the €2,000 p.a mark. However, there is a free (or maybe just a very heavily discounted) option available to clubs if they give up free tee times which BRS can sell at discounted prices.

So you could say the cost was helping tp create a race to the bottom but I don't think BRS were holding any guns to heads to take the free option.

Definitely off topic. Mods might create a new thread.

PARlance

Tyson Fury wrote: »

Isn't he just endorsing that new system?

No, he's listed as CEO on the website. GUI are "endorsing" the system. I think they played a fairly big role in it.

Ollieboy

AGC wrote: »

I used to be involved with committees and never had an issue with BRS, never had a case to know the cost but surely to say BRS is killing clubs is OTT?

Any of the booking systems I’ve used or come across BRS is by far the best.

Every club in the country would drop BRS if there was any options. Total monopoly and the GUI let it happen.

So no, it’s not ott.

thewobbler

How did the GUI let it happen?

There was no product in place. Plus the product simply wouldn’t have been as good if it was built to order....it is refinement and improvement that made it the market leader.

—-

Genuinely though I’d love to know what it costs clubs per year.

AGC

Ollieboy wrote: »

Every club in the country would drop BRS if there was any options. Total monopoly and the GUI let it happen.

So no, it’s not ott.

But there is options and alternatives and any I have used are brutal so for 2k a year I’d stick with BRS

A club I was in did drop BRS and it has been a disaster

redzerdrog

What exactly is the issue with the BRS system?

Mantis Toboggan

redzerdrog wrote: »

What exactly is the issue with the BRS system?

I'd imagine it's the cost.

I think it works well apart from the mobile site being awful.

Ollieboy

AGC wrote: »

But there is options and alternatives and any I have used are brutal so for 2k a year I’d stick with BRS

A club I was in did drop BRS and it has been a disaster

Nobody denies that BRS is the best system in the market place.

PARlance

redzerdrog wrote: »

What exactly is the issue with the BRS system?

The main reason imo is that BRS gave away the tech for "free" in return for tee times which it then sold at discounted prices (which was the agreed model) on Golf Now (who owns BRS).

Discount sites boomed and it changed the way people buy casual golf. Clubs regret taking the free option but many can't afford or bring themselves to paying for the technology either.

Secondary reason is probably that BRS has most of the market share and would more than likely be a lot cheaper if there was another strong competitor out there.

GreeBo

Bed have an app now too, just started using it

kiers47

GreeBo wrote: »

Bed have an app now too, just started using it

The brs app is out for a year or so at this stage. I used it for a while but it is pretty sh*te imo. Maybe they have improved it but I find it easier just to go to the site.

GreeBo

kiers47 wrote: »

The brs app is out for a year or so at this stage. I used it for a while but it is pretty sh*te imo. Maybe they have improved it but I find it easier just to go to the site.

They haven't rolled it out to every club yet though
I find it ok tbh

Irishdaywalker

I don't bother with the App - I just use safari on the phone and do it that way - same thing really, I worked in a place that got rid of BRS and it caused a S*itstorm. . the amount of hassle it caused was ridiculous, I left the course just before it was brought in so I dodged a bullet ! !

kiers47

GreeBo wrote: »

They haven't rolled it out to every club yet though
I find it ok tbh

Fair enough. I assumed it was same for every club. Just checked we've had it since last June. I used it for a while but I gave up on it after a couple of months.

Seve OB

We only recently got the upgrade to BRS, which rolled out the app.
site loks slightly different, but it is only appearance.
App is muck. then again, i'm not a fan of apps in general.

gypsy79

It is a piece of ****....Swords and Roganstown changed today!

Now I cant even see the timesheet

thewobbler

Competition isn’t always good for the end consumer. For example BT Sport entering the UK televised football market has been a disaster for consumers as they now have to pay two subscriptions to see their team play. Sky weren’t cheap but one is always cheaper than two.

While no club will have two tee booking systems, a split in the market means:

1. A less consistent and intuitive experience for visitors and open competitions.

2. Fragmentation of the raw data will make it more difficult to cross reference tee times and open competitions across multiple venues, which BRS have been getting close to nailing down.

3. Within clubs, management will be put under pressure by members, who usually aren’t qualified to have this opinion, to test and move across to other systems, as they’ve heard they’re better. Which means confusion, retraining of members, and in some clubs, yo-yoing back and forward every few years.

——

On another point, if the mooted figure of €2k pa is correct, and people are complaining about it as a horrendous overhead, they might just need a good shake.

Just try rolling back in time to before online booking systems, and figure out just how much time was taken up by administrators and professionals handing bookings by phone, when they spent their days explaining available tee times to every caller, before inevitably haggling on price, while a queue formed of golfers waiting to check in. Or remember just how much officials’ time was taken up with frustrated members complaining about timesheet bias. And subtract all that time from €2k.

—-

By the way.... I definitely don’t have any connection with BRS. I just appreciate it when companies that spot an opportunity, are fully invested in fulfilling that opportunity to the best of their abilities.

gypsy79

I think the main problem is that this app was developed by a guy who went into a club and then decided that the system used was loaded against the clubs (which it wasnt, at 2k it is a snip for the big clubs).

His sole purpose in development was to move power back to the clubs and away from us, the customer....anyone who has heard him talk about this knows about that this is a bee in his bonnet. If people think that Chronogolf is bad. I have grown to actually like it as a club member, it is good for your club but a disaster booking at a club you are not a member of.

Will try put up a screenshot of the garbage I seen earlier on Swords site

gypsy79

cant do it but it essentially only allows you to enter a time. It gives you back 2 options and no view of the timesheet

As someone who books opens during the week alone I will just need to use courses that dont have it. For example tomo I put myself down for 8:12 tomorrow and then rang to find that there was nobody else out till 9:30!

Golfgraffix

I think competition is a good thing, for a long while BRS was the only player in town. They have to be applauded for essentially creating the tee sheet ecosystem in The UK and Ireland with what was and for the most part is a great system. Not being pushed by a competitor may have led to their product stagnating a little but their new app seems to be a step forward.

Having spent almost 2 years developing a tee sheet software I can vouch for how difficult it is to innovate without alienating users who have been used to one system for so long. We were testing with 5 clubs and each and every one had wildly different opinions on what features where most important and what were not, without a consensus its hard to develop. We've been live in one club now for 4 months and after the initial hurdles it seems to be going very well, we will have a soft launch in June where any club can trial it free until January.

I know Peter quite well and wish him luck, I know how much work we has put into it. There is plenty of room for BRS, Booking365, Chrono, Course Trends and our own ClubNet.

I will be honest and say that I thought the GUI's backing of one product over others was very disappointing, I would have always assumed that as the governing body of golf in Ireland that they would have been and wanted to be seen as independent.

I promise this is not sour grapes, I am not sure that any of the other players especially the bigger ones were even offered the opportunity, I know we were never approached as part of any tendering process.

Long and short, competition will be good for clubs.

J

Tom.D.BJJ

Ollieboy wrote: »

But BRS is killing clubs with there pricing structure and it needs to go ASAP.

What's the pricing structure?

Someone mentioned 2k, but let's inflate that to 5k for arguments sake. 5k divided by 500 members is 10e per head per year. Is that prohibitive? It's certainly cheaper then members ringing the club to book onto the time sheet.

Developing and maintaining an app isn't free. Golfgraffix can testify to the cost/effort involved.

I agree the GUI have pulled a Pat Hickey/ John Delaney cronyism here btw.

sector

can the trial be used in parallel with brs or you have to replace.

Best of luck, website looks slick & i like the live scoring, is that built in or an add on.

Golfgraffix wrote: »

I think competition is a good thing, for a long while BRS was the only player in town. They have to be applauded for essentially creating the tee sheet ecosystem in The UK and Ireland with what was and for the most part is a great system. Not being pushed by a competitor may have led to their product stagnating a little but their new app seems to be a step forward.

Having spent almost 2 years developing a tee sheet software I can vouch for how difficult it is to innovate without alienating users who have been used to one system for so long. We were testing with 5 clubs and each and every one had wildly different opinions on what features where most important and what were not, without a consensus its hard to develop. We've been live in one club now for 4 months and after the initial hurdles it seems to be going very well, we will have a soft launch in June where any club can trial it free until January.

I know Peter quite well and wish him luck, I know how much work we has put into it. There is plenty of room for BRS, Booking365, Chrono, Course Trends and our own ClubNet.

I will be honest and say that I thought the GUI's backing of one product over others was very disappointing, I would have always assumed that as the governing body of golf in Ireland that they would have been and wanted to be seen as independent.

I promise this is not sour grapes, I am not sure that any of the other players especially the bigger ones were even offered the opportunity, I know we were never approached as part of any tendering process.

Long and short, competition will be good for clubs.

J

Golfgraffix

It can run side by side.

avidgolfer123

Pretty sure the two systems would not be fit to run side by side. The systems would not be talking to each other and therefore would inevitably lead to double bookings on the same time slot!

Golfgraffix

avidgolfer123 wrote: »

Pretty sure the two systems would not be fit to run side by side. The systems would not be talking to each other and therefore would inevitably lead to double bookings on the same time slot!

For test purposes we have a way of running both at the same time. We have been running two platforms at a club for 4 months now, one for members and the other for visitors.

Obviously our system is designed to work best on its own but given that moving tee sheet is a big decision it would be best for a club to evaluate it first.

J

Stacksey

The waiting list on BRS was very good, Chronogolf doesn't have that which is a pain in the arse for busy golf clubs

Golfgraffix

Stacksey wrote: »

The waiting list on BRS was very good, Chronogolf doesn't have that which is a pain in the arse for busy golf clubs

Agreed that and their purse system which is not in the App. BRS really were innovators.

elbagarihno

Golfgraffix wrote: »

Agreed that and their purse system which is not in the App. BRS really were innovators.

Club Systems have recently added booking to their ClubV1 software offering.

clog

Handicapmaster also have a online booking system on their software. We have been using it since last July. Works well.

Sultan_of_Ping

Ollieboy wrote: »

That software is pretty horrible and after 2 years of work this is the best the GUI can do! They are a shambles. All the recent bad weather and they never ask the government for help for clubs but the farmers got everything and fair play to them.

But BRS is killing clubs with there pricing structure and it needs to go ASAP.

Bit much to expect the government to allocate even a fraction of the resources they allocate to helping the people who grow our food to sports clubs?

Having been involved in a few sports, I find the GUI to be better than most sports administration bodies - by no means perfect, but they're pretty competent.

BRS provide a service......it has to be paid for, but of all things that clubs have to struggle with, I'd say it's quite far down the list things anyone could say are "killing" golf clubs.

fullstop

New system looks useless...seems you can only search what time you want to play and if not available it just says 'this booking is not available'. Is there a way to just see the timesheet and pick a time?

thewobbler

fullstop wrote: »

New system looks useless...seems you can only search what time you want to play and if not available it just says 'this booking is not available'. Is there a way to just see the timesheet and pick a time?

From a user’s perspective, a time sheet has to be the most important thing. It is the quick fix decision maker. From a programmer’s point of view, producing a timesheet is a formality. The only reason I can come up with for not showing a timesheet is a fear of a course looking quiet, might be off putting for potential visitors.

So would seem that the paranoid desires of some clubs have been allowed to rule over the needs of end users.

In which case it’s a doomed project.

fullstop

thewobbler wrote: »

From a user’s perspective, a time sheet has to be the most important thing. It is the quick fix decision maker. From a programmer’s point of view, producing a timesheet is a formality. The only reason I can come up with for not showing a timesheet is a fear of a course looking quiet, might be off putting for potential visitors.

So would seem that the paranoid desires of some clubs have been allowed to rule over the needs of end users.

In which case it’s a doomed project.

So you have to keep changing the time until you happen across one that's free?! That is actually useless.

Kingswood Rover

Brs is a pretty decent system all round, yes the app is glitchy and i always use the lap top or the link on the website when booking by the dog and bone. Brs was not 2 k per annum for the club when i was on the committee more like half that but it may be dearer for bigger busier clubs. As for the barter system re Green fees that works out brilliant as you do not have a big bill at the end of the year and more or less get free BRS. I never used the Masterscoreboard booking system but i love their results system when compared to hows your father did i do

plumber77

We use Masterscoreboard in my club for members bookings and it works great. App is quite easy to use as well. Love the break down of the results and keeps your scoring history.

GreeBo

fullstop wrote: »

New system looks useless...seems you can only search what time you want to play and if not available it just says 'this booking is not available'. Is there a way to just see the timesheet and pick a time?

Which system are you talking about?

slingerz

BRS works pretty well for us. i find the app is pretty good to be honest.

Enhancement would be to allow you to add cash to your account to pay for comp entry perhaps

GreeBo

slingerz wrote: »

BRS works pretty well for us. i find the app is pretty good to be honest.

Enhancement would be to allow you to add cash to your account to pay for comp entry perhaps

Do you not use the BRS purse to pay for your comps?
Top up online, money automatically taken after the event.

Or am I misunderstanding what you are looking for?

Seve OB

GreeBo wrote: »

Do you not use the BRS purse to pay for your comps?
Top up online, money automatically taken after the event.

Or am I misunderstanding what you are looking for?

Greystones tried to bring that in but I never had to use it, prefer to pay as I enter and it seems that everyone else in the club does the same.

slingerz

GreeBo wrote: »

Do you not use the BRS purse to pay for your comps?
Top up online, money automatically taken after the event.

Or am I misunderstanding what you are looking for?

no it hasnt been enabled if it is available i would imagine. I know i would use it to top up but there would be other members opposed to the idea

AGC

Seve OB wrote: »

Greystones tried to bring that in but I never had to use it, prefer to pay as I enter and it seems that everyone else in the club does the same.

Have been using it since this year and top up works well. Give you details on pending and recent transactions

Seve OB

Seve OB wrote: »

Greystones tried to bring that in but I never had to use it, prefer to pay as I enter and it seems that everyone else in the club does the same.

Donabate use that system as a way to ensure people aren't just booking slots then pulling out last minute. If you remove your name within 24hrs of the tee time you lose the entry fee.

GreeBo

Deleted User wrote: »

Donabate use that system as a way to ensure people aren't just booking slots then pulling out last minute. If you remove your name within 24hrs of the tee time you lose the entry fee.

Was just going to say this, we do the same. Reduces people cancelling last minute because they dont like the weather.

Seve OB

Deleted User wrote: »

Donabate use that system as a way to ensure people aren't just booking slots then pulling out last minute. If you remove your name within 24hrs of the tee time you lose the entry fee.

I think that is reasonably fair I wouldn't go 24 hours though, I think 6 or even 8pm the night before should be fine. Greystones don't impose a cut off time AFAIK. Problem I seen occuring at times was someone dropping out late and the waiting list filling the slot..... for the new player to not even realise!

BRS can have a cut off though, when Castleknock had BRS, there came a time when you couldn't just go on and take your name out, the only way was to ring the shop. The problem with that though was you couldn't jump on after that time either, so if you were sitting there on friday night and spotted a free slot in the morning.... welll tough, you had to wait and maybe someone would get there before you in the morning. I know i just used to not bother.

Seve OB

Deleted User wrote: »

Donabate use that system as a way to ensure people aren't just booking slots then pulling out last minute. If you remove your name within 24hrs of the tee time you lose the entry fee.

actually, chronogolf is a pain, because if someone drops out of your line, or even if someone jumps on.... you don't know anything about it... till you turn up on the tee and realise you are on your own!!

also, it doesn't allow you to just view the timesheet, you have to go through a whole rigmarole of making a booking before you can get the sheet up.