Technology Meets the Needs of Golf Course Owners

(San Diego, CA) The Golf Business Conference this year started off with a bang as Jay Karen, the National Golf Course Owners Association's CEO, swiftly rode in on a golf board to kickoff the 2016 annual conference. This year’s focus was around how courses can better capture player data and be in control of pricing as the golf industry moves into the digital space.

The Golf Business Conference is also about getting course owners, general managers and decision-makers educated on evolving with the changing times of technology while also helping them create the best experience possible for players at their course. With education sessions such as “Retail Rainmakers,” presented by K&K Consulting and the Association of Golf Merchandisers, attendees were able to learn about how to increase dollars per round and gather more information through tee sheets, starter reports, and POS systems. Another big focus was on social. In the session “It’s a Social Thing”, presented by DAYTA Marketing, attendees learned about the importance of engaging their players through content, promotions, events and by initiating discussions on social media.

Aside from the informative education sessions, attendees were able to play in a tournament at the stunning Maderas Golf Club, where 18Birdies sponsored the 18^th hole. As a proud sponsor of both the NGCOA and CGCOA (California Golf Course Owners Association), we wanted to make sure all of the attendees were not only having a great time playing in the tournament but were also able to learn about the 18Birdies app and how we can create a better on course experience. To help players get through the 80 degree weather we also provided swag and LOTS of cold beer. Needless to say, it was a huge hit! 18Birdies certainly stood out at the Golf Business Conference as the only social gamification application for players. It was also the only mobile product to add value to courses by allowing courses to target their course community directly through a social connect feature in 18Birdies. We were happy to learn the needs of courses and are even happier to offer a solution to their needs. Thanks for having us NGCOA, we look forward to next year!