Tagmarshal’s solution to a golfing conundrum
In the weeks following lockdown, golfers across the country encountered a different on-course experience. One of the most obvious pluses was the improvement in general pace of play, as smaller groups, ready golf and no touching of the flag led to significantly reduced round times.
The time golf takes remains one of the most regularly cited barriers to those considering taking up the game. The question is, as golf returns towards ‘normal’, how can clubs reduce round times without officious instructions and labour-intensive monitoring?
Technology I was introduced to earlier this year may help. Tagmarshal is a system that uses GPS tracking to provide comprehensive data, allowing golf clubs and facilities to effectively manage flow of play. It is producing successful results at over 200 courses in the USA and a number of venues in the UK and Ireland.
Tagmarshal can provide a range of solutions depending on a club’s or facility’s requirements. Top-end facilities with heavy visitor traffic, such as Carnoustie and Ballybunion, have witnessed big improvements in round times, so too have clubs like Hadley Wood GC and Hartsbourne CC. Both have seen near 20 per cent improvements in ‘on-pace’ rounds.
Essentially each group on the course carries a tag giving their position, allowing flow of play to be managed from a central terminal and for data gathering to highlight bottlenecks or players who consistently fall behind the expected flow of play. That information can then be used to rectify problems discreetly – no finger pointing or court-martial, just a polite conversation based on tangible data.
For me, that’s where Tagmarshal can be of huge benefit to members’ clubs. It gives course managers the information they need to help improve the playing experience for all. That makes pretty solid business sense.