Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Online tool helps golfers find partners
Ready to Play Golf connects players online
It’s time to tee up — golf season is here. Ready to Play Golf is an online tool that can help golfers find that perfect golf partner.
“It’s not a dating site, it’s for serious golfers,” founder Jim Lafferty said in a press release. “It’s great for travelers who would like to link up with golfers with similar skill levels while they are on vacation or traveling for business.”
Based in Schwenksville, Ready to Play Golf is free and simple to use.
“I started the idea because I was searching for something similar myself,” Lafferty said. “My site’s unique in that you place ads. You’re not just trying to contact people.”
Once registered, members scan “Tee Time Ads” from other golfers who want to play at the same time they do. There is no scanning of profiles. Instead, the “Tee Time Ads” contain a brief profile on the member that includes: their average score, age and gender.
The portal allows messages to be sent from one player to the other, all without sharing personal emails, according to Lafferty. It is then up to the two members to decide where and when they want to play.
“My focus is the Philadelphia area right now and my goal is to go city by city,” said Lafferty, who added that the company is gaining three to four new subscribers a day. “My goal is to have one hundred subscribers within every 10 miles.”
The system can help public and private golf courses, according to Lafferty, in the form of additional revenue. Instead of having just one golfer, ReadyToPlayGolf.com brings two, three or more players to the courses as part of a group. Private courses could gain members or have non-members come as guests to try out the course, according to the release. Lafferty added that the golf courses he has talked with have been “very receptive.”
“I think any golfer could use more golf partners,” he said.
That’s how it is for Anthony Spinozzi, Lafferty’s nephew. Spinozzi has used the product for a few months now in search for a new “golfing buddy” since he has moved from Pottstown to New Jersey.
“I moved so it’s perfect for me,” Spinozzi said. “The guys I used to play with are pretty far away.”
Spinozzi, who has a wife and two children, said he always has to juggle schedules. He said if he put a “Tee Time Ad” in early enough, he could easily find a golf partner to get away and have some “me time.” He said the “social golf app” is a great alternative to texting his friends to see if they’re free, especially since they live a car ride away since his move.
“[Ready to Play Golf] is great for someone like myself who’s moved somewhere and doesn’t know anyone around,” Spinozzi said. “I think it has a lot of potential...It just needs to be picked up by more people.”
For more information about Ready to Play Golf or to register to search for a golf partner visit www. readytoplaygolf.com.