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5 questions with Matt Summers – Mountain Branch GC

5 questions with Matt Summers – Mountain Branch GC

Get to know Matt Summers, PGA Head Professional at Mountain Branch GC, in five quick questions.

If you could be a caddie on Tour, whose caddie would you like to be and why? 

Dustin Johnson – To watch him play in person, he seems like a pretty cool guy and he doesn’t get bad pairings.

Has golf always been your first love? Who was your golf hero growing up?

I have been swinging a golf club since I was 1 ½ years old, it was my first love but 3rd best sport.  I am huge fan of The Ohio State Buckeyes

My golfing heroes were Jack Nicklaus being from Ohio and not far from Columbus but also Greg Norman and Tiger Woods.  They made me want to watch golf on TV.

What was your favorite Major to watch this year and why? Who is the Slowest / Fastest player on tour?

The Master’s is my favorite every year.  I remember watching it with my grandmother at an early age every year on the weekends that it was played!

I don’t know who is the slowest, they tend not to show how long it takes for guys to go through their entire shot routine but Brandt Snedeker seems to be the fastest when watching him play.

Where does Pace of Play rank as an industry priority?  

Pace is the top priority every day at our club.  Making sure our rounds get off to a good start pace of play wise pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the day.  Being a semi-private club, we are open to the public.  We don’t know what kind of golfer is going to walk through the door each day making it important to pay attention to right out of the gate.  We also have so many outings, leagues and tee times built around the daily play with timing being based off of what time folks will finish, get started and be able to play. Losing track of any pace, outing, league or regular play can really hurt us on the backend of the day.

Why has your course decided to invest in Pace of Play? 

Creating an environment where customers know they can come and play in a reasonable amount of time is very important to us.  This keeps members happy, customers happy and it helps create a reputation of a place that does care and wants everyone’s day more enjoyable.  Happy golfers make for happy people towards our staff and throughout our entire facility prompting repeat visits and or spending money in other areas of our facility.

Bonus Question: What are the top benefits about having Tagmarshal technology to manage the field, efficiencies and the pace of play?  

Accuracy is one of the most important aspects.  We have data with facts that allow us to properly manage how everyone plays the course not just relying on the better players, faster players or early risers that can scoot around the course.  This also helps us with managing “perception” vs. “reality” meaning some customers play faster than others.   When they catch a group the first thing they want to do is call the golf shop or for a marshal to speed the group ahead of them up and in reality the groups ahead of them are inside of our pace parameters.  This isn’t fair to the customers who are playing on time to be spoken too and I think that happens all too often at other clubs that fall into the semi-private category because members and regulars play at once pace and the outside customer plays on time or right around our set pace.  As much as we want to keep pace up, talking to groups on pace can really backfire and it’s not necessary.

ABOUT TAGMARSHAL

Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.

Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.

Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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Tagmarshal Pace-of-Play System Earns Raves at Carnoustie Golf Links

Tagmarshal Pace-of-Play System Earns Raves at Carnoustie Golf Links

CARNOUSTIE, Scotland: Tagmarshal – the golf course intelligence and pace-of-play system used by golf courses, country clubs and resorts globally – is achieving high-quality results at Carnoustie Golf Links’ Championship Course, host of the 2018 Open Championship and one of Golf Digest’s top-30 courses worldwide.

After only two months of management, clubhouse staff and player assistants deploying Tagmarshal technology, golfers’ rounds were reduced by an average of 17 minutes. 88% of play was on or within 10 minutes of appropriate pace, including a 183% improvement in the number of golfers on pace.

“I can’t imagine operating without Tagmarshal as it enables us to further enhance golfing experiences, improve service delivery and pace of play and generate additional revenue,” says Colin Sinclair, Head Golf Professional at Carnoustie. “Tagmarshal is invaluable and at the forefront of how we will manage our course operations in the future.”


A recent USGA survey shows 74% of golfers believe appropriate speed is critical to the enjoyment of their rounds. This is the impetus for Ballybunion Golf Club (Irish Open), The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (2021 PGA Championship), Whistling Straits (2020 Ryder Cup), Erin Hills (2017 U.S. Open), East Lake (2017 TOUR Championship) and many others to adopt Tagmarshal.

“The actionable data insights gained by tracking Carnoustie members and guests are a testament to Tagmarshal’s effectiveness,” says Bodo Sieber, CEO of Tagmarshal. “As an ‘eye in the sky,’ our platform presents a unique opportunity to turn pace into an asset instead of an obstacle for golfers and course operators.”

Partnering with Tagmarshal has allowed courses to become pacesetters with improved operational efficiencies, saving costs and adding prime tee times that routinely realize more than $100,000 in annual incremental revenue. Superintendents also use Tagmarshal data to better manage pin placements, wear patterns, hole set-ups, and operational efficiencies.

Carnoustie Golf Links

Established in 1842, the Championship Course is one of the few UK courses to have hosted the men’s, women’s and senior Opens. It is also one of three courses – alongside Kingsbarns and the Old Course in St. Andrews – used for the annual Alfred Dunhill Links Championship that attracts numerous celebrities and professional golfers.

ABOUT TAGMARSHAL

Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.

Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.

Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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TAGMARSHAL SYSTEM HELPS IMPROVE PACE OF PLAY AT CARNOUSTIE

TAGMARSHAL SYSTEM HELPS IMPROVE PACE OF PLAY AT CARNOUSTIE

Tagmarshal, the pace-of-play management system used at marquee courses such as Erin Hills, Whistling Straits, Valhalla, Kiawah and Ballybunion, helped Carnoustie – host of the 2018 British Open – improve the number of its rounds that are on pace by 70%.

After implementing Tagmarshal, Carnoustie’s average round time improved by almost 16 minutes for the months of August and September.

The innovative Tagmarshal system uses small GPS tags pinned to bags and carts to track group movement and identify possible bottlenecks or other pressure points on the course before they surface. Erin Hills was Tagmarshal’s first customer and generated $115,000 in return on investment through an uptick in tee times.

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ABOUT TAGMARSHAL

Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.

Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.

Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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WHO’S SLOW? CONWAY FARMS KNOWS

WHO’S SLOW? CONWAY FARMS KNOWS

LIKE THOSE AT MOST clubs and courses around the country, golfers at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest talk a lot about pace of play. Their interest might be higher than most places since the club doesn’t offer reserved starting times.

In an attempt to have more concrete data on the subject, the club began to use Tagmarshal in mid-summer. Tagmarshal is a new information-gathering system using portable GPS-like units. The club secured a block of 40 units to disseminate to caddies at the all-walking facility. “It’s more than just a way for us to monitor play and see how things are going,” said head professional Jeff Mory.

“It’s allowed us to see how our pace of play is, or allowed us to make rangering more effective, or if we have a rain delay, to see where people are on the golf course. Just as important, it allows us to give members real-time information, not speculation.”

While Tagmarshal hasn’t necessarily led to a dramatic improvement in pace of play, it has provided irrefutable evidence of every round played at the club. That’s been beneficial to golf shop personnel, who are the ones who customarily perform marshalling duties and the first to hear any post-round grumbling from players.

“When the caddie crosses the threshold at the first tee, we know exactly what time the round began,” explained Mory. “Because we don’t have starting times, sometimes a player gets to the course, maybe hits some balls, has a bite to eat and really doesn’t know exactly when they started and how long a round takes. We also can more effectively tell where the problems occur and show people, whether it’s on a phone or tablet, where every player is in the space of time. It’s a more effective means of communication.”

Tagmarshal has shown to be beneficial in other areas that affect the time it takes players to get around 18 holes.

“We found that when you increase your green speed by a foot, that adds 10-15 minutes, on average,” said Mory. “Grow the rough an inch higher and that adds another 10-15 minutes. All this information helps us communicate with our members, and it removes all the subjectivity beyond, ‘This guy is slow,’ or ‘That guy is slow.’ ” — Rich Skyzinski

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ABOUT TAGMARSHAL

Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.

Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.

Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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Tagmarshal showcasing at GCMA 2017 Conference

Tagmarshal showcasing at GCMA 2017 Conference

The Tagmarshal UK and Europe team will be attending the GCMA 2017 Conference held at Mercedes-Benz World, Brooklands from the 12-14 November.

The biennial conference will showcase a programme with keynote speakers and industry specific breakout sessions that offers networking opportunities among golf club managers and industry professionals across the UK and Europe.

Tagmarshal will be joining some of its UK and Europe partners, including Carnoustie, Ballybunion and Alcanada, along with some of the golf industry’s leading providers.

Following widespread adoption and success at US courses, the Tagmarshal Golf Intelligence System provides results to a growing number of UK and European based facilities “I cannot imagine operating without TagMarshal next season. The system has proved to be invaluable. It has enabled us to make savings, improve service delivery, improve pace of play and enhance the whole golfing experience at Carnoustie. It is very much at the front and centre of how we will manage our Golf Operations in the future.” says Colin Sinclair, Head Professional at Carnoustie Golf Links, 2018 The Open Championship hosts.

John Willmore, Tagmarshal International Business Development Director, is excited to meet UK and European operators for PaceSetter conversations, “We at Tagmarshal have realized Pace Of Play is crucial to member satisfaction, and with the Tagmarshal system courses can increase the member experience and pace efficiencies all while creating a revenue opportunity. We are certainly excited to engage in conversation with course operators at the GCMA to help realize the opportunity to set the pace with Tagmarshal Golf Course Intelligence.”

Tagmarshal will be exhibiting throughout the conference at stand number seven. Head down the stand to learn how your course can optimize field efficiencies and turn pace of play into an asset for a better golf experience as well as additional revenue.

About GCMA

The GCMA is a UK based professional association for secretaries, managers, or owners of golf courses. The association helps the development of golf clubs and helps golf club managers and secretaries to fulfil their potential. The head office is in Bristol, supporting more than 1 800 members through a network of incorporating a national head office and 16 regions spread throughout the UK.

GCMA

About Tagmarshal

Tagmarshal is a pace-of-play management solution that turns pace into an asset. The system uses a series of small “tags” clipped onto one golf bag per group, or installed into carts, which transmit geolocation data. Industry-leading algorithms identify risk groups with accurate, objective support to alleviate pace challenges before they arise. Public, private and resort courses using Tagmarshal realize substantial returns on investments through improved on-course experiences achieved with less staff, as well as increases in daily rounds. Easy-to-use pace analytics, weather data integration and geo-fencing complete the offering.

This data showcases how Carnoustie was empowered to improve the on course pace experience from 60% on pace and within 10 minutes of goal time to 88% from month 2 to month 3 on the system.

ABOUT TAGMARSHAL

Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.

Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.

Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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Club de Golf Alcanada enjoys rise in bookings

Club de Golf Alcanada enjoys rise in bookings

Club de Golf Alcanada, the multi-award winning Mallorcan course, has revealed another rise in bookings for 2018 with visitor numbers up by more than 10 per cent.

The prestigious 7,108-yard, Robert Trent Jones Jr-designed layout is the only one on the island next to the sea and its popularity continues to grow with people flocking from all over Europe.

Club de Golf Alcanada has won an array of awards since opening 14 years ago and the course again proved a hit with highly-respected German magazine Golf Journal readers after being voted favourite European course for a staggering SEVENTH time earlier this year.

Kristoff Both, director of golf at Alcanada, said: “We are in a very fortunate position geographically as the course enjoys spectacular views being beside the sea.

“But as a test of golf, Alcanada has always been hugely popular with visitors as it is a real test for good golfers, while also being enjoyed by those with higher handicaps. And that is again proving to be the case judging by the new growth in bookings.

“They are up more than 10 per for March, April and May 2018 compared to this time last year. Groups are finding it much better to book early on as golf in Mallorca is growing in popularity on the European market.

“And as well as the golf, the island offers so much more as away from the fairways we are lucky to have golden beaches, lively towns, small picturesque villages, a fantastic array of hotels and not to mention a fantastic climate all year round. It is the perfect place for a golf break as well as a holiday.”

Club de Golf Alcanada beat off competition from 1,250 participants, including the likes of Spain’s 1997 Ryder Cup host Valderrama, Ireland’s 2006 Ryder Cup venue The K Club and Turkey’s Montgomerie Maxx Royal to win the coveted Golf Journal Travel Awards.

Sitting in a breathtaking location overlooking the Bay of Alcudia, Alcanada takes its name from an island with a lighthouse, situated just offshore, which can be seen from most of the holes.

In addition, the club boasts a centuries-old Mallorca clubhouse which offers guests the opportunity to sample regional specialties in its first-class dining facilities on a sun-baked terrace, while its comprehensive, newly rebranded Lighthouse Golf Academy, including a spacious short-game area and covered driving range, is also available.

The course also welcomed a contemporary traditional Spanish-style stone halfway house called the Lighthouse Bar, that offers spectacular views of the Mediterranean, while they have also introduced the revolutionary TagMarshal, which is designed to speed up play.

Club de Golf Alcanada signed a three-year contract with TagMarshal, a course management system, which on average should speed up play by 14 minutes thanks to its tracking tag that clips to golf bags and provides real-time data, allowing up-to-the-second information on every group of players.

View original article 

ABOUT TAGMARSHAL

Tagmarshal, the market leader in on-course optimization technology, provides courses with full, real-time operational oversight and reporting, giving golf operators the tools to manage pace and flow of play effectively, resulting in enhanced player experiences, increased efficiency through automation, and additional revenue generation.

Tagmarshal’s technology has collected over 1 billion data points from more than 50 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 500 partners, including Hazeltine, Whistling Straits, Baltusrol, Fieldstone, Bandon Dunes, Serenoa and Erin Hills.

Tagmarshal partners with several golf management groups, private, daily fee, public and resort courses, including 35 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $30-$50 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.

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