Tagmarshal’s Golf Cart GPS: 6 innovative new features
Tagmarshal, the market leader in golf cart GPS and optimization technology, continues to grow its list of partners, extending to more than 600 courses worldwide. This includes 40 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many multi-course operators.
To provide the best possible optimization platform, Tagmarshal is always innovating to deliver today, what most courses will want a few seasons down the line. A forward-thinking product design team, coupled with input and feedback from leading course operators, has rolled out a number of exciting features.
Below, we’ll discuss six new features and outline how they bring additional value to course partners.
1. Cart Stop using golf cart GPS
Based on many requests from courses that wanted additional turf protection, Tagmarshal’s golf cart GPS technology has been tweaked to include Cart Stop.
Courses can set up multiple geofence templates, based on weather conditions, tournament play and other variables, and switch seamlessly between these as and when needed.
With kill switch functionality now an option for courses that use either the 2Way cart screens or Classic Installed devices, courses can enforce the geofence boundaries they set more strictly.
With the Classic Installed device, players are alerted to a breach by the Geofence Buzzer on the cart. At this stage, they will be given time to exit the prohibited area and if they don’t do so within the stipulated time, the kill switch is triggered. The cart is then only able to reverse, with forward motion disabled.
Cart Stop functionality operates slightly differently with the 2Way cart screens in use. First, a geofence warning appears on the screen, combined with audible beeping. Again, the player is given time to exit the prohibited area before the kill switch is triggered and forward motion is disabled.
Before, we put up ropes which is an extensive effort. Now all we do is click a button and it keeps carts on the path. The 2Way screens are far and away the best units I’ve seen. We often get players coming off the course telling us how much they loved them.
Tagmarshal has revolutionized how we handle weather delays and warnings, with the ability to send messages to every cart and then track who complies. I have not had a single member complain about the system. It’s very evident even two holes in why we got Tagmarshal and how it benefits our members.
2. How golf cart GPS powers Advanced Reporting
When Tagmarshal launched the Analytics Hub, where all the data gathered by an extensive feature set pulls through to a central hub, its position as the market leader in golf cart GPS and optimization technology was further reinforced.
Now, with the release of the Advanced Reporting feature, operators gain additional insight across a range of essential metrics. These include pace and capacity, which are broken down into tee time blocks, days of the week, days of the month, weeks and months.
For courses that want to track and measure their own custom fields, like the pace of new players versus first-time players, or the average pace from different tees, Tagmarshal’s Data Directory affords this opportunity. The data gathered by these custom fields is then carried into the Rounds Report sheets.
The deeper understanding one gathers from the Advanced Reporting feature may also highlight areas where a course can add tee sheet capacity, without adversely affecting the player experience. The revenue gains here are substantial, with private courses benefiting by being able to offer their members additional tee times, often during popular time slots.
The reporting has really enhanced our conversations with committee members and the board. They can see the pace and other invaluable data in beautiful graphs and there’s no speculation. I can take all the emotion out and pinpoint exactly which members are struggling with pace in board meetings.
We consider ourselves a living laboratory and we’re continually trying to improve. As a result, Tagmarshal is a great catalyst for us to understand what we’re putting in place, providing quantitative analysis of what is working and why it’s working.
3. WindTag – an industry-first for golf cart GPS
The single biggest issue with current golf cart GPS wind technologies is that they are often reliant on measurements taken many miles from the course. They are also static in that they don’t reflect the strength or direction of the wind at any given moment, when the so-called ‘invisible hazard’ is actually constantly shifting and hyperlocal.
WindTag, which is breaking new ground in the golf industry, is different in that it measures the precise wind conditions (both direction and speed) at each pin in real-time.
To do so, flags are fitted with a WindTag ultrasonic transducer that is solar-powered, rugged and waterproof so operators only need to fit them once, at the start of the season. Labor savings are further compounded by the fact that daily hole locations automatically feed into Tagmarshal’s system. When you consider how much time many courses spend manually recording and uploading pin locations, as well as printing them out for players each day, the efficiency gains are clear.
Players benefit from having the WindTag data displayed via the 2Way screen devices or Caddie app, along with screens on Par 3 tee boxes and fairway yardage markers. With wind-adjusted distances visible, shot planning is made easier. WindTag’s technology also offers players recommendations that factor in how wind conditions impact distance, trajectory, club selection and target.
As with all of Tagmarshal’s features, the data gathered by WindTag is stored and analyzed to enable further optimization.
I always grappled with how golfers have so much information at hand about the distance to the bunkers and other visible hazards but rely on gut feel when it comes to wind. Wind is a golfer’s invisible hazard. WindTag finally gives golfers the wind information they need to make better shot decisions.
We are continually looking at innovative ways to improve the player experience using technology. WindIQ’s vision aligns closely with Tagmarshal’s and we are delighted to bring Ben’s expertise aboard to help us bring golf into the tech-enabled future.
4. Multi-Course Operator Reporting and golf cart GPS
Running a Multi-Course Operation, even with the help of golf cart GPS, is a difficult balancing act between maximizing revenue and delivering the optimal player experience.
Leading Multi-Course Operators (MCOs) that have partnered with Tagmarshal now have a range of reporting options to choose from, depending on what best suits their needs.
The reporting covers a range of key on-course metrics, including a high-level view of on-course performance measured against objectives, benchmarks to track and measure against, the correlation between individual operator efforts and outcomes and the impact of each course’s system engagement against its performance.
With passive group reporting, operators get a single monthly overview of their chosen metrics. Actionable tracking, possible at courses using 2Way cart screens, involves measuring recovery and intervention success rates and intervention time for problem groups (or Pace Disruptors – see number 6), in daily, weekly and monthly reporting increments based on the MCO’s needs.
Lastly, custom group reporting is tailored specifically to the needs of premium operators who may want to track metrics like caddie and green speed performance.
Across our courses, we see a direct correlation between how often staff engage with Tagmarshal’s system and their average round times. I can emphatically state that Tagmarshal helps us generate more revenue. We generate an extra $2,50 a round. Extrapolate that across 350,000 rounds and you’re talking about huge numbers every season.
Our partnership with Tagmarshal has been integral to our player experience and service strategy, by providing us with the data-driven management we need to optimize player experiences, helping us to deliver consistent excellence that keeps our players coming back again and again.
5. How golf cart GPS identifies Pace Disruptors
Over the past decade, Tagmarshal has tracked well over 75 million golf rounds. This invaluable data resource has been used to train and power its machine learning and AI capabilities, to the point where problem groups can be identified before they start affecting other players out on the course.
On the Live Map, groups that are causing delays are highlighted in magenta, so staff can instantly tell where interventions are most needed.
Now, with the Pace Disruptors feature, operators can set and define the exact parameters they want to use for a group to be designated as out of position. As soon as those parameters are met, staff will be alerted via a notification method of their choosing (email, phone message or phone call). If a course is using 2Way screens, players will also see a notification on the screen, letting them know that they need to get back into position.
Over time, a course may tweak the threshold it uses to define disruptor groups to ensure it gives its staff the best chance of intervening successfully.
Tagmarshal has been wonderful for us, allowing our rangers to be more assertive and we have come on leaps and bounds this year with our pace. Without the system, we are flying blind and relying purely on rangers patrolling the field. Now we can monitor everything from the pro shop and complaints are way down.
I’ve set it up so if at any point a group falls 7 minutes behind pace, our staff get a text message. This way, we can constantly track pace without much effort and it’s been awesome. Rather than driving around the course looking for problems, I can instantly see what is happening on my phone and address problems as soon as they arise.
6. Customizable Widgets for your golf cart GPS system
Busy operators are always pressed for time and, ideally, each staff member would have access to the information most important to them as soon as they log into Tagmarshal.
As part of the recent system overhaul, Customizable Widgets are now available on the Live Map screen. Individuals can choose from 3 different widgets to be displayed. These are:
- Goals – shows round on pace, problem groups addressed, intervention success and tag / cart assignment
- Timing Schedule – shows each group’s tag number, the hole they’re through, scheduled time to finish the hole and actual time
- Daily Info – shows course goal time, running daily average round time, number of groups in play and number of groups on pace
All 3 widgets can be displayed at the same time and dragged and placed so that they don’t obscure any part of the Live Map.
The system represents a significant upgrade. The enhancements and new features offer even greater functionality and efficiency, helping us provide an exceptional experience. Tagmarshal has really been beneficial and our bottom line has increased tremendously.
“Our pace of play has definitely improved, the concrete data is fantastic and makes our lives easier, and it’s also been easy for us to implement. We like the Tag 4.0 user interface and I love having widgets on the dashboard.
Conclusion
These exciting new features, coupled with Tagmarshal’s existing set of tools, will further empower operators to deliver exceptional player experiences with maximum efficiency.
A renewed focus has also been placed on training and support, via redesigned training courses and the addition of several PGA professionals to the Customer Success team. New partners are guided through the onboarding process every step of the way, while existing partners will be given training and support for all new features.
Ultimately, partners effectively utilizing Tagmarshal’s powerful combination of data and optimization technology will see rewards, which will also be felt by their players.
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 10 billion data points from more than 75 million rounds of golf and has relationships with in excess of 600 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 40 of the Top 100 US courses, as well as many $40-$60 green fee courses, which are seeing excellent results using the system.
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