GolfSwitch online technology generated over 85 million Euros worth of online green fees for golf clubs in 2011. The first two months of this year already suggest a rise of 25% on last year’s revenue figures.
This brings the average online revenue per club to around 33,650 Euro. Around 100 of the clubs connected to GolfSwitch have generated in excess of half a million Euros revenue online in 2011.
Analysing these figures show that there has been a 5% increase in the average green fee rate generated online from €47.18 in 2009 to €49.51 in 2011. An average booking is for around 2.6 players which generates around €130 for the club. Courses can expect their first bookings within 18 hours and 14 minutes from adding a booking engine to their site. This online revenue is from golfers booking direct on the golf club’s website which also allows for the club to gather vital marketing data about their customers.
Jo Maes, Managing Director GolfSwitch International Ltd: “We are delighted to see that GolfSwitch is delivering more than twice the amount online than our nearest competitor. This shows that the Golfswitch booking process is easy to use and secure, enticing the golfer to book their rounds online resulting in more revenue for the course and cost saving. The confidence of the golfer to book online is growing when they know that the tee time they are looking to book will be on the tee sheet when they arrive.”
Jo Maes continues: “Our perception is also that a growing segment in the golf market is the nomadic golfer who wants to play different courses and more choice and flexibility. This obviously adds extra pressure on the golf club manager – revenue manager who has to adapt to be able to attract these golfers. The most effective way to capture this segment of the market is online and mobile. The majority of our development budget is already being allocated to mobile applications. We are excited by how the market has already received our latest mobile app which allows golf clubs and golfers to book, play, put in scores, see course layouts, use their phone as a distance device and also where courses can interactively communicate with the golfers on their course through push notifications.”
As GolfSwitch goes from strength to strength, countries likeItaly,Portugal,Spain,TunisiaandFranceare all adding inventory to the global GolfSwitch network. The launch of the Italian Golf Federation portal site last week showed that all of the Italian golf courses will be connected to the GolfSwitch network by middle of 2012. There is no reason why Italian golf courses won’t enjoy similar revenue numbers to the rest ofEurope. Some of the major golf and tourism brands in the world put their trust in GolfSwitch with Marriott Golf in the UK, Fairmont Resorts, Hilton, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, KLM Air France Flying Blue Golf, Reservatee, TUI, TX247.eu, bookandgolf, Golf Away, Planet Golf Holidays and others all connecting to the GolfSwitch network for tee time bookings.
GolfSwitch: www.golfswitch.com
Golfhub: www.golfhub.com