The Duke’s St Andrews, owned by the iconic Old Course Hotel, has joined GolfSwitch, the world’s largest online, real time, tee-time distribution network.
The world-renowned hotel, part of the Kohler Company, will be the focus of much attention this week as the 150th anniversary Open Championship takes place on the fabled Old Course at St Andrews.
Competitors will drive from the new 17th tee over the Old Course Hotel’s replica railway sheds in an attempt to set themselves up for a shot at the Claret Jug.
The championship heathland Duke’s course sits above the Home of Golf and offers views over the Auld Grey Toon and St Andrews Bay where one can see as far as Carnoustie.
Jo Maes, European director for GolfSwitch, said: “Adding the Old Course Hotel and the Duke’s Course to our portfolio is a significant step forward in our development in Scotland and Europe. It signifies the trust GolfSwitch has among the world’s leading golf properties.
“We are producing a complete ‘white-label solution’ for the Old Course Hotel and have already successfully pushed golfers to take advantage of online tee times on the Duke’s Course.”
David Scott, manager the Duke’s & Estates Landscape, said: “The way things are working out with GolfSwitch is amazing. From the first day we had the booking engine up, we started receiving online reservations and we’ve never looked back.
“We will be pushing golfers to our online engines as not only will it drive more business but it will assist our marketing staff to set up targeted campaigns as we will be building up a significant database.”
Rick Flett, IT director at the Old Course Hotel, added: “We had considered adding an online booking engine to our websites but were never satisfied as to what the different providers would bring to the table.
“With GolfSwitch we know that not only the technology is tried and tested and used by some of the biggest names in golf, but also that it connects us to a variety of resellers which helps us achieve our targets.”
GolfSwitch is continuing its expansion into Europe with many major golf resorts joining the network and availing themselves of the many online solutions on offer.
The Old Course Hotel uses GolfSwitch’s customised WebPro engine to push tee times through its own website, while tee times can also be booked on GolfSwitch’s own community platform, Golfhub.
Other Scottish venues on Golfhub include both Fairmont St Andrews courses, plus the Marriott Dalmahoy, near Edinburgh, which allows golfers from across Europe to play in and around the Home of Golf.
GolfSwitch www.golfswitch.com
Old Course Hotel www.oldcoursehotel.co.uk