It's a far cry from the scenario at most public links, where you still find pro-shop attendants penciling in foursomes in a daily ledger next to the cash register. And with its networked computers, Emerald Dunes can also respond more efficiently and resourcefully to the inevitable scheduling snafus that can be the bane of an otherwise well managed course. Club manager Paul Makris, who's in charge of group outings, can field a request, find the date in question, check on availability, and reserve a block of time for 144 golfers two or three years down the road in a matter of seconds, without leaving his desk. While still on the phone, be it with a hotel recreation director or a corporate reservations agent with a major travel agency, he can enter the necessary contract information. "Within five minutes of hanging up, the contract is printed and in the fax machine," he says.
That kind of prompt, reliable service produces peace of mind for the fast-lane corporate clientele that books outings at Emerald Dunes, thus helping to solidify a key segment of its business. Of the 48,000 rounds that will be played at Finch's course this year, groups will account for about 40%. Says Marcia Mollere, director of sales and marketing for the Ritz-Carlton, Palm Beach, "Emerald Dunes is able to give you a higher level of service because of its systems." The event-management software easily accommodates last-minute additions or subtractions of foursomes and changes in billing procedures (for instance, when a CEO decides to pick up the tab for a beverage cart and 19th-hole libations). It even generates scorecards and follow-up thank-you letters to tournament groups and organizers. Backed by that kind of electronic support, Makris manages all events virtually on his own.
"Technology has taken away much of the grunt work, enabling us to interact more with our guests," says Finch, who's quick to emphasize that running a golf course is a people business. He also credits technology with "helping us act instead of react. In our staff meetings we're not putting out fires, we're thinking about the future and where we need to be with our marketing."
Case in point: In June Finch made a last-minute decision to run newspaper ads and local TV spots during the U.S. Open Golf Tournament to promote special off-season summer rates ($55 on weekends, $45 on weekdays, down from $75 and $65). He'd noticed a softening of business while studying his computer-generated daily revenue reports--a must-have feature, he'd told Neil Haynie during their initial negotiations. If, like most operators, Finch had waited to read a monthly report, he'd have missed the U.S. Open TV audience and gotten a later start on his more aggressive pricing. It was an example of just-in-time marketing that boosted rounds by 28% the following week.
Tee times are like airline seats--you fill 'em or lose 'em. "Our inventory is actually little chunks of time," says Finch, explaining that he can easily lose up to 10% of that inventory by failing to note a busy day in need of double-teeing, that is, starting foursomes off holes 1 and 10 simultaneously for two hours. "Our Computer Golf software tells me how best to utilize our time."
Even so, it's not a panacea. Until recently, Finch, like nearly every course operator in the United States, had his own Green Monster to tame: slow play, which backed up foursomes like rush-hour traffic. Five-hour rounds of golf dampened not only customer enthusiasm but profits as well, taking oversized bites out of Emerald Dunes' perishable "inventory." So when Leading Edge Technologies, of Chandler, Ariz., knocked on his door to demonstrate its satellite-guided Prolink system, the first words out of Finch's mouth were, "Where have you guys been?" He'd been waiting for one of a dozen companies to successfully adapt the military's global positioning system (GPS) of earth-orbiting satellites to tracking golf carts on fairways. Here at last, Finch figured, was the missing piece in his business puzzle.
So far he seems to have figured right. The beauty of this particular commercialization of satellite technology is that it offers a win-win situation. Thanks to its appealing stroke-saving features, golfers hardly notice the system's Big Brotherlike surveillance: a computer screen in the pro shop that allows the head pro to monitor every color-coded cart on a map of the course. White indicates a cart that's ahead of the target time (four hours and 12 minutes); yellow shows a cart slightly behind schedule; red indicates slow play. Should a foursome be holding up others behind them, software built into the system lets the pro shop send a canned message: "Please maintain pace with your Prolink timer." A staffer in the shop can also type in a special message. Golfers receiving a message either press a button acknowledging it or stare at a blank, disabled screen. Acknowledge they do--and generally pick up the pace. For most players the electronic nudge is preferable to getting flagged down by the dreaded course ranger, which is usually about as pleasant as being pulled over by the highway patrol.
Play also quickens because golfers no longer have to pace off distances from 150- or 200-yard markers. Since its debut at Emerald Dunes last December, Prolink has helped trim 20 minutes off the average round, which now lasts just over four hours. And time is money. Many days, that ripple-through-the-course saving helps Emerald Dunes schedule a couple more tee times. At more than $500 a foursome in season, the money adds up quickly. Another win-win benefit: even on busy days in season, the system often helps squeeze in walk-ons, golfers who drive up to the bag drop without reservations. A year ago they invariably would have been told, "Sorry, guys." Now, if a quick glance at the pro-shop computer screen reveals a one-hole gap on the course, they're likely to hear, "Do you mind starting on number 5?" In most cases the group is positively grateful. "We've got four people who think we've done something special for them," says Finch. "And we didn't have to say no to $750" (the amount many foursomes spend on greens fees, food, and pro-shop items).
