The Pellucid Perspective - December 2012 - (Page 10)

TEE TIME MARKETING Let’s make tee times like it’s 1999 Short, expensive lifespans for many early Internet tee time providers By Harvey Silverman I was doing some office cleaning the other day and ran across known by the many who lost millions in the failed venture). copies of two articles I had not seen for a long time. The ar- Golf Business cited the “battle for survival…for Web tee time ticles from Golf Inc. and Golf Business magazines were writ- firms.” Golf Inc. wrote “…owners today are filling tee sheets onten about the explosion of Internet tee time purveyors lining up line.” Here is a quick list of the dearly departed (as evidenced by to sell their (vapor)wares at the 1999 PGA show in Las Vegas, web searches), and the survivors. No identities have been hidand the 2000 PGA Merchandise show in Orlando. Consider- den to protect the innocent. ing the digital ink we’ve used writing about online tee times in Gone: Book4golf, Greens.com (known in 1999 as Golf this publication, I thought it might interest some to see how Gateway, and the precursor to GolfNow), eteetime.com, teefar we’ve come since 1999 – 13 years ago. (Hint: not too far). timelinks.com, golftravelplus.com (when I searched for this site If anyone cares to see the articles I’ve now scanned and saved my McAfee security site advisor lit up like Israeli radar tracking them electronically (something not readily available to me in incoming rockets), selectteetimes.com, The Golf System, Link1999- boy, how time flies), I’m happy to email them to you. sTime.com, NetRes, Paragon Systems Innovations, RSVPLiving in Silicon Valley myself, I was intrigued with what the Golf, Scorecast, TeeOff, TeeTime.com, Tee Time Reservations Internet offered to golf courses looking to fill more tee times in (TTR), US Golf Packages, and The User’s Friend. the late 90’s. 1999 was near the peak of the NGF-fueled course Golf Inc. magazine profited nicely by selling teetime.com a building boom and courses were starting to half-page ad, eteetime.com a two-thirds page, feel the effects of increased competition tak- The late 90’s saw the teetimelinks.com a quarter-page, golftravelping their customers, and rounds. Could the lus.com a half-page, and selectteetimes.com a Internet be the answer, as it was becoming burgeoning Internet two-thirds page. Unfortunately, we cannot tie for airlines, hotels, and car rentals? Honestly, being filled with new each company’s demise by ad size purchase. I thought so. So let’s take a short ride down Suffice it to say the ad buys were only mean100-gigabyte memory lane and see what ways to reserve and ingful for this historical retrospective. people thought could have been, and where Alive and kicking: Abacus 21, Club Data, purchase air, hotel, we are today. ClubSystems, ClubTec, Crescent Systems, The late 90’s saw the burgeoning Internet and car reservations CSI Software, EZLinks, FORE! Reservabeing filled with new ways to reserve and that had previously tions, The Golf System, GolfNet, Golfpurchase air, hotel, and car reservations that Switch, Handicomp, IBS, ProphetLine, Prohad previously been the domain of travel been the domain of Shopkeeper (now Club Prophet), TeeMaster, agents. Travelocity led the web-based “disinand TeeNet Golf Systems. It’s not ironic that travel agents. termediation” phenomenon and its popularmost of the survivors are systems companies, ity jumped in 1999 when it became associin that they provide more than just online tee ated with AOL’s travel portal. Expedia was time capabilities. launched by Microsoft on the Microsoft Network in 1996 and We heard a figure last year that over $600 million had been was spun off and made public in 1999. Anyone see the trend invested in golf GPS systems. We don’t know, and likely never here? will, how much has been invested (and lost) in the online tee So why not golf, thought a lot of people with money to time space. Rumors abounded that the Greens.com flameout spend (and lose) and hopes of becoming the tee time king (wait burned $35-$40 million of other people’s money. Book4golf – wasn’t that the name of one of the tee time companies?). The hired sherpas to carry its bags of money to the 2000 PGA preeminent golf business magazines at the time got caught up Merchandise show and pay for its Mt. Everest-inspired display in the frenzy and wrote extensive articles with quotes from peo- (hey-I can book a tee time from up here, I just can’t get down to ple including some of today’s survivors, and others who were play it). But as is the case with closely held companies, the true nothing more than vaporware salesmen. amounts invested will remain a mystery. Golf Inc.’s article from August, 1999 included a comprehenHow far has golf fallen behind compared to the travel/hospisive list of all the “players;” Golf Business’s article from Oct. tality industry? It’s like flying a Boeing 777 compared to a DC1999 offered a post-mortem on the 1999 PGA show in Las 3. We’re up in the air with hospitality, just not moving very fast Vegas, which this reporter attended as an employee of the soon and dragging our tail. In 1999, online travel sales were just $8 to fail Greens.com (or Greens-dot-bomb, as it became to be billion. Research posted in September of this year shows 57% of December 2012 10 The Pellucid PersPecTive http://www.Greens.com http://www.eteetime.com http://www.teetimelinks.com http://www.teetimelinks.com http://www.golftravelplus.com http://www.LinksTime.com http://www.selectteetimes.com http://www.LinksTime.com http://www.TeeTime.com http://www.teetime.com http://www.eteetime.com http://www.golftravelplus.com http://www.teetimelinks.com http://www.selectteetimes.com http://www.golftravelplus.com http://www.Greens.com http://www.Greens.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Pellucid Perspective - December 2012

The Pellucid Perspective - December 2012
Contents
Current industry issues a target-rich environment
Second time is the charm for Escena
Accelerating Supply/Demand Equilibrium: What Can We Learn From Other Industries?
Private club wins big with The Ultimate Skybox
Let’s make tee times like it’s 1999
November golf weather impact: ‘Tis the season of giving (back)
Columbus puts “premium” on golf, but is the price too low?
Esping’s EFO Financial acquires Colorado Brightwater Club
Anchors (rule) away!

The Pellucid Perspective - December 2012