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 i-FACTS
is an Internet interface into Golf Computer Systems’
golf booking software, FACTS (Facility & Activity
Scheduling System). i-FACTS allows booking of golf tee times
live and in real time over the Internet, both by members
and by non-member guests. i-FACTS operates on your own
Web server, and interacts in real time with your
live database, thereby keeping bookings up-to-date
to the second. The technology to operate i-FACTS
is readily available, quite inexpensive, and easily
maintained either remotely by us or by your own
IT people.
i-FACTS does not incur charges to the club every
time a booking is made. It is controlled and operated
by you, and the booking data remains yours, and
under your control. The data resides on your computer
system, not ours. With data residing locally your
golf operations are not affected by Internet “outages”…..
it’s business as usual.
i-FACTS provides greatly increased member service,
while virtually eliminating duplication of players
on your booking sheets, and members “parking”
tee times. Members can easily see availability
of tee times, names of booked players on the tee
sheet, and the handicaps of those players. They
can then book themselves and other members in
to tee times quickly and easily.
And i-FACTS has huge potential to increase paying
green-fee visitors to your club, particularly
if you combine its introduction with a targeted
marketing campaign.
i-FACTS tracks bookings. It can track who has
made a booking… very useful when you are
following up members who no-show for example,
as they may claim not to have instigated their
booking. Or if you are paying a commission to
the management of your local motels or to hotel
concierges for ensuring their guests are booked
at your course, i-FACTS can track this detail
also. External commission agents can have their
own login, and can have applicable parameters
applied such as number of guests they can book
in a single session, days of the week into which
they can book, gender restrictions over selected
tee times and so on. Commission reports can then
be generated by the system to make administration
of these initiatives easy.
i-FACTS can be made available to wholesalers
to view availability at your course should you
wish them to do so, and optionally request bookings
of larger groups of players. Access can be restricted
to prevent them seeing player names, but to allow
them to view more information than a non-member
would see…. it’s up to you, and it’s
controlled by you.
You see, i-FACTS has two separate interfaces
– a member interface and a guest interface.
The member interface allows members to log in
using their member number and a Personal Identification
Number (PIN) as their password. After validating
the member login, the system then displays the
member’s current handicap, and provides options
to enable the member to book tee times, view messages
sent to the member from the course/club, and view
details of current bookings already in place.
Members can look up their current and future bookings
rather than phoning the club to check on their
booked tee times. If the system sees that it does
not have an email address on file for the member
then it prompts the member to enter one, thereby
keeping your database up to date with email addresses
of those members that interact electronically
with the club. Shortly the system will also be
capable of providing competition fixtures, competition
results, and a leader board for the current day
of play.
When members wish to book a tee time, they are
presented with the entire booking sheet for the
date selected. They are able to see the names
of other booked players in each tee time, and
their current handicaps. If the tee time is for
a competition event the member can then view details
of the competition, such as the type of event,
scoring system, and restrictions such as whether
the event is an open, invitation, or member only
event. Members may then select and secure a tee
time if they wish.
Members may also book other members into their
tee time, or book guests if the tee time and event
allows. You can place restrictions on whether
or not additional players can be booked by a member,
and if so, the number of players that the member
can book. You may elect that a member can book
only themselves, or themselves and only one other
player for example. Restrictions can also be set
to prevent bookings being made into selected tee
times based on gender or by category, and restrictions
can also be varied by member category. By this
means men cannot be booked into women’s competition
times, and 5 day members can not be booked into
weekend competitions for example.
When a member books another member or guest into
a tee time, the system records who has booked
whom, so an administrative trail can be followed
in the case of disputed bookings or no-shows.
A member may remove himself from a tee time, or
may modify or remove any player that he has booked.
For example, if player A books himself into a
tee time and adds players B and C into that tee
time, then A can modify or remove B and C’s
bookings since A instigated the bookings, but
B & C can only modify or remove themselves.
Once booked the system will optionally send an
automatic email to the member, and to any other
members he/she has booked, advising the date,
time, reference and players within the booking.
The guest interface does not present the detailed
booking sheet. Instead it requests the guest’s
preferred booking date and time, and then offers
the nearest available tee times to the time requested.
The number of available tee times offered to the
guest is user-definable. The guest can then select
their preferred time from those presented, and
confirm their booking after entering their details.
Credit card details can be required as a mandatory
item if you wish. At the conclusion of the booking
a booking confirmation number is passed back to
the guest, and an email confirmation is then automatically
generated. The email confirmation advises booking
date, time, number of players, hire requirements,
cost, booking reference, and optionally items
such as cancellation policy, no-show policy, location
map and dress regulations. The e-mail content
can be altered to suit your individual requirements.
Members and guests are required to provide e-mail
addresses when making bookings, and these are
stored for your later marketing use.
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