I used to blog about my love of golf and my investment in Golfnow.com all the time. I so love internet yield management businesses . It was my Golfnow investment, despite it’s revenue and profitability focused model, that got me knee deep in web 2.0 thinking . Brett and Frank let me build out their web 2.0 community after I bugged them enough.
It is an amazing site built by Frank Halpin and Brett Darrow. They are still in charge.
I worked so freaking hard after I invested that it’s hard to just stop calling Brett anymore (Frank stopped taking my calls back in 2006 and Brett now actually loops me through Comcast customer service). There is so much growth ahead for this amazing yield management tool, that even Comcast can’t wreck it (I kid the cable behemoth).
We had Amy Banse on Wallstrip back in 2007. She runs Comcast Interactive. She’s a smart cookie. Although we have never met I had asked Lindsay and the team to subliminally play a GolfNow mantra in the background during the shoot. It worked…bigtime! It may be why the media bigshots are shying away from the interview segments on Wallstrip of late – they know I have other companies to sell . You can hide, but you can’t run!
I
Posted on July 24th, 2008 | Category: Golf, GolfNow | Comments Off
Golfnow.com is a very locally focused business, but Hawaii changes the game now as it is ‘The’ travel golf destination and we have the top courses and their inventory. Mexico too actually.
It was a big week for many of our portfolio companies.
At GolfNow , the Hawaii and Mexico integration has been awesome. You can click on the map for tee times all over Hawaii or go to TeeTimesHawaii directly. We now have the largest inventory of courses and inventory to choose from in those areas.
We also have a big tee time partner in the UK. Today’s Golfer is a huge magazine in the golf crazed UK and they have licensed our software to sell tee times to those tea drinking people. There are over 900 courses to come on board. To put it in perspective, California is our biggest market today with 400 courses so obviously a great opportunity. Congrats guys.
Most importantly for bloggers and potential income through affiliations, SmartLink Feeds are now all viral, JavaScript and Flash widgets . They are currently supporting and weekly updating 8 feeds so go check them out and spread the word. Make a little money as well from the best of lists.
With Hawaii fully digested into the GolfNow system, make sure you book all your vacation tee times there through GolfNow for the best rates.
We have also blasted into Atlanta and Washington DC with over 20 great courses in each city using our middleware. The golfers are loving it as always. Time, we need more time.
By next summer, New York and Toronto golfers will be enjoying GolfNow’s simple tee time solution. Yields…it’s all about the yields.
Disclosure – Investor in GolfNow
Posted on August 1st, 2007 | Category: Golf, GolfNow | Comments Off
TeeTimes and Yield Management were made for each other. It has been lot’s of blocking and tackling to get courses on the GolfNow system despite the amazing results courses continue to receive. One by one we have grabbed 1,500 courses.
Last week we hit a fewmilestones:
1. We acquired Tee Time Hawaii, the largest tee time provider in Hawaii. That gives us a stronghold in Arizona, California and Hawaii.
2. Troon Management began posting tee times. Troon holds many ‘The High’ end courses and tee times. They were the most concerned about price degaradation if they used GolfNow’s system. They realize now that it helps price and revenue per round (the key measure). Smart…but took you long enough .
I had a first row seat to see the power of the internet and invesntory with my investment in Rent.com
I have parlayed that investment (sold to Ebay) into golfnow.com.
I believe that golf course owners are where the airlines were in 1997 (about 10 years behind). Troon North’s move shows that we are finally getting to change and part two of the model which is flexible pricing.
Should a tee time in Phoenix at 6 am in JULY be the same price as one at noon. NO. More important, maybe the 6 am tee time is worth 20 percent more or maybe 30 percent. That is the power of the middleware. Pricing on the fly.
Golf courses have long feared price erosion from using the Golfnow system. They are finally starting to see that their Revenue Per Round (key metric) is rising.
. Brett and Frank let me build out their web 2.0 community after I bugged them enough.
