Holly Ridge Golf Links does things differently than most public golf courses – from the online booking of an exclusive tee time through the 19th hole service provided by robots in a leather sofa-filled lounge surrounded by golf simulators.
That’s because when Luke Hollingsworth took over as sole owner in 2007, the golf course business wasn’t booming as it is in the post-Covid 19 era.
The U.S. economy was stuck in recession and the housing bubble was about to burst. With play down at U.S. courses, Hollingsworth was looking for answers to increase efficiency and revenue at Holly Ridge.
“It was all out of necessity to sustain the business. That was the main catalyst,” said Hollingsworth, whose father Dale opened the course with partners Phil Ridge and Bobby Myers in 1994. “I’ve always been one to do things different. I don’t understand why everyone wanted to be like everyone else. I believe that in business you have to do things to make yourself stand out.”
Convinced that he did want to remain in the golf business, Hollingsworth took on the challenge when his father’s partners wanted to sell. He sought new, better ways to do business.
Eventually, Hollingsworth created Tee Caddie, a tee sheet platform that sells tee times, not individual rounds, and is supported by targeted digital marketing.
“I told my dad, ‘I don’t know anything else I’d rather be doing,” Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth has made it work. Revenues are up close to 200% in the five years since Tee Caddie debuted.
Though the pandemic created some initial demand in 2020, Holly Ridge has continued to grow revenues at a similar rate each following year.
Foremost among the business solutions Hollingsworth (middle in top photo) found was a different way to book golf – sell tee times rather than single rounds.
Led by partners Chris Sidden (left, top photo) and Jacob Shouse (right), Tee Caddie developed technology to maximize efficiency from marketing and booking times and integrating each into a proprietary POS system.
Another major additional revenue source (non-weather dependent) is the spacious Bunker Lounge filled with six simulators (golf and other games), comfy sofas and tables, and a menu including steak, brisket and salads brought to the tables by robots.
“We’re not totally a golf course. We’re in the entertainment business,” Hollingsworth said. “There’s a lot of cookie-cutter courses where everything is the same. I think golf has been stuck with blinders for 100 years.
“In my opinion, instead of bettering what they have and making themselves stand out, owners were just kind of grasping at straws instead of focusing on what they had and creating revenue streams.”
With Tee Caddie, Hollingsworth put himself in prime position to capitalize on the recent boom. The exponential growth in revenues has continued post-pandemic.
“Since 2022, we’re still climbing,” Hollingsworth said. “I have to assume that’s due to reinvestment in course and the tech that we do.”
Now, Hollingsworth and partners are offering Tee Caddie — complete with the fully integrated, proprietary POS system and social media advertising — to other courses.
BOOKING TIMES, NOT ROUNDS
Before launching Tee Caddie, Hollingsworth was frustrated by the lack of efficiency with the traditional way golf is sold.
According to the USGA, the average group at a U.S. course includes only 2.6 – not 4 – players, leaving a 35% gap between actual and potential revenue for greens fees and carts in the traditional method of booking per round.
“I think the golf industry has been charging for golf incorrectly,” Hollingsworth said. “Do we need a rate for a single round of golf? Absolutely! But a golf courses’ main inventory consists of tee times, not rounds.
“Think about it like this: Look at any tee sheet in the world. What is on that sheet? Tee times, not rounds. When solicitors come asking for a charitable donation, what do they ask for? A foursome of golf, which is in essence a tee time.
“Other third-party vendors that golf courses use require tee times (not rounds!) for their services. So, if tee times are what we have in our inventory and tee times are what other people and businesses are asking us for, why in the world are we not selling them?”
Selling by the tee time also has benefits for players.
“A lot of people get confused and think it is strictly a “foursome” rate,” Hollingsworth said. “That is completely false – it’s a “tee time” rate. While foursomes obviously get the better deal financially, it also caters to the folks that don’t want to be paired up.
“Once the tee time is purchased, it is out of inventory, so there is no need to try and pair up singles and twosome with others. In other words, if you purchase a tee time instead of a round, that time slot is yours. Bring whoever you like, as many as you like (up to four) and there’s no worry about someone being paired with your group.
“If you want to purchase a single round of golf then you are subject to being paired. That’s the difference between selling rounds and tee times.”
ELIMINATING HEADACHES
Hollingsworth, who started as superintendent at Holly Ridge after earning a degree in agronomy at N.C. State, said he began considering switching to tee time pricing as early as 2011 or 2012.
Though unique to the Triad and most of the U.S. market, selling golf online by the tee time is standard practice in the United Kingdom.
With Tee Caddie, Hollingsworth said Holly Ridge averages about 3.4 players per tee time, as opposed to the 2.6 national USGA average. He also stated that 90% of his weekend times are Tee Caddie online bookings. Additional threesomes and foursomes also produce more revenue from merchandise and food and drink sales.
Paying online in advance takes away headaches course owners typically suffer from traditional phone reservations that tie up staff, and if not pre-paid, leave course owners vulnerable.
Some golfers will call multiple courses to reserve times, then make their choice without cancelling the others.
“Another benefit I’ve seen is that by requiring booking online, no-shows are no longer an issue, and you don’t have groups booking four players and showing up with only two players,” Hollingsworth said.
HOW TEE CADDIE WORKS
How does a Tee Caddie partnership work? Tee Caddie doesn’t charge partner courses’ a fee up front. Instead, a revenue target is set considering the number of POS systems the course requires.
Tee Caddie offers multiple pricing strategies to fit the golf courses’ overall goal.
Initial Tee Caddie partners include Siler City Country Club, Monroeton Golf Club in Reidsville and Hedingham Golf Club in Raleigh, courses managed by Dail Golf, a company founded by longtime Triad superintendent Geoff Dail.
“Dail Golf has been an excellent early partner because they recognize the need of effective golf course management services and rely on the Tee Caddie technology to help their managed courses succeed,” Hollingsworth said.
Though focused on adding courses in the central NC markets, Hollingsworth also has ongoing discussions with other potential users in different regions of the country.
Sidden and Shouse, the technology team for Tee Caddie, are hardware and software technology veterans from Winston-Salem.
Tee Caddie uses targeted Meta ads to drive players to the booking platform. With a course website and the Meta campaign ads as the primary methods for booking times, the effectiveness of the campaigns can be accurately measured.
Tee Caddie includes the fully managed marketing services for all participating courses. Hollingsworth and his technology team believe Tee Caddie is an attractive alternative to the “800-pound Gorillas” that dominate online tee time booking platforms.
“Tee Caddies’ platform is a movement that’s more than just software,” said Sidden. “It’s a declaration of our commitment to reclaim your golf course and your time. It’s your key to regain control of your customers and your tee times. Harness it alongside our managed marketing system, and the reins are back in your hands.”
“It’s essential to recognize that the third-party vendors’ primary customer is the golfer, not the golf course owner,” Sidden said. “Tee Caddie presents a unique opportunity for golf course owners to reassess their marketing strategies and consider discontinuing the use of barter in favor of a true golf management platform.”
In the competitive landscape of attracting new customers, Tee Caddie lightens the load for pro shop managers by seamlessly handling the intricacies of online advertising. The unique platform covers everything from crafting engaging content to the dynamic publication of live ads, showcasing a campaign strategy that delivers more golfers to the course.
POS-ITIVE EFFICIENCY
Tee Caddie is about more than Tee Times. It also provides efficiency utilizing the latest technology with an element of fun.
Tee Caddie has teamed with a Canadian golf course management systems provider, Visual Touch (VT) Golf, to employ a tee sheet that also effectively integrates tee times, merchandise, food and beverage (including on-course drink carts) into a single computerized POS system.
Tee Caddie has exclusive U.S. rights to the VT Golf platform. With VT Golf, every POS is connected.
Utilizing the technology, there’s only limited need for staff in Holly Ridge’s Bunker Lounge, where two robots from VT Golf deliver food and clear tables. The kiosk in the lounge will provide a direct method of sending orders to the kitchen.
The robots help the staff to keep the focus on the customer experience.
“People love the robots,” said Hollingsworth. “I think some people come in just to see them.”
ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATION
As Hollingsworth points out, Holly Ridge doesn’t look like the typical public golf course.
The front door of the modern, but rustic-in-décor clubhouse opens into an attractive full-service bar with comfortable stools. A new pro shop is further right, around a corner. The hallway to the left opens into the Bunker Lounge. An outdoor deck with tables and seating is in the back, overlooking the course and driving range.
An open layout where wind and water protect par features smooth, Ultradwarf Bermuda greens and well-maintained fairways. Old whiskey barrels identify the tee on each hole. Carts are equipped with GPS providing yardages.
The 6,790-yard course is solid with a 72.4 rating and 140 slope from the back tees. Last year, it served as host for the Carolinas Golf Association’s North Carolina Senior Amateur.
The driving range is included for players with a tee time. In addition to daily lunch, the bar and grill serves dinner on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The clubhouse also hosts an occasional concert.
The facility is frequently booked at night for weddings and other social gatherings.
Hollingsworth was quick to go all-in on simulators — popular entertainment for social occasions and perhaps the best revenue source during inclement weather.
When rounds are canceled due to lightning or heavy rain, the course offers the simulators as one alternative to a rain check. “With simulators, we’ve created a whole new base of customers,” Hollingsworth said.
Located off an isolated stretch of U.S. 311, Holly Ridge has become a golf, food, and entertainment destination for the surrounding area.
For more information about Tee Caddie, contact:
Luke Hollingsworth email: luke@teecaddie.info 336-442-0281
Chris Sidden email: chris@teecaddie.info
Jacob Shouse email: jake@teecaddie.info