Golf clubs in the Home of Golf are being encouraged to ‘go social’ as part of a new strategic partnership between the Scottish Golf Union (SGU) and US-based All Square®, the social network for golf.
The SGU is working with Scotland’s 576 golf clubs to help them reach out and engage international golfers in Ryder Cup year and All Square®, which is establishing a business base in St Andrews, is seen as an ideal platform.
Ross Duncan, Marketing, Media and Sponsorship Manager at Scottish Golf Union, said: “The All Square® platform gives golf clubs an opportunity to enhance their online presence among a very targeted audience and we are happy to endorse the product to help All Square® get a foothold in the Scottish golf market. The platform has a potential global reach and creates a very strong marketing avenue that forward-thinking clubs can use to attract new visitors.
“Our partnership with All Square® comes at a time when the SGU is encouraging clubs to develop social media strategies, and reach out to overseas visitors on the back of our ‘Ryder Cup Ready’ activity. We will certainly be recommending clubs take advantage of the free registration to market their courses on All Square’s global digital platform.”
With a base in Silicon Valley, California, All Square®, supported by Troon Golf® and KPMG, uses the latest social media and app technologies to harness the passion for golf on a community level and focuses on the massively fragmented golf market that currently has myriads of golf-specific, sporting products.
According to All Square®, these products miss the connection golfers share in their love of the entire game, whether it is travel destinations, equipment, competitions, or more importantly, their personal relationships that often span a whole lifetime.
Arthur de Rivoire, co-Founder of All Square®, will be relocating to Scotland, to assist in introducing the product to clubs and businesses. Arthur, pictured above with Ross at Royal Aberdeen, said: “The Home of Golf, with its near 600 golf courses and 220,000 golfers, is the ideal market in which to test and develop our platform before rolling it out globally.
“We also chose Scotland as a base because of The 2014 Ryder Cup and the huge volume of social media activity this will generate. Working alongside the SGU, we are offering clubs the opportunity to raise their online visibility and enhance customer engagement.”
One of the Scottish clubs embracing social media is Bothwell Castle Golf Club in Lanarkshire.
General Manager, Jim Callaghan CCM, who is also a board member for the Scottish Region of the Club Managers’ Association of Europe (CMAE), commented: “Social media is becoming an important part of our marketing communications strategy and we are now actively using it to drive new revenues. We have come to recognise that constant engagement with new and existing customers over digital platforms is a much more cost-effective, and quicker, way to reach golfers.”
Golfers can find out more about the All Square® platform on the SGU’s stand at this week’s Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen.
