Aug
25
2-ball booking is now available
Filed Under News | Leave a Comment
Can’t form a full flight? Just wanna go hit the fairways with your golf buddy, partner or kiddo on a quiet morning?
Well, we hear you. Two-ball online golf booking is now available on weekdays at Keppel Club, Sembawang Country Club, Legends Golf & Country Resort, Starhill Golf & Country Club and Lam Luk Ka Country Club. It is also available on weekends at Ria Bintan Golf Club and the three Gassan golf clubs in Chiangmai. Simply visit our portal at www.clickateeonline.com
You can also make two-ball booking at both Serapong and Tanjong courses in Sentosa Golf Club on weekdays (access via www.clickateeonline.com/sentosa)
Thank you for all your feedback.
Aug
9
Extract from Business Times - 09 Aug 2008
New interactive system lets you do this real-time for courses in and around Singapore, reports JUSTINE MOSS
WEBSITES dedicated to the golfing world have been around since the dawn of the Internet Age, and products and services aimed at the e-savvy golfer range from online retailers flogging the latest hi-tech equipment and apparel to golf tournament staging, and those offering golf vacations and sought-after tee times at exclusive courses. There’s a huge market out there for busy golfers who want access to this and more via the click of a mouse.
One slice of the Internet golfing pie involves booking tee times at a number of well-known public and exclusive golf courses around the world. While detractors may argue that it is easier to pick up the phone, online booking allows golfers to book out of hours - plus there’s usually valuable information on these sites showing availability, pricing, course and weather conditions.
The newest system on the block is Clickateeonline.com, an interactive, real-time online golf reservation system which went live three weeks ago. The idea for developing this portal stemmed from founder David Goh’s own experience with limited access to golf courses. ‘Most of us started out driving to Malaysia to play golf simply because most of the local golf clubs are off-limits if you are not a member,’ he says. ‘But when you visit these local golf clubs, you find that the courses are not full every day. If the clubs can allow some access to visitors, they’ll be able to get an added revenue stream and use it to improve the club facilities and services for its members.’
Mr Goh adds: ‘The way for the game of golf to continue to grow in Singapore is to increase the utilisation of golf courses. We can’t afford to build more public courses amid the scarcity of land. Yet, none have been able to do so without infringing on the privileges of club members. Through the latest web technology, we have found a way for members and non-members to co-exist.’
What differentiates this portal from other websites in Asia is its real-time facility, according to Mr Goh. He says that other golf websites in Asia involve filling out an online form, emailing it off and then waiting for a confirmed booking. ‘Why would I bother to do that? I may as well pick up the phone and get immediate confirmation,’ he says.
‘With Clickateeonline, everything is real-time and your booking is confirmed straightaway. An email is sent giving you confirmation details and an ID.’ He adds: ‘Some of the US websites have been planned in a very linear fashion. When we planned this we wanted something very easy for golfers.’
There are currently 13 courses in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand available on the website and these include Keppel Club, Sembawang and Jurong Country Clubs, Legends and Starhill in Johor and Lam Luk Ka Country Club in Bangkok. Mr Goh is hoping to grow this to 80 by the end of the year.
‘We’ve created a target list,’ he says. ‘In Indonesia you’re really just talking about Bintan and Batam, and we’re not going into Jakarta or Surabaya yet. We’ll probably go as far south as Perth and probably go into China as well.’
Regions outside Asia might also be an option in the future, says Mr Goh. ‘This is borderless - it’s a matter of time, resources and response. The US is probably a bit saturated but we think we still have a better product as to what’s out there, and with the right funding we might even expand there.’
Using this golf reservations system is free and it’s relatively simple to navigate. You don’t have to be a member or register to use the website, and once you make a booking, you receive an email with confirmation of your booking plus a login ID and password.
After deciding on when and where you want to play, you click on that timeslot which reveals the number of flights available and how many golfers can play at that time. The price and what it includes is shown in local currency, and might typically include playing 18 holes, buggy, lunch and caddy. Most of the courses have a cancellation policy of about three days, and Clickateeonline will send golfers a reminder about their booking.
Other features of the portal include a quick overview of golf courses, a detailed course description with hole-by-hole photos and tips on how to play. ‘My Game’ allows golfers to view, edit or cancel their online bookings. There’s also ‘My Score’ - a personal score repository that let golfers submit their hole-by-hole scores online - and ‘My Stats’, an interactive chart that plots golfers’ performance over time, with callouts of specific scorecards and score breakdowns.
An additional feature for the future is a community-style add-on, which Mr Goh says he may call ‘the tee-room’, where golfers can upload a picture of themselves and post something on the notice board saying they’re playing a particular course on a certain day and time to see whether other golfers would like to join them.
Loftec has already started working on Phase 2, which promises many more nifty features for golfers. Adds Mr Goh: ‘We want to build an entire golf ‘ecosystem’ around Clickateeonline.com.’
Aug
7
Welcome Jurong Country Club, Starhill Golf & Country Club & Ria Bintan Golf Club
Filed Under Golf Courses | Leave a Comment
Golfers in Singapore will now be pampered for choices. Jurong Country Club, Starhill Golf & Country Club and Ria Bintan Golf Club are the latest golf clubs to offer real-time online golf reservations through our portal.
Jurong Country Club is one of the few golf clubs here that offer night golfing. With their $3 million floodlight system with 720 lights strategically deployed throughout the entire course that renders a natural carpet of light, you can partake in one of life’s finest indulgences in cool, tropical evenings!
The course plays to a par 72 and is split into two distinct halves, with the clubhouse sitting snugly in the middle. The front nine, designed by British architect Frank Pennick, sprawls over heavily wooded hills and valleys with one major water hazard. The back nine, by contrast, is a green-carpeted plain. You can swing into widened fairways moulded with Zoysia grass running into the Jurong Lake that provides a velvet-smooth playing surface, and the incomparable Bermuda grass on the greens.
Starhill Golf & Country Club is only a short drive from across the Causeway. Favored particularly by Japanese golfers, the club boasts a 36-hole championship course complemented by a sumptuous spread of Japanese cuisine.
As it is one of the earliest Golf Clubs to be developed in Johor, the trees lining the sides of the fairways are now taller and maturing making the fairways tighter. The colonial styled clubhouse perched atop a hill commands a spectacular view of the surroundings.
This next course needs no introduction. Voted the best golf course in Indonesia and Asia’s 5th best golf course by Asian Golf Monthly last year, Ria Bintan Golf Club is a world-class golfing destination that keeps golfers captivated with its 27-hole championship course designed by Gary Player.
And the best part is - it takes you less than an hour to escape the hustle and bustle of the concrete jungle to find your golfing paradise in Singapore’s neighbouring island of Bintan.
We offer real-time access to tee-times at Ria Bintan Golf Club through www.clickateeonline.com. By booking the ferry separately by yourself (www.brf.com.sg), you will stand to enjoy savings of up to $5 per golfer over even the lowest daytripper package price offered by the club. Why not, since you are saving the club the effort of making ferry arrangements. You will still enjoy express check-in and immigration clearance, golf bag handling service and complimentary roundtrip transfers between Bintan Ferry Terminal and Ria Bintan Golf Club. So what are you waiting for?
Aug
6
MEDIA RELEASE
SINGAPORE – 6 August 2008 – Loftec Private Limited, a Singapore start-up, announced today its launch of clickeateeonline.com – a FREE, open access golf reservations system that allows users to book tee-off times instantly at 13 courses in the region, including Keppel Club, Sembawang Country Club, Jurong Country Club and Ria Bintan. The list of courses is expected to grow to 80 by end of the year.
Inspiration for such a portal came from the founder, David Goh’s own experience with limited access to golf courses. “Most of us started out driving to Malaysia to play golf simply because most of the local golf clubs are off-limits if you are not a member. But when you visit these local golf clubs, you find that the courses are not full every day. If the clubs can allow some access to visitors, they will be able to get an added revenue stream and use it to improve the club facilities and services for its members.”
David elaborates, “Like airlines, golf courses have a perishable product - why let it go to waste. They can segment their product like the airlines’ First, Business and Economy class - everyone can have access to the basic product of flying from point A to B on the same plane, but enjoy different levels of priority, comfort and exclusivity.” The comparison with the airline industry is no coincidence as David spent 10 years with Singapore Airlines management before taking the leap of faith for entrepreneurship.
“The way for the game of golf to continue to grow in Singapore is to increase the utilization of golf courses. We can’t afford to build more public courses amid the scarcity of land. Yet, none have been able to do so without infringing on the privileges of club members. Through the latest web technology, we have found a way for members and non-members to co-exist.”
Until now, the process of reserving a round of golf in Singapore and the region can also be frustrating. Making phone calls (and for tourists, long-distance calls) to multiple clubs to find available slots and various pricing deals can be time consuming. This will all change with clickateeonline.com. The site adopts a unique Web 2.0 look and feel that displays course information, prices and availability - all in one single page without the user having to click the mouse. It also allows users to update golf scores and track their personal golf statistics online for FREE.
Loftec has already started working on Phase 2 which promises many more nifty features for the golfers. “We want to build an entire golf ‘ecosystem’ around clickateeonline.com”.
Key features currently include:
• Real-time golf availability and price display for 13 courses
• Immediate confirmation of golf reservations
• Quick overview of golf courses
• Detailed Course description, including hole-by-hole photos and tips on how to play
• My Game that allows golfers to edit or cancel their online bookings
• My Score – a personal score repository that let golfers submit their hole-by-hole scores online
• My Stats – an interactive chart that plots the golfers performance over time, with callouts of specific scorecards and score breakdown
MEDIA CONTACT
Peter Ng
Mobile: (65) 96858484
Email: media@loftec.biz
David Goh
Fax: (65) 63141878
Mobile: (65) 98521204
Email: david_goh@loftec.biz
Jul
24
Dear friends,
Come visit our new golf reservations portal - www.clickateeonline.com
You will get real-time access to not just one, but 13 golf courses around the region (yes, the number keeps increasing, we couldn’t keep track). We are constantly adding more golf courses in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
For most of you who are familiar with the earlier version of our online golf booking engine, you will know that all our tee-times are based on real-time availability and immediate confirmation. No more phonecalls, fax or emails.
And it is not just about seeing all courses’ availability at one glance. We also added a couple of cool stuff. Now, you can get a quick overview of the courses on the main page itself. To see more details, click on Courses. You will get to see interactive hole-by-hole photos and tips on how to play each hole.
Other exciting features include My Score - a personal score repository that let you submit your scores online. Once done, you can use our interactive charts at My Stats that help you track your performance over time, with callouts of specific scorecards and score breakdown.
And the best part of all these new features - they are FREE!
Visit us and tell us what you think, ok? Tell your friends about our website if you like it.
Wanna golf?
- Brought to you by the team behind www.clickateeonline.com
Jun
6
www.clickateeonline.com/sembawang
We are pleased to announce the launch of Sembawang country club’s real-time, online golf booking facility for visitors. With her origin dating as far back as 1968, you can expect to be greeted by the natural landscaping comprising of mature Raintrees and a variety of palms at Sembawang country club. Despite its popularity, the green fees are relatively affordable, with Monday* specials priced at an attractive S$65, including buggy fees. So see you at the “Commando Course”, which is what it is affectionately named by the regular golfers. Book early to avoid being disappointed.
* closed for maintenance on alternate week
May
14
How exactly do you calculate your handicap (index)?
Filed Under Decoding the USGA Handicap System | Leave a Comment
Most of you might already know the answer, but perhaps, there are others like me who think we know the answer but don’t really know. So let me share with you what I found out along the way.
First, the definition:
A “Handicap Index” is the USGA’s service mark used to indicate a measurement of a player’s potential ability on a course of standard playing difficulty. It is expressed as a number taken to one decimal place.
Now that you know the definition, let’s go through the USGA handicap formula:
Step 1: Determine the number of handicap differentials to use (see “Ever wonder what the Course Rating and Slope Rating represent” on “handicap differentials”). Under USGA handicap system, you need to submit at least five scores before the handicap index may be calculated. Some local clubs/association may demand more scores to be submitted because the accuracy of the handicap index is directly proportional to the number of acceptable scores submitted. For illustration purpose, let’s use 20 scores.
Step 2: Calculate your handicap differentials ((adjusted gross score - course rating) x 113 / slope rating)
Step 3: Average the number of handicap differentials being used. You do not average ALL the handicap differentials submitted. If you submitted 20 scores, you will only average the 10 lowest handicap differentials.
Step 4: Multiply the average by 0.96 (this factor is known as the Bonus for Excellence. It is the incentive for players to improve their golf games)
Step 5: Delete all number after the tenths’ digit. Do not round to the nearest tenth.
Example:
Total of 10 lowest handicap differentials (from the most recent 20 scores submitted) = 154.8
Average = 15.48
Multiply by 0.96 = 14.861
Delete all digits after tenths = 14.8
This is your handicap index … 14.8
Noticed how the formula only picks your 10 lowest handicap differentials from 20 scores submitted? So the next time you play a terrible game, don’t forget to submit your score. Submission of scores is mandatory and if it is an anomaly, rest assured that it will not be taken into account in calculating your handicap index.
In addition to the above, there is a provision under USGA Handicap System to reduce the Handicap Index calculated by the above method if the player posted exceptional tournament scores. We’ll save that for later.
Enjoy your game!
David
(reference: USGA Handicap System 2008-2011)
May
1
Ever wonder what the Course and Slope Rating represent?
Filed Under Decoding the USGA Handicap System | Leave a Comment
For beginners, have you ever wondered what is the meaning and purpose of the Course and Slope ratings you see on the scorecard? Golf lessons do not necessary explain these rather technical stuff … mine didn’t.
Well, let’s decode it:
1. Definition
Course Rating (or USGA Course Rating) is the USGA’s mark that indicates the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer under normal course and weather conditions. In short, it reflects the probable score of a scratch golfer playing on the course. So the higher the number, the more difficult is the course.
Slope Rating is the USGA’s mark that indicates the measurement of the relative difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch golfers compared to the USGA Course Rating. The lowest Slope Rating is 55 and the highest is 155. A golf course of standard playing difficulty has a Slope Rating of 113. The higher the number, the more difficult is the course for players who are not scratch golfers.
Confused? Don’t worry, the explanation below is more intuitive.
May
1
Welcome Keppel Club
Filed Under Golf Courses | Leave a Comment
www.clickateeonline.com/keppel
We continue to grow our portfolio of golf clubs. Keppel Club is the second club to come on board in April.
Just 10 minutes away from the heart of the city, Keppel Club has been home to an appealing range of facilities for both the young and old for over a century. Its natural beauty provides golfers with an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Given their proximity and good club facilities, their participation is going to be a big hit among the golfers in Singapore. I’m going to personally try out the course with some golfers I ‘met’ in Facebook on Friday.
May
1
Welcome Sentosa Golf Club, Singapore
Filed Under Golf Courses | Leave a Comment
www.clickateeonline.com/sentosa
If Legends Golf & Country Club was the ignition for our business, Sentosa Golf Club was the engine that propelled us forward when we launched their real-time booking site on April 17th. We couldn’t have found a better club to endorse our product.
Undisputedly Singapore’s most exclusive and beautiful golf club; Sentosa Golf Club is the home to not one but two of the most scenic yet challenging golf courses in the region - Serapong and Tanjong. Serapong is the venue for Asia’s richest National Golf tournament Barclays Singapore Open. The completion of a year long multi-million renovation project has also resulted in state-of-the-art meeting and conferencing facilities and top class dining options. No where else can golf and business mix so eloquently, putting Sentosa Golf Club truly in a class of its own.
The inkling of this partnership marks a key milestone in the growth of clickateeonline.