The Client

The Freedom Tour is a developmental tour for both professional and low-handicap amateur golfers in the New York Metropolitan area. It hosts weekly events at local NY Metro golf courses attracting some of the best golfers in the area. The tour commenced on Monday April 3rd, 2006 with weekly events every Monday until October when the Tour Championship takes place.

Background

Soon after the Freedom Tour concept was born, the management team needed to find an easy and cost effective way to promote the tour to golfers, golf courses, sponsors and the media. As a modern golf tour, they looked for technology to play a significant role in assisting them with promotion and the day to day operations such as keeping players and the media up to date with tour information and results. Tour management also looked for a solution that could make aspects of the tour much simpler, including online membership, registration payment, and nearly real-time score reporting.

The Solution

Green Island Interactive was selected as the tour technology partner because of their broad range of skills, and their track record for providing solutions on time and on budget, and their reputation for long-term support. After meeting with the tour team and analyzing their needs and goals, Green Island established a solution that would encompass all that the organizers needed to achieve in a short space of time. The solution offered the tour a variety of deliverables that included:

• A new and highly interactive web site for the tour and its members
• Promotion of the tour through established online marketing techniques
• Online registration & bookings and nearly real-time score reporting
• Members' section where players can update their profiles and review stats
• Communications system enabling contact with players through email and SMS messaging
• E-Commerce functionality for online membership and event registration

The Result

The website has received wide praise from participants, media, sponsors and the general public. They report that it is easy to find the information they need on upcoming events, online registration and bookings, results and more. The tour organizers are pleased with how easy it is for them to keep the website up to date and pride themselves on being able to provide players with score updates the evening of each event. Tour staff use the communications system designed by Green Island to communicate with players and members via email and SMS text message alerts. Players love receiving up to date information on their email or cell phone. Green Island continues to work with the tour to advance the site and to further promote it online.

View the website at http://www.freedomtour.us.