ClubSoft North America

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Raleigh, N.C. (February 2, 2011) – McConnell Golf, LLC has announced the purchase of its seventh premier golf club in the Carolinas, Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., a renowned Donald Ross design and site of PGA TOUR’s Wyndham Championship.

Sedgefield CC’s membership debated the possible sale throughout most of 2010, and after considering all options decided that the sale to McConnell was in the best interest of the legendary club, reaching its final decision with a vote in December 2010. Sedgefield CC has been a member-owned, private club since its founding in 1925.

In most vertical markets the need drives the development and product offerings. In the Club market it has been the opposite way, the product offers have driven or even suppressed the needs. Two great examples of this are the functionality v/s integration strategy and the subscription v/s capital purchase.

Sedgefield CC is home of the Wyndham Championship, the Piedmont Triad’s annual PGA TOUR event, which began in 1938 as the Greater Greensboro Open (GGO). Sam Snead won the inaugural tournament and would go on to capture the GGO eight times. From1938 to1961, Sedgefield was the alternate site of the GGO with Starmount Forest Country Club, and Sedgefield hosted the GGO for 16 consecutive years through 1976. The tournament moved to Forest Oaks Country Club in 1977.

In 2007, Sedgefield made more than $3 million in course improvements to restore the Ross-designed course to its original specifications with tweaks to accommodate modern golf technology. Noted Donald Ross course restoration architect Kris Spence led the restoration, and the Wyndham returned home to Sedgefield prior to the 2008 tournament.

“We are very happy for the Sedgefield membership and McConnell Golf because this purchase is very positive,” Brazil said. “We know John McConnell and his track record is impressive, so we understand the significance of this transaction, how it will affect the Wyndham Championship’s host course, and what it means for the future of the club and the tournament.

“If history is any indication, John will make significant enhancements at Sedgefield which will upgrade what is already a beautiful club,” Brazil said. “This ransaction is fantastic for all parties, which is why we have been in favor of it since the time we first heard it was being considered. We look forward to working with our new partners at McConnell Golf.”

Along with adding another Donald Ross-designed classic to McConnell Golf stable of premier offerings, the Sedgefield CC acquisition strategically complements McConnell Golf’s existing portfolio of golf properties and will receive the same superior level of restoration and enhancements dedicated to all McConnell Golf clubs.

Along with adding another Donald Ross-designed classic to McConnell Golf stable of premier offerings, the Sedgefield CC acquisition strategically complements McConnell Golf’s existing portfolio of golf properties and will receive the same superior level of restoration and enhancements dedicated to all McConnell Golf clubs.

McConnell Golf offers its country club members an unusual deal: Those who pay an initiation fee at one course gain access to all seven. With full golfing privileges at all McConnell Golf properties, members enjoy the benefits of playing a selection of topranked courses all maintained to the same high standards associated with any McConnell Golf Club.

McConnell Golf is an organization dedicated to delivering quality golf and amenities to its members. Owning strategically located courses throughout the Carolinas is a big part of the overall plan that brings exceptional value to its now 1,500-plus membership. “The Greensboro Triad area of North Carolina is a fertile market,” said John McConnell, CEO and President of McConnell Golf. “We can now deliver our multiple-club experience to golfers in this region. We believe owning two courses in Greensboro — one on the north end of the city and one on the south side — offers our members better value.”

About McConnell Golf
Founded in 2003, McConnell Golf (www.mcconnellgolf.com) promotes pure golf for the true golfer. A privately held company offering unlimited access to world-class facilities and golf courses designed by legends Donald Ross, Pete Dye, Tom Fazio, Arnold Palmer and Greg Norman, McConnell Golf provides members a quality golf experience at any of its seven award-winning courses: Raleigh Country Club in Raleigh, N.C.; Cardinal Golf & Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.; Treyburn Country Club in Durham, N.C.; Old North State in New London N.C., Musgrove Mill Golf Club in Clinton, S.C., The Reserve Golf Club in Pawleys Island, S.C., and Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C. The clubs are maintained and serviced to the highest standards, with an emphasis on true golf and absolute quality. McConnell Golf offers individual club memberships, as well as innovative corporate, national and international memberships delivering unmatched access to the top golf courses in the Carolinas.

Contacts:
Martin Armes (919) 608-7260, martinarmes@nc.rr.com Brad King (336) 306-9219, king@bradkingcommunications.com Ray McDonald (919) 922-4171, rmcdonald@mcconnellgolf.com

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In the spring of this year my company "McConnell Golf" merged with "ClubSoft" and formed the only technology vendor in the market that actually owns and operates private clubs. Now I have a view from both sides of the fence.

 

McConnell Golf was formed in 2003 when software entrepreneur John McConnell purchased the last course ever designed by Donald Ross, Raleigh Country Club. Since that time we have purchased 5 more Private Clubs in the Carolinas. So I can say with empirical data and certainty that; yes, technology can definitely improve member communication and the bottom line at the same time. But that is no earth shattering news; we all know deep down that technology when properly designed and used will improve our efficiencies. The hurdles remain though, capital investment, adoption, which company to partner with, how to deploy.

In most vertical markets the need drives the development and product offerings. In the Club market it has been the opposite way, the product offers have driven or even suppressed the needs. Two great examples of this are the functionality v/s integration strategy and the subscription v/s capital purchase.

Let me be the first to say that functionality is important. If a product does not meet your needs then all else is academic. But functionality is always the easier of the two to develop given you are using the latest tools. Lack of integration places many break points in the information stream and always introduces manual processes that are eliminated with single source products. Not to mention with an integrated "in-box to tee-box" product the customer has the proverbial "one throat to choke" when things go wrong. Most industries today have abandoned the best of breed model because they have already learned the lessons we are experiencing today.

The second example is probably the most important lesson still to learn. When a club buys the software (Capital) license, they have placed themselves in a vulnerable position that is eliminated in the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. When a club is paying as they use the product, they are attached to the vendor and the vendor’s income depends on constantly delivering a quality product and service. The SaaS model forges a true partnership between the club and vendor.

There are clubs (hopefully not yours) with products in place that are just barely being supported and virtually no enhancements are being made. The vendors collect the annual support fee and their obligations decrease each year. The winner in these situations is always the vendor because their investment goes down while their revenue remains the same. It is a vicious cycle that ultimately cost the client.

The tide is changing. Clubs are learning the value of SaaS and why it is in their long term best interest to pay for technology in this fashion. Vendors who adapt this method will ultimately be more successful as well. Short term revenues take a hit for sure, but the clients and vendors can take comfort in knowing that long term-recurring revenue and risk sharing is best for all.

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  It is often said that the Club market is behind other industries when it comes to technology. Not sure that is a complete accurate statement as I migrated from the health care industry several years ago and one would be hard pressed to make the case that the medical community has completely adopted technology. The one big difference is that the federal government is now footing the bill for health care technology by offering doctors and hospitals millions of dollars to convert to electronic records. The chances of that happening in the Club business are about as good as me getting my handicap in the low single digits. However, I must say that it has been interesting to see the trends taking place and the way that clubs and their governing bodies view technology and its role of member communication and cost saving.

  I am fortunate enough to have a view from both sides of the fence. In the spring of this year my company “McConnell Golf” merged with “ClubSoft” and formed the only technology vendor in the market that actually owns and operates private clubs. McConnell Golf was formed in 2003 when software entrepreneur John McConnell purchased the last course ever designed by Donald Ross, Raleigh Country Club. Since that time we have purchased 5 more Private Clubs in the Carolinas. So I can say with empirical data and certainty that; yes, technology can definitely improve member communication and the bottom line at the same time. But that is no earth shattering news; we all know deep down that technology when properly designed and used will improve our efficiencies. The hurdles remain though, capital investment, adoption, which company to partner with, how to deploy. These roadblocks to use are not unique to our business but the vendor communities’ lack of creative thinking is.

  In most vertical markets the need drives the development and product offerings. In the Club market it has been the opposite way; the product offers have driven or even suppressed the needs. Two great examples of this are the functionality v/s integration strategy and the subscription v/s capital purchase. Let me be the first to say that functionality is important. If a product does not meet your needs then all else is academic. But functionality is always the easier of the two to develop given you are using the latest tools. Lack of integration places many break points in the information stream and always introduces manual processes that are eliminated with single source products. Not to mention with an integrated “in-box to tee-box” product the customer has the proverbial “one throat to choke” when things go wrong. Most industries today have abandoned the best of breed model because they have already learned the lessons we are experiencing today. The second example is probably the most important lesson that we have yet to learn and it is the fact that when a customer actually buys the software (Capital) license, they have placed themselves in a vulnerable position that is eliminated in the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. When a user is paying as they use the product, the vendor is attached to that client and must continue to deliver on quality product and service because their income depends on it. The SaaS model forges a true partnership between the client and vendor. I am sure you are aware of clubs (hopefully not yours) that have products in place that are just barely being supported and virtually no enhancements are being made. The vendors collect the annual support fee and their obligations decrease each year. The winner in these situations is always the vendor because their investment goes down while their revenue remains the same. It is a vicious cycle that ultimately costs the client. The tide is changing though and Clubs are learning the value of SaaS and why it is in their long term best interest to pay for technology in this fashion. Vendors who adapt this method will ultimately be more successful as well. Short term revenues take a hit for sure but the client and vendor can take comfort in the fact that long term recurring revenue and risk sharing is best for all.

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ClubSoft launched their "Bite Size Learning" program in July 2010 with immediate success.

The premise of the program is to provide "bite sized" focused online training sessions to clients. Classes are designed to give clients a complete explanation of how to manage specific tasks in the ClubSoft system, so they can choose from a variety of topics. ClubSoft users are encouraged to take advantage of these complimentary online classes to learn more about any subjects of interest. Classes scheduled for September 2010 include:

Web Photo Galleries
Web Custom Forms
Targeted Member Marketing
Web Polling
Test Message & Email Marketing Design
Guest Management & Marketing Tips
Web Reporting with Google Analytics
Calendar Management & Event Registration
Using the Web Editor Tools
Promoting Your Website


The ClubSoft "Bite Size Learning" catalog continues to expand as new classes are introduced monthly. Overlake Golf & Country Club General Manager Marcus King, CCM, PGA commented, "This is a real value for ClubSoft clients."

For more information, clients may login to the ClubSoft client portal at http://www.clubsoftnorthamerica.com. To view events & register online, visit http://www.clubsoftnorthamerica.com/calendar/index.aspx

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Thank you for visiting our web-site. We are glad that you have taken a few minutes to learn more about ClubSoft and our unique approach to software and to the private club industry. Before you learn more about our products I would first like to introduce you to our team and company philosophy. Just like in your club, we believe it is the team members who ultimately define the organization and the service that is delivered. ClubSoft was born out of the frustration that the founding team members had with the private club software industry. They knew that the industry deserved better, and one way or another they were determined to reshape the industry through superior technology and affordable products. This team was and is today made up of the best the industry has to offer. (Go to our about us tab at the top of the page to learn more) Everyone at ClubSoft shares the common goal of ensuring that our clients are more efficient and better operators as a result of the products and services that we deliver.

The concept is actually very simple, older products cost more to install and maintain. We know that improved technology translates into lower operating cost and the most user friendly applications. ClubSoft has been built from the ground up to guarantee a comprehensive package that is backed by a skilled group of individuals who are the best the industry has to offer. We want to make a difference in the operations of your club. The recent merger of ClubSoft and McConnell Golf places us in a unique position. Our clients are now partnered with a technology company that actually owns and operates 6 private clubs. We live in the same environment as our clients and that gives us the insight and incentive to deliver quality every day.

If you are looking for an organization that understands how to harness and simplify technology for your club then you have come to right place. A short conversation with one of our team members and you will quickly understand why over 150 of the top clubs in the nation have made ClubSoft one of the fastest growing companies in the private club software market. We take away the need for large upfront cash purchases and believe that you should pay for technology as you use it. Our goal is to deliver more than our customers expect or pay for. I hope you decide to learn more about us.

Ray McDonald

CEO