Dot.golf eyes export potential of management system

By RICHARD PAMATATAU

Auckland's dot.golf is teeing off in Hong Kong as it looks to sell its handicap management system around the world.

Director Alan McCracken says the software, developed in partnership with the Golf Association, has huge export potential.

Japanese technology giant Fuji Xerox, which has partly financed development through sponsorship of website www.golf.co.nz, is considering how it can get behind the software for a global push. The website records and manages the handicaps of 140,000 registered golfers and receives thousands of hits a month.

Mr McCracken said the system was well received in Hong Kong where there are a lot of enthusiastic golfers.

The system is used by over 200 golf clubs free as part of the NZGA move to automate records that include course, date and score and allows internet access to results for members.

A member playing a different course need not remember his information because it is available on line. The product was developed because the NZGA was unable to find anything suitable on the world market.

An interface has been developed which allows golf clubs to print match cards to order matching their course. Mr McCracken said the cards were printed with a lot of information about the player previously entered by hand.

It also meant a record of the game was available to ensure that handicaps were kept honest because printing the card meant the database had been informed of the game.

Cards handed in after a game are entered into the database, which is updated overnight. Data could be entered and then projected to a screen in a club house so people could see who was leading a tournament.