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(Jun-Ho Yang, Seoul Economic Daily)

These days, employees at Chuncheon's La Vie est Belle Country Club La Vie est Belle CC) in Gangwon are preparing to provide services similar to hotel concierges rather than just handling check-in and settlement tasks. Golf course patrons will receive a QR code along with their mobile reservations, which will serve as the key to access the golf course and make payments, eliminating the need for staff to verify reservation times and identities or provide locker keys.

Customers find the entire process contactless and convenient, while golf courses can reduce labor costs and gain opportunities for utilizing big data. This total solution causing a stir in the golf course industry is called 'Tiger GDS.' A company called AGL has recruited developers to build a golf service and management system based on cloud and big data. They operate both domestically and internationally, with offices in the United States and Singapore, and have received investments (pre-Series A) from K2 Investment Partners and Korea Investment Partners.

While the company name may not be familiar, CEO Jim Hwang is a well-known figure in the golf industry, renowned for his extensive experience. He comes from a background as a golf course mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and consulting specialist with the globally recognized sports agency IMG. CEO Hwang explained, "The aviation and accommodation industries have made operations, management, reservations, and payments incredibly easy with advanced systems, but the golf course industry has lagged behind despite the explosive market expansion," adding, "The reason for introducing the GDS (Global Distribution System) from the aviation and travel intermediation systems into the golf course industry.

The Tiger GDS serves as a central platform that integrates golfers and sales channels, including reservation applications and portals. Golfers can use QR codes for various purposes, including check-in, check-out, ordering food and beverages, and making pro shop payments. Golf courses can use data analysis based on user preferences such as age, gender, preferred days and times of play, and spending patterns to tailor their business strategies. It's similar to credit card companies utilizing big data from payment customers.

AGL has currently secured supply agreements with 10 domestic golf courses (based on 18 holes) and is in discussions for contracts with 159 others. Among these, 31 are international courses located in the United States, Japan, and other countries. CEO Hwang mentioned, "For domestic golf courses, we do not charge for the initial system setup, usage fees, or maintenance costs. We also have plans to add a golf category to global online travel agencies, which will benefit domestic golfers looking to plan golf trips abroad."

Sources : Seoul Economic Daily (https://www.sedaily.com)

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