---

In this issue:

* In The News
* GolfProHelp.com Resources
* Article "Purchasing Pro Shop Software? Consider This..."
* Calendar
* Current Giveaways
* New/Updated Listings
* Subscribe/Unsubscribe Info

-----------------------------------------------------------------
* In The News
-----------------------------------------------------------------

---
Nominations are being taken for PGA Special Awards
Here is your chance to nominate a deserving PGA member for one of the following PGA Special Awards:
PGA Golf Professional of the Year
PGA Teacher of the Year
The Horton Smith Award
The Bill Strausbaugh Award
PGA Junior Golf Leader
PGA Merchandisers of the Year (private, public and resort) The deadline date for nomination forms to be received by Section offices is April 5. Visit http://www.pgalinks.com/ for more information.

---
The NGCOA's third annual "Take Your Daughter to the Course Week" is scheduled for July 8-14. For more info, visit http://www.ngcoa.org/pageview.asp?doc=513

---
The PGA of America has announced that GCSAA members and their spouse will be able to get complimentary daily admittance to both the 63rd Senior PGA Championship (Firestone) and the 84th PGA Championship (Hazeltine).

According to the announcement, GCSAA members who wish to attend need to show their membership card and a photo I.D. at the "Will Call Trailer" located at the admission gate for each event. Members are asked to park in public parking and take a complimentary shuttle to the admission gate.
from GCSAA NewsWeekly

---
The American Society of Golf Course Architects have a new site, http://www.golfcourse1.com/, that is intended to be the single source for golf course development and remodeling projects.
from GCSAA NewsWeekly

---
Nokia and the Royal Society for the Preservation of Birds are trying to make the ringing of a cell phone a little more acceptable, with 38 downloadable ring tones that sound like birds. For more information, please visit: http://www.rspb.org/
from The Washington Times

---
Aramark, a maker of uniforms, has launched a new solution called "Build Your Own Uniform" which enables businesses to create a unique uniform program without leaving the office. Build Your Own Uniform provides images of what employees will look like in a variety of pants, shirts and jackets.

Custom uniform configurations created with Build Your Own Uniform can be saved online for later review or emailed directly to ARAMARK sales representatives for follow-up. For more info, visit http://www.aramark-uniform.com/
from Press Release

---
The 6th Annual Golf Car Review was put online March 10, 2002. This comprehensive report is the largest publication on the golf car industry. It cover Industry News, Product Reviews, and Personal Interviews. Visit the site at http://www.golfcarcatalog.com/.
from The Wire, http://www.golftransactions.com/

---
Golfweek and Callaway Golf Company have teamed up to introduce a new tournament series for golf professionals and skilled amateurs. The Golfweek/Callaway Pro Scratch Series will be played at 25 top-ranked courses across the U.S. The series is a two-man, 18-hole gross best-ball event for club professionals (all Class A Pros in good standing, except A-3) and amateur players who are chosen by each competing golf professional. For more info, visit http://www/golfweek.com/events, email gwen@golfweek.com, or call 877.805.4653.
from Golfweek, http://www.golfweek.com/

-----------------------------------------------------------------
* GolfProHelp.com Resources
-----------------------------------------------------------------

How to advertise in the newsletter and on the site:
http://www.golfprohelp.com/advertise.asp

How to advertise in the classifieds:
http://www.golfprohelp.com/classified_form.asp

Archive of GolfProHelp.com Newsletters:
http://www.golfprohelp.com/Archive/index.asp

Up to the minute golf news:
http://www.golfprohelp.com/news.asp

Add your golf-related business to our directory:
http://www.golfprohelp.com/addlink.asp

-----------------------------------------------------------------
* Article "Purchasing Pro Shop Software? Consider This..."
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Purchasing Pro Shop Software? Consider This...

By Dan Perry
President, Online Golf Solutions
danperry@onlinegolfsolutions.com

As autumn turns to winter, I receive many requests for my pro shop software advice. Because every facility has different needs, these are often difficult questions to answer. At this year's PGA Show in Orlando, I spent the bulk of my time interviewing more than 30 companies offering POS (point of sale), and online tee-sheet software. With this many suppliers, the options are endless. Many factors must be considered when purchasing software. The following suggestions should help narrow your selection.

1. Some suppliers target the private-club market, some the public, and others the management companies. However, not one of them said they'd turn down a different type of course. Be sure to ask under what category the majority of their installs fall.

2. Some companies suggest a local firm for networking, while others do all the work themselves. Should you encounter any trouble, it's best to have your representative near by, which is often unlikely.

3. Most companies claim to be nationwide, or even worldwide, when in reality most work regionally. Find out where their main focus is; that is, in what region are most of their installs done.

4. For the POS system, find out who will input your current inventory into the new system for the first time. If the onus is on you, ask about the level of difficulty. If the onus is on the supplier, ask about the additional cost. Although inputting inventory is a task you'll need to learn for yourself, if the cost is reasonable, consider allowing the supplier to do so initially; the first input can be very time consuming.

5. When problems arise that cannot be fixed remotely (usually with pcAnywhere), you need to know how quickly an onsite technician can be dispatched. Be sure to also find out whether or not the cost is included in your service agreement, or whether it's extra.

6. A small, but important detail: Many companies offer multiple prices for various memberships (junior, senior, etc.) However, a few of the newer companies are not currently doing so.

7. Consider your future needs. Some companies offer POS and tee-sheet software, while some offer one or the other. Most will integrate with each other, but if you're considering both, you'll probably want one system that will do it all. This becomes even more important if you want to add a food-and-beverage module. Keep in mind that this will not cut down on your annual fees. Most companies that sell per module, charge per module, not per install.

8. It's all about speed, and some systems are definitely faster than others. The key is to have well-trained personnel, so they can use the software to its fullest capabilities. This, in turn, makes ease-of-use a very important topic. Interact with your salesperson and have him/her include you in the demo; you'll learn to book tee times, check in golfers and accept POS payments, quickly and efficiently. You should also learn to add items to the inventory. You'll be doing this a lot, so be sure it's user-friendly.

9. The main advantage of switching to a POS software system from a cash register (or a cigar box) is the ability to create end-of-day reports. Request some sample reports and determine how easy or difficult it is to generate the reports you need.

10. Some tee-sheet software systems offer a color-coded "day-at-a-glance" feature, which allows you to view the total reservations on any given day. This is an extremely helpful feature. If the system doesn't have it, consider looking elsewhere.

I'd like to thank the following companies for providing the information for this article:

Abacus 21
Book4Golf.com
CAM Commerce Solutions
Chelsea Information Systems, Inc.
Club Data Corporation
Clubsystems Group, Inc.
Computer Golf Software, Inc.
Crescent Systems, Inc.
CyberQuest Corporation
ECR Software Corporation
EZLinks Golf, Inc.
Fairway Systems, Inc.
Fore! Reservations, Inc.
Gary Jonas Computing, Ltd.
Golf E Network
GolfGopher
Golfnet Inc.
GolfSwitch
Handicomp, Inc.
Integrated Business Systems, Inc.
Jencess Software & Technologies, Inc.
O.B.I. Software
MeritSoft Corporation
Onnik Corporation
Open Road Systems, LLC
Pro-Shopkeeper Computer Software Company, Inc.
Smyth Systems, Inc.
sZen Corporation
The User's Friend, Inc.
Vermont Systems
VGM Golf & Club Services

Confused about pro shop software? You're not alone. If you need an educated, unbiased opinion about the best software for your facility then Online Golf Solutions is the place to start. We offer cost-effective pro shop software consulting services. Before you spend thousands of dollars on the wrong system, talk to us!

Dan Perry
http://www.ogsgolf.com/
Online Golf Solutions
Phone: 847.894.5022
Fax: 413.403.8430

-----------------------------------------------------------------
* Calendar
-----------------------------------------------------------------

April 5-7, 2002
Northern Nevada Golf Expo
Reno/Sparks Convention Center
Web: http://www.bigshows.com/

April 8-10, 2002
The Willson Collective
52100 Avenida Alvarado
La Quinta, CA 92253
Phone: 760.771.3680
Email: michaels.pga@gte.net

April 18, 2002
Michigan Golf Course Owners Association Education Programming
How to fill your golf course without giving it away: a marketing and advertising program
Hawk Hollow Golf Course, Bath
Phone: 517.482.4312
Email: kmoore-mgcoa@acd.net

April 20 - 21, 2002
Florida First Coast Golf Show - Orlando
Central Florida Fair & Exposition Park
Phone: 888.35-.XPOS
Web: http://www.firstcoastgolfshows.com/

April 27 - May 2, 2002
American Society of Golf Course Architects Annual Meeting
Doubletree Fess Parker
Santa Barbara, CA
Phone: 312.372.7090
Email: asgca@publicis-usa.com
Web: http://www.asgca.org/

April 27 - May 2, 2002
Crittenden's Golf Expo XIV
Palm Springs Convention Center
Palm Springs, CA
Phone: 800.211.1697
Web: http://www.crittendenconferences.com/

If you have an event that you'd like added to the calendar, please
complete the form at http://www.golfprohelp.com/event_form.asp

-----------------------------------------------------------------
* Current Giveaways
-----------------------------------------------------------------

This month we have 6 giveaway items:

Prestige Products
http://www.prestigeproducts.com/
One (1) divot tool that has a unique design with a Swiss quartz watch. The face of the watch can be customized with any logo, and is currently a licensed product with the PGA tour and Senior PGA tour.

Toucan Golf
http://www.toucangolf.com/
Three (3) leather bag tags, laser engraved with the winners name.

Online Golf Solutions
http://www.ogsgolf.com/
Two (2) folding golf caddies, with 5 tees, a divot tool, a ball marker, and a pencil, all with the Online Golf Solutions logo.

These items can be viewed online at:
http://www.golfprohelp.com/giveaway.asp

-----------------------------------------------------------------
* New/Updated Listings
-----------------------------------------------------------------

AlignPro Inc.
http://www.alignpro.com/
800.532.4306
Allows golfers to draw a straight line on their ball.

AmberSoft Inc.
http://www.event-man.com/
508.428.0806
Makers of Event-Man software, which easily and efficiently manage all aspects of your golf events.

Creative Metal Casting
http://www.creativecasting.net/
480.483.2163
Designs, manufactures, and markets the finest golf accessories available. Based in Scottsdale, AZ, we pride ourselves on creating unique, distinctive renderings of your logo and manufacturing high quality products at the most competitive prices.

American Hole 'N One, Inc.
http://www.americanholeinone.net/
800.822.2257
Hole in one insurance, signage, and bonus prizes.

Course Community
http://www.coursecommunity.com/
925.988.9102
Have your local golf course news, reviews, discounts, and specials delivered to you. Select from our variety of free, regional or golf course specific e-newsletters.

If you have a site that is related to golf, and that would be beneficial to golf professionals
or course superintendents, please complete the form at http://www.golfprohelp.com/addlink.asp

-----------------------------------------------------------------
*Subscribe/Unsubscribe Info
-----------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe from this Ezine, please send an email to unsubscribe@golfprohelp.com, and put UNSUBSCRIBE in the Body.

-----------------------------------------------------------------