Troon deal a huge leap forward for 2019 start-up
A division of Troon Golf has signed on with Sensible Weather, a forecaster, to offer refunds – as opposed to rainchecks – to golfers whose rounds are threatened with bad weather.
Sensible Weather relies on intensive data processing to predict weather in a highly localized area. The predictions have enough accuracy to allow the company be able to inform a golfer or group of golfers ahead of time that their rounds will likely be impacted adversely by weather.
Since its founding in 2019, the company has worked with theme parks, ski resorts, hotels and campgrounds to offer similar inclement-weather guarantees, Nick Cavanaugh, Sensible Weather’s founder, said.
The Troon Partners Network, a division of Troon Golf, a provides golf- and club-related hospitality services company for Troon-managed properties. The company manages 575 courses in the U.S>, eight of them in Alabama.
The idea behind Sensible Weather’s business model is straightforward: A golfer booking a tee time online through a golf course website or through a third-party platform such as EZLinks or Golf Now is offered the opportunity to protect that tee time against the chance of inclement weather by buying a weather guarantee for a small added charge.
The guarantee is especially attractive to groups booking tee times at “bucket-list” courses.
“You can continue to play, as long as the course is not closed,” Cavanaugh told Alabama Golf News in an interview in January 2023. The refund takes some of the sting out of the experience of being rained out, Cavanaugh said.
Eliminating the raincheck process will enable Troon course operators to reduce cancellations and stress, lock in booked revenue, and increase guest loyalty, Troon said in a news release.
Sensible Weather: Eliminating golf rainchecks
“We are excited to announce this partnership with Sensible Weather,” said Ryan Pensy, vice president of strategic partnership at the Troon Partners Network. “With more than 500 golf courses in our U.S. portfolio from coast to coast, weather is obviously a daily factor in running operations. Through this Sensible Weather partnership, we can benefit both our golfers and our golf course operators with a guarantee program that is a win-win for everyone.”
Cavanaugh, Sensible Weather’s CEO, said the deal with Troon “ensures that golfers can focus on their game without worrying about weather disruptions.” For Troon, the partnership will reduce cancellations.
Sensible Weather’s forecasting is essentially an insurance program backed by a massive amount of data from multiple weather prediction models, including the company’s pwn proprietary model.
To date, it has reimbursed hotel guests, golfers, skiers, and those visiting outdoor attractions and campsites when weather – rain and high temperatures – negatively impacts their experience, Senisble Weather said.
Since its founding, the company’s weather guarantee has helped Sensible Weather’s hospitality partners increase revenue and booking conversions through more than 300,000 weather guarantees. The company partnered with the PGA of America in early 2023 to gain entry into the golf industry.
Troon, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, is the world’s largest golf and golf-related hospitality management company providing services at 875 locations in 45 states and 35 countries. Across its various divisions, Troon manages more than 575 18-hole equivalent golf courses. Its family of brands includes Troon Golf, Troon Privé, Troon International, Indigo Sports, Caddiemaster, ClubUp, Cliff Drysdale Tennis, Peter Burwash International, True Club Solutions, RealFood Hospitality, Strategy and Design, Casa Verde Golf, Icon Management and Eventive Sports.
Courses in Alabama that Troon and its subsidiaries manages are: Gadsden Country Club in Gadsden; Gateway Park Golf Course in Montgomery; Highland Park Golf Course in Birmingham; Lagoon Park Golf Course in Montgomery; Lake Forest Golf & Yacht Club in Daphne; Northriver Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa; Old Overton Club in Vestavia Hills; and Pine Tree Country Club in Birmingham.
Dan Vukelich is the online editor of Alabama Golf News
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Featured image courtesy of Deposit Photos
