MITeeTime.com

A collaboration of industry allies to promote tourism spending in Michigan with proceeds returning to fund golf marketing.

The process of finding and booking tee time reservations often requires multiple phone calls and time-consuming manual procedures. Golf courses are challenged with increasing tee time inventory yields and finding new ways to attract customers - without breaking the bank. The ability for tee time resellers to market and sell golf reservations was hindered by the prevalence of closed architecture tee sheet software programs -preventing easy access to golf courses and their tee time inventory. MITeeTime.com was established to increase tee time yields for golf courses and enable profitable relationships between buyers and sellers of tee times and golf vacations in Michigan. MITeeTime.com will also help fund the marketing efforts for golf in our state.

Working with technology provider and industry partner GolfSwitch, we have created a new, real-time marketing and distribution channel for Michigan golf courses and new, more efficient ways for consumers to find and book tee times anywhere, anytime. This U.S. patented technology is from GolfSwitch Network, the largest tee time marketing network in the world. GolfSwitch has now consolidated 62 different interfaces to tee sheets systems around the world. GolfSwitch has developed 10 unique bookings engines that can facilitate a golf tee time transaction however it may be embedded at the golf course today. Whether it's a stand alone tee time reservation or a complete real time golf vacation booking GolfSwitch is equipped to process the transaction.

In 2008 The Michigan Golf Course Owners Association, Michigan Section PGA, Travel Michigan along with the Michigan Lodging and Tourism Association worked with GolfSwitch to launch a real-time, 24/7 access to the GolfSwitch Network - the largest network of online golf courses and tee time inventory in the world. The private-label booking engine, MITeeTime.com establishes a state brand and maintains a consistent look and feel. MITeeTime.com is accessible to the consumer through the golf portal on the Travel Michigan website, Michigan.org. By linking with Travel Michigan's data base we are able to attract new and past customers with comprehensive golf course content and the advanced functionality featuring availability search, booking and cancellation.

Tee time search capabilities allow a consumer to search for desired tee times by individual course, geography, date and time or price range. GolfSwitch can book a tee time in real time, remove it immediately from the course inventory and charge the consumer between 0 and 100% of the green fee at the moment of booking. The collected proceeds can then be distributed into the merchant account of the golf course through the internet gateway processor.

All golf facilities in the state of Michigan may participate in the program. Those facilities that are currently on the Golfswitch Network will be connected immediately to the State Portal Site. Others enroll through the marketing efforts of the collaborative organizations (go to mgcoa.org and click on the MITeeTime.com logo for a brochure). There is a nominal charge to the golf course for booked tee times. After the technology company is paid the minimal booking fee, the rest of the income generated from the fee is split among the program collaborators. Travel Michigan received 50% of all profits from the site. The MGCOA and the MIPGA, who own the company that manages this program, MIGolf, LLC, agreed to the 50% contribution to Travel Michigan because that revenue will be directed to marketing golf in Michigan exclusively.

The success of this project is due to the fact that the major golf organizations in the state, along with the marketing power of Travel Michigan and the support of the Michigan Lodging Association recognized that they needed to work together to accomplish such an outreach to the consumer. Never before has there existed a website and booking engine that can be accessed internationally to drive traffic through a State's travel site. MITeeTime.com can also be access independently as it has its own URL. Once in the site, the consumer is in Michigan.org and may move about the site to see all that Michigan has to offer, in addition to golf.