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We are fortunate and grate-ful to have RyanBrandeburg, Director ofGolf at both Kauri Cliffsand Cape Kidnappers par-ticipate with us on thisarticle. Karui Cliffs andCape Kidnappers Golf

Courses of New Zealand are both rankedamong the world top 100 by Golf Magazine.Their accompanying luxury lodges are part ofRelais & Chateaux and are listed among the top25 hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure.

The courses and lodges have been highly recog-nized around the world, with many of thereviews found on their websites: http://kauri-cliffs.com http://www.capekidnappers.com

Our following discussion with Ryan is toreview how he managed their transition from amanual golf booking sheet to a leading golfsoftware system. The exchange highlights howa properly implemented system can assist eventhe most unique golf facility in enhancing thecustomer experience and increasing revenues.

GL: You have been using the OpenTee /OpenBook system since early 2006. In fact,implementing these systems was one of yourpriorities. What were some of the reasons forimplementing these solutions?

RB: Although the defining characteristics of thefacilities where I have installedOpenTee/OpenBook have been different, thedecision to install was simple due to the featuresof the software and the ease of use. (OpenTee /Open Book are golf management software sys-tems developed by The Active Network).

In 2006, I began using the software for installswithin the golf portfolio of LXR LuxuryResorts, an owned asset of The Blackstone

Group, the world’s largest private-equity firm.These installs were at high-end resort courseswith large room inventories and moderate/busyannual rounds.

At Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers, we arelucky enough to have two of the highest rankedhotels and golf courses in the world, but with avery low room inventory (22 suites per proper-ty) and low volume of rounds…approximately5,000 rounds per course annually.

Even though the facilities have vast differences,the software is equally beneficial. At KauriCliffs and Cape Kidnappers, we were utilizingpencil/paper for tee times when I arrived inearly 2010. By January 2011 we were fullyfunctional with The Active Network.

The switch from “notebook” to “network” hashad many benefits. We now house all of ourdata electronically, so the threat of a spilled cupof coffee ruining weeks of tee time data is elim-inated. Our golf staff, superintendent, frontdesks, culinary team, reservations staff, andeven our owner can now view our tee sheetsremotely instead of lengthy email chains toforecast golf rounds.

We’ve opted to host this solution on an ActiveNetwork server in San Diego, USA, but the 6,500miles of distance hasn’t impacted the system’s per-formance at all. With 400 miles between Kauri andCape, and with a growing company, this hosted solu-tion has assured us that we can access data anywhere,anytime. Additionally, the opportunity to view his-torical data and drill down to player types, plus fore-cast future business is crucial for a seasonal destina-tion such as New Zealand. The benefits are numer-ous, but the final point to mention is the ease of use,which translates intoquick staff training.

GL: OpenBook is an online booking tool withyield management capabilities. Yield

Management is still underutilized in the golfindustry. Has Kauri Cliffs been able to effec-tively manage yield with OpenBook?

RB: Unfortunately, we are not quite to the stageof needing a yield management tool. At close to$500 per round at Kauri Cliffs and CapeKidnappers, we allow guests to book and play assingles, twosomes, etc. It is all about the guestand what helps create a memorable experience.One of my priorities is to get to the stage that weneed to start analyzing our yield and maximizingour capacity on the golf courses!

I do agree that yield management is drasticallyunderutilized in the golf business, and several own-ers and operators would learn more about their busi-ness model, their pricing strategies, and their opera-tional efficiencies if they did yield manage. We wereworking hard to implement yield managementtechniques when I left Blackstone’s portfolio.

GL: Has the booking system been integrated tothe Kauri Cliffs website? How has the course-branded booking system facilitated the book-ing process?

RB: One of the biggest benefits of the system,which I specifically omitted above, is theonline booking system. I only omitted itbecause it is so valuable it needs to have a ded-icated space of its own!

The ability to brand our booking engine tomatch our property colors, use our own images,and create verbiage that is in line with our web-sites and collateral is a major asset. With twointernational “destination” courses, we rarelyhave an opportunity to speak with our customersuntil they arrive at the gate. Due to time differ-ences, the cost and difficulty of international call-ing, and the ease of email, we historically havedone the majority of our pre-arrival correspon-dence with guests via email.

Bill Healey

GOLF BOOKINGS MANAGEMENTKAURI CLIFFS & CAPE KIDNAPPERS CASE STUDYWORLD LEADING COURSES FROM NEW ZEALAND

GOLF

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In my early days here, we began tracking emails.During our peak booking seasons, we werereceiving close to 40 emails per day regarding teetime inquiries. The manpower it took to respondto these emails kept staff away from the guest andstuck behind a computer. When we drilleddown further, we found it took between 6-8emails to actually book and confirm a tee time.Once we launched the online booking system, weimmediately saw a reduction in the number ofemails received, and were able to spend more facetime with the guest.

GL: Has the use of OpenBook improved onlinebooking revenues?

RB: In our case, OpenBook has created onlinebooking revenues! We went from 1975 to2011 in a few short months, and as soon as wewent electronic, the online bookings beganflowing. We’ve included the link directly intoour Lodge guest correspondence, which haschanged our business entirely.

Given the low volume at our courses, guestswere accustomed to showing up and bookingtee times on the morning of their intended dayof play. By encouraging them to book inadvance, it has allowed us to staff the opera-tions smarter and more efficiently.

Additionally, the Promo codes have been a pos-itive tool for us, as we can use it to provide “onetime” offers to local clubs who we invite toKauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers once per sea-son. Once again, this eliminates several emails,freeing up staff.

GL: OpenTee allows you to maximize roundsby managing crossovers, shotguns, events andgroup check-ins. Are those features that havebeen used at Kauri Cliffs? Do you have anyunique or interesting examples?

RB: I am sure this statement will turn someheads, but a day of 35 players at Kauri Cliffs andCape Kidnappers is equivalent to a day of 180 atsome of my previous courses in the USA.

By design, the properties are built to maximizethe staff/guest interaction. We spend more timegetting to know our guests and interacting withthem than most places I have ever visited.Additionally, we run a leaner operation, with theprofessional staff greeting guests upon arrival,

providing an orientation, and answering anyquestions the guests may have. Our “caddies”serve not only as traditional caddies, but also pickthe range, clean carts, help with F&B, and ensurethat the guest experience is flawless.

We are running Micros as our POS, and the inte-gration feature with Active’s software is excel-lent. I am confident that our staff is booking thetee time correctly, which means that on the dayof play we simply have to pull the informationinto Micros and the check is created.

As you can imagine with a demanding clien-tele, we have several unique situations regard-ing starting times, small shotguns, 10th teestarts, and overall changes to the tee sheet. TheOpenTee system allows us to make thesechanges quickly.

GL: Has the OpenTee / OpenBook system pro-vided valuable client information and how hasthat been used?

RB: The simple answer here is yes. We havecollected client information that previouslywas unattainable to us. The use of systemgenerated email confirmations and online

bookings have added substantial names to ourdatabase. We’ve used this to promote golftournaments at the Lodges, increase the sale ofholiday gift certificates, and even to promotejunior golf initiatives.

Additionally, the system gives us the abilityto share information between the staffs atKauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers regardingguest preferences, contact details, and specialnotes to help enhance the experience. If a cer-tain guest mentioned a preference forHeineken at Kauri Cliffs, we can have a coldHeineken waiting for them upon arrival atCape Kidnappers. These small touch pointshelp create the lasting experience we are striv-ing for.

Gaming & Leisure would like to thank RyanBrandeburg for the valuable information he hasshared with our readership.

Based in Bali, Bill has been consulting,installing and supporting solutions in the glob-al golf and leisure industry since 1982. He hasbeen involved with over 1000 systems installa-tions in 40+ countries from North America toAfrica to Asia & Australia.

Ryan Brandeburg, Directorof Golf at Kauri Cliffs and

Cape Kidnappers

GOLF BOOKINGS MANAGEMENT

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