Local Resident Introduces Noteefy, a Tee Time Solution, Back to Home Turf to Aid Golf Courses
Local Resident Introduces Noteefy, a Tee Time Solution, Back to Home Turf to Aid Golf Courses
For Jake Gordon, helping solve Los Angeles County's public golf booking difficulties isn't just about business victories - it's a profound personal quest.
As the founder and CEO of Noteefy, Gordon invested countless hours serving as the designated "booker" for his golfing pals, often struggling to secure desirable weekend tee times at local courses by continuously dialing golf facilities or compulsively refreshing various browser tabs on Thursdays and Fridays, hoping to nab coveted slots at local courses.
This chronic frustration, which Gordon accurately labeled as "insanity," prompted him to initiate Noteefy, an automated tee time demand system that's now one of the fastest-growing enterprises in the golf industry. The platform has aided certain operators in procuring a $250,000 boost within the initial six months of teaming up. With Noteefy now joining forces with American Golf, particularly its 20 courses in the bustling Los Angeles County market, the busiest public golf region in the U.S., it has finally returned home.
"As a native Los Angeles County resident and avid public golfer, there's an immense sense of satisfaction in helping make the game more accessible to play in the local market," Gordon stated. "We're aware of the existence of dishonest actors employing bots and brokers, and this partnership underscores the importance of technology in making tee time access more fair."
Recovering Revenue
Similar to OpenTable or Resy for golf, Noteefy has sent over 3.5 million text messages this year to golfers regarding unused stock. The company's technology assists courses in retaining substantial revenue from the approximately 20% of tee times that it estimates are typically cancelled and not re-booked – a problem that costs some courses $50,000 or more annually in lost revenue.
Owing to the increased play, participation, and engagement in the U.S. golf sector lately, almost two-thirds of public courses in the U.S. report being "at or near playing capacity", according to the National Golf Foundation. This escalated demand naturally makes it simple for coveted tee times to be snatched up as soon as they become accessible.
Noteefy ensures that these unutilized tee times don't go to waste when early bookers withdraw and makes the process more straightforward and fair for consumers.
American Golf Partnership
Since its partnership with American Golf in September, approximately 8,000 rounds have been played by thousands of golfers via Noteefy through the course's online booking platform, resulting in nearly $175,000 in additional earnings from cancellations within 48 hours. Los Angeles boasts the second-highest number of golfers per public course among major metropolitan areas in the country, according to the NGF.
The success at a famed public facility like Los Verdes Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes highlights the impact of Noteefy. Los Verdes shares a scenic oceanfront setting with nearby Trump National Los Angeles but is considerably more affordable, with around 100,000 rounds played annually.
On the home page of the course's website, golfers can locate the Noteefy tee time wait list. In this specific instance, the branding is present, but in numerous other instances, it simply appears as the property's booking engine that seamlessly collaborates with Noteefy. From there, golfers can input variables – from days of the week and time slots to the number of players. A golfer can, for example, set a recurring search for Saturdays and receive a text message alert if a tee time that fits their conditions becomes available.
Since Noteefy is interconnected with all other L.A. County courses, golfers can add other courses to their recurring searches as well.
"It goes back to this idea of accessibility," said Gordon. "It's almost impossible to obtain an 8 a.m. tee time at Los Verdes, but there's a significant likelihood that one of the other 20 courses within 45 minutes will have an 8 a.m. tee time on Saturday. You can spread the demand, almost democratize that across the portfolio. Consequently, rounds increase, accessibility increases, and calls (to the overworked staff at golf shops) decrease."
Boosting Accessibility
While golfers typically have a favored course, it's interesting to note that 60% of the bookings from the thousands of searches eventually end up at courses with greater availability, not the original course that had been searched.
American Golf’s Head of Revenue Management, Rick Crowder, acknowledges the historical challenges in the L.A. market.
"We recognize the frustration experienced by golfers with accessibility, and our partnership with Noteefy highlights our commitment to improving golfers' experiences,” Crowder said. “Simultaneously, we are observing a significant surge in utilization, particularly from cancellations within three days."
Noteefy's development does not halt at Southern California.
The company has expanded from just under 100 course partnerships a year ago to over 570 golf courses currently, with more than 400 additions in 2024 alone. The platform is now employed by seven of the top 10 management companies and has organized more than 100,000 rounds for golfers this year.
"This is simply perishable inventory at risk for the course," Gordon noted. "If you possess this, essentially an insurance policy, and make money, it's an exceptionalservice for the golfers and the operators. Everyone benefits."
- Noteefy, the fast-growing enterprise founded by Jake Gordon, has partnered with American Golf, particularly its 20 courses in Los Angeles County, aiming to help local golfers secure tee times more easily.
- With Noteefy's help, Los Angeles County public golf courses, known for high demand, can reclaim significant revenue lost due to cancellations by filling unused tee times solved through the Noteefy app.
- To enhance the user experience, Los Verdes Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes has integrated Noteefy's waitlist feature into its online booking system, allowing golfers to search for tee times at various courses in the area.
- As part of its mission to make golf more accessible, Noteefy has expanded from 100 courses a year ago to over 570 courses currently, and plans to add over 400 more in 2024, serving golfers nationwide.