TRIPP SHEPPARD

THE VSGA’ S VIP GOLF CARD has received a technology makeover for the 2017 season. Since its inception in 1984, the card has taken many forms, from the original wallet-size card to the most recent passport-style booklet. This year, however, a digital version of the VIP Golf Card has also been made available through the VSGA’ s new mobile app.

MyVSGA, the official app of the Virginia State Golf Association, was released at the beginning of January. Among its many features, MyVSGA allows cardholders to log into their VIP Golf Card and gain access to VIP and special offers from more than 150 golf courses in Virginia. Users are able to view all available offers at once or filter them by distance from their current location, most recently created, availability on a selected date, and by club name. In addition, users can tap each offer to see how many plays they have used and how many are still available.

In the first month since MyVSGA launched, more than 3,400 users have downloaded the app.

To coincide with the release of MyVSGA, a new website has been created for participating clubs, giving them the ability to create and manage their VIP offers as well as add special offers throughout the year. Historically, clubs have submitted VIP offers to the VSGA months in advance, but adding new offers proved difficult once the booklets were printed. Now, if a club finds that it has availability on its tee sheet for one or more days, it can log into the VSGA VIP Golf Card Portal, create an offer and have it be immediately available to cardholders on the app as well as VSGA. org.

“ I’ m looking forward to using the special offer features to yield manage our tee sheet during certain down times of the year,” says Rion Summers, PGA, the director of golf at Meadowcreek Golf Course in Charlottesville.

Furthermore, app users are able to receive notifications from selected VIP participating clubs. So, when a new offer is created in the portal, the club can send a push notification out to promote it.

The development of these two new products by the VSGA was done in an effort to add more value to the VIP Golf Card program for both the participating clubs and the VIP cardholders. Clubs now have a dynamic tool designed to help drive more play to their courses and cardholders would benefit from more offers and from having all the information they need right on their phone.

Many cardholders will continue to utilize the booklet in 2017. In fact, everyone that purchases a VIP Golf Card this year will receive one in the mail. The redemption process, however, will be the same whether someone uses the booklet or the MyVSGA app. Participating clubs will redeem all offers through the portal and the number of plays is then updated in MyVSGA for the cardholder.

Adds Summers,“ Once logged into the website, it is easy to toggle back and forth from our POS( point of sale) screen to register the cardholders.”

MyVSGA does a lot more than manage a user’ s VIP Golf Card, though. Like the GHIN app, which many VSGA members have used for the last few years, MyVSGA provides members with the ability to post scores and manage their handicap.

An interactive Course Handicap calculator is included which lets users add partners to their game and figure out the strokes – even if people are competing from different sets of tees. And, VSGA members can register for events through MyVSGA, as well as read the latest issue of Virginia Golfer magazine. Also included is a VSGA member club directory and access to the VSGA’ s Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Are you using the new MyVSGA app to manage and follow your game, including your VIP Golf Card? If not, head to the Apple App Store or Google Play today to download the official app of the Virginia State Golf Association for the start of the golf season!