You are here because you want to know what are the best practices for hosting golf games on Deemples. We'll cover a few things that will make your game stand out from the rest on the Deemples Golf App.
There are a few reasons why most golfers and golf event organisers host golf games on Deemples:
- Save time - They don't want to be spending time asking friends one by one if they can play or not.
- Scheduling with friends - Most golf friends are always busy, so finding a time to fit 4 people are usually close to impossible.
- Efficient - Don't have to create another Whatsapp or FB group chat for every game that you're in.
- Last minute back outs - With more users on Deemples than on any other group chat, users can fill up your games if anyone backs out at the last minute.
- Managing big games - Creating a Whatsapp group chat for a game of 4 is manageable, but a group chat for a game of 144 players, you are bound to leave people out, forget to take people out, and not to mention the banter that will be going on in the chat unrelated to that specific game that will flood the chat group. Your announcements might be missed and updates not received by everyone.
So how do we host the best golf games on Deemples that stand out from the rest. The below are a few best practices that we encourage for hosting golf games on Deemples:
Have a good, solid, trustworthy profile
As much as you are judging others, others are judging you too, to decide if they want to join your game. Few things that you need to make your profile look legit:
- Profile picture: Put on a real picture, so that other golfers can recognise you on the golf course. We've seen some people put pictures of cats, pictures of their favourite food, etc. We can't recognise you if your picture is a banana.
- About section: Tell others a bit about you. Normal things that you can include that would help others know you better before they play with you - When did you start golf, your handicap index, where are you from, what do you do?
- Example:
If you're an event organiser or a golf club:
- Profile picture: Make sure you put a nice logo of your company/club,
- First name/Last name: Change it to your establishment name.
- About section: You could try something like "Official account of [ABC Golf Club], 123 Main Street, City, State, Country." Phone number not needed since it'll already be reflected in your profile with the number you registered with (and you really don't want people to be calling you anyway). You can add in "Non-Playing Profile" if this account wouldn't be actually golfing, but just used to create games.
- Examples:
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Short and catchy game name
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Sometimes using the default is good enough if you're not creative enough. Short beats creative anyway, since there's not a lot of space to put boat loads of text.
From this example you can see:
- Selesa 9h - course name and game type. Straight to the point, so people know exactly where & 9 holes or 18 holes game.
- Kinrara AM - putting the golf organiser name in it and being catchy at the same time.
- Hon's game - default, but good enough.
Game Options
- 18 holes - If you're going to be playing 18 holes game, select this so other players know before joining your game.
- 9 holes - If you're going to be playing 9 holes game, select this so other players know before joining your game.
- Driving range - If you're a retailer, golf brand, coach, academy, that is looking to host a mini-event, clinic, fitting session at a driving range/simulator location. Even if you are a newbie or just want to practice your golf shots at the driving range, just select this option so other golfers who want to practice like you can join easily.
Number of Players
It'll be a fixed number of 4 players, but you can choose to include up to 3 guests, for your friends who don't have the Deemples app. (It's actually easier to just ask them to download the app and join your game :))
Starting from 4 players you can choose up to a maximum of 145 players. We'd always suggest starting with the minimum of 5 players. You can then add on slots as it gets filled up. Best practice is to keep it at 75% full all the time, it normally yields the best results.
Pricing
Choose the currency, then input the price per person.
If you're unsure of the price, the best way to confirm is to hear it from the horse's mouth. Give the club a call to confirm the price for the tee time that you are posting, then input it into the pricing field.
If there are extra buggy surcharges, optional caddy fees, or if you're just unsure of anything, make sure you note it in the notes section so that others are aware before joining.
Notes
It's a flexible field that you can include all other details. Most golfers include game format, meeting time before the game, what other goodies that the price includes - dinner, lunch, free vouchers, etc.
Chat
Designed so that you don't have to create Whatsapp / Facebook / LINE / Wechat group chats for every game that you're in, or get invited to just another group chat for another game. Imagine playing once a week, at the end of the year you'd have accumulated 52 group chats!
The chat function is built so that you can communicate with each other, ask questions, clarify situations etc, so that everyone is on the same page.
Sometimes, in larger games, the chat again gets noisy with everyone chiming in. You can then mute the chat notification if you prefer to check-in yourself. Remember to do so, otherwise, you might miss out on some important updates!
Player contact information
Phone numbers are visible for a reason, so that players are contactable in case of an emergency, last-minute changes etc. However, only the host can see everyone's number, and everyone can see the host's number. Participants cannot see each other's number for privacy reasons.
What if you can't make it to your game
We know sometimes the unavoidable happens, last-minute changes, or emergencies arise. If you can't make it to your game, be courteous, let your host know that you can't make it, then leave the game to allow for last-minute joiners to take up your spot.
After the game
There are a few things you can and should do after the game is over. You might have had a good time (most probably), but sometimes also less than pleasant experiences (rarely we believe :)). You can go back to your previous games, to:
- Rate your playing partners - Rating is anonymous. No one will know what ratings you give them. However, this is important as it provides valuable feedback to other golfers in your community and encourages everyone to be nice (not nasty) on the golf course.
- Scoring - We understand that in most countries that Deemples is available in have less than satisfactory management of handicaps by the national golf associations. Full story here. You can now submit scores of your playing partners here after the game on Deemples. Golfers tend to trust the handicaps on Deemples more since you cannot input your own scores, and need a minimum of 2 other golfers to input exactly the same score for you for it to count towards your handicap.
- Chat - The game is over, but doesn't mean conversations with your playing buddies should. You can continue to interact with them there long after the game is done.
Favourite Games
We know sometimes you want to watch over certain games. Sometimes you don't want to join them yet because you might not be available, but don't want to be searching for the game when you can join it. Sometimes some games might be too far in the future too and you don't want to scroll all the way. Use the heart button to save these games to your favourite list.
Do's and Don'ts for hosting golf games
DO engage with your joiners in the chat once they join. So that you know if they're legit, and that they know you're legit too.
DO make sure everyone is responsive and coming on that day. If there are unresponsive players, give them a timeline before you remove them to make way for other players.
DON'T request that players call/Whatsapp/SMS you to join, or click on links to go to an online registration form. This defeats the whole purpose of Deemples anyway. It'll give you more work since you have to check and communicate on multiple channels. This will violate Deemples terms of use, since you're using Deemples just to advertise and we'll have the right to remove your game.
DON'T have single rider surcharges as much as possible. Golf is already tough to organise. Making sure there are even player numbers add on to that pain, and most golfers would rather pull out than pay that extra surcharge, and you as the host loses revenue. Suggestions: Either waive single rider surcharges, or bundle it into the per-person prices, so everyone pays a flat price.
DON'T have player minimums before the game can proceed. Golf courses are more accommodating these days and can always help match up singles/doubles with another flight, it's all in the spirit of making new friends/connections through golf. Canceling games purely because of a lack of players is just limiting opportunities to play, and stands against Deemples' core values.
Example of DON'Ts:
If you're unsure or need assistance for hosting golf games on Deemples, reach out to us at hello@deemples.com and we'd be happy to guide you to host an awesome golf game on Deemples!:)
If you think you are all set with hosting golf games on Deemples, can also check out Golf Handicap Score Submission & Automated Game Results on Deemples!
