• Toptracer and Rovio Entertainment announce launch of Angry Birds game mode
The interactive Angry Birds game will be available at 1000+ Toptracer-enabled golf facilities worldwide.
Toptracer, the world’s number 1 golf range technology, and Rovio Entertainment, the creative minds behind the iconic Angry Birds franchise, have announced a brand-new Angry Birds game mode coming soon to Toptracer Range. This innovative game mode will be available at Toptracer-enabled facilities with its monitor product worldwide on September 30th, delivering an interactive experience that merges golf with the world-renowned Angry Birds game. The collaboration was facilitated by Angry Birds’ licensing representative IMG.
Utilising Toptracer’s state-of-the-art ball-tracing technology, players will team up with beloved Angry Birds characters Red, Chuck, and Bomb to knock down virtual structures and take on a variety of challenges designed to engage players of all abilities. This unique blend of digital and physical play will provide fun for families, friends, and gaming enthusiasts alike.
“We partnered with The Angry Birds franchise because it is one of the world’s most beloved entertainment brands, spanning games, blockbuster movies, animated series, and more, with over 5 billion mobile game downloads to date,” commented Scott Blevins, General Manager of Toptracer. “Angry Birds is yet another exciting step forward in our mission to revolutionize the range experience, giving our customers the opportunity to drive their businesses like never before.”
“We are delighted to be collaborating with Toptracer on the upcoming addition of Angry Birds to their world-renowned range technology,” said Katri Chacona, Head of Brand Licensing at Rovio Entertainment. “It’s hugely exciting that visitors to Toptracer’s 1,000-strong roster of driving ranges will be able to engage with Angry Birds. We believe the resulting experience will drive the fun factor to a whole new level for Toptracer’s global audience, whether they are already Angry Birds fans or experiencing the brand for the first time.”
With this new game mode, Toptracer and Rovio Entertainment continue to push the boundaries of interactive entertainment, creating memorable experiences that bring people together through fun and innovative gameplay.
For more information and to experience the new Angry Birds game mode, visit Toptracer.com.
• New Practice Range Opens at The Dartmouth Hotel, Golf & Spa
Best Western The Dartmouth Hotel, Golf and Spa has announced the recent opening of its new golf range practice facility.
Located on six acres of land adjacent to the fifth and sixth holes on the Dartmouth Course, the range provides novices and those with more experience the opportunity to practice against the beautiful Devon countryside. There is direct road access and parking, a grass teeing area, an artificial teeing area, a practice chipping green, and a greenside bunker which will also double up as a fairway bunker. The practice range provides room to hit long irons and for some a driver, and golfers should you be able to hit the ball more than a 200-yard carry.
With no need to book and free to use, up to six golfers at a time can enjoy the range all day during daylight hours – just bring along your own golf balls or purchase a bag from the pro shop.
The hotel resort near Blackawton in Devon, which was named amongst the National Club Golfer Top 100 GB&I Resorts, also offers an 18-hole championship golf course and a nine-hole club course. 35 elegantly furnished guestrooms and six self-catering cottages, a full spa, health club, bar, bistro, and free car parking complete the resort.
Hotel general manager Ian Davies said: “In the last 18 months I have placed a real focus on further enhancing our already excellent golf offering. Securing the services of Stuart Barrett, one of the most highly regarded PGA golf pros in the southwest of England, and now the opening a brand-new practice range are two of the key elements that I believe our golfers will really benefit from.”
Best Western The Dartmouth Hotel, Golf & Spa is managed by the hotel and venue management and development company, Vine Hotels. The company has a portfolio of eleven hotels and venues across the UK. In addition, it provides hospitality consultancy services that include hotel and venue management contracts, acquisitions, business health checks, and turnaround solutions. For more details, visit:www.vinehotels.co.uk
• BGL announces significant increase in rounds played for Q2 2024
BGL Golf has improved its rounds played year-on-year by 9% for the second quarter in 2024 despite a national average decline
Burhill Group Limited (BGL) Golf, a leading UK multi-course operator, has announced a significant increase in rounds played for the second quarter of 2024, showcasing remarkable resilience and growth in a challenging environment.
For the second quarter in 2024, BGL reported a 9% increase in rounds played year-on-year, in stark contrast to the national average, which experienced a 5% decline over the same period. Despite the inclement weather in April, which caused a 14% drop in the national average of rounds played, BGL bucked the trend with a 4.5% increase in April 2024.
Commenting on the results, Guy Riggott, COO of BGL Golf, said: “We are thrilled with the exceptional performance in Q2, especially considering the challenging weather conditions we faced through spring and early summer. This growth is testament to the hard work of our entire team, and outperforming the wider industry by such a significant margin is a clear indication that we are on the right track.”
Colin Mayes, CEO of BGL, added: “We are delighted to see that our venues are having yet another strong year, with demand remaining high. It’s extremely validating to see the benefits of our continued investment into our facilities and commitment to customer satisfaction.”
BGL’s success was particularly pronounced in the South of England, where each month of the quarter surpassed the previous year’s totals. April, May and June all registered an increase of more than 10% in total rounds played compared to 2023. The South experienced a 14% growth for the quarter, significantly outpacing the 2% average across the region.
Throughout the Midlands region, the average figure for rounds played in May 2024 had declined to -5.5% compared to the previous year. BGL venues outperformed this average yet again, with rounds played increasing more than 3% compared to May 2023. Overall, BGL rounds played were up 14.1% versus the national average year-on-year for Q2 2024.
BGL Golf remains committed to delivering exceptional golfing experiences across all its locations and looks forward to building on this success throughout the remainder of 2024.
Data supplied by Sporting Insights (SMS). To find out more, visit: https://www.sportinginsights.com/
• SkyCaddie scores magnificent 7 Tour wins in a row
SkyCaddie users have won the first seven consecutive eligible events on the Legends Tour, so far this season.
Seven wins, from seven different players. That’s a 100% win-percentage for SkyCaddie in eligible events – a stat which the brand has never before achieved at the halfway mark on the Legends Tour (formerly European Senior Tour).
As a player using a SkyCaddie has won every single event during which distance measurement devices (DMDs) were allowed to be used, it is no surprise that the Top 10 in the current Order of Merit, at the time of writing, are all SkyCaddie users.
England’s Peter Baker won the season-opening Barbados Legends event in May – continuing his dominance after winning the 2023 Race To Mauritius Order Of Merit.
Clark Dennis from the USA won the second event, the Costa Navarino Legends in June, followed by Argentinian golfer Angel Cabrera at the Paul Lawrie Matchplay, and Brazilian golfer Adilson da Silva at the Irish Legends in the same month.
Jarmo Sandelin from Sweden won the Swiss Seniors Open in mid-July, and England’s Robert Coles took home the prestigious Staysure PGA Seniors Championship trophy in August, at the Trump International Golf Links near Aberdeen.
Finally, South African Keith Horne won the Zambia Golf Legends tournament in mid-August – to become the season’s seventh different winner to use SkyCaddie GPS distances for accurate yardages during the tournament.
“If we were Red Bull and this was Formula One, people would be complaining about predictability!” said SkyCaddie’s James Holmes. “But this is tournament golf, which is much, much harder to predict – there are so many more variables.
“The one predictable factor so far in 2024 has been SkyCaddie GPS in the winner’s circle.”
Three of the ten Legends Tour events so far in 2024 have not been eligible for SkyCaddie use – namely the three co-sanctioned ‘Majors’ including the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship, the US Senior Open and The Senior Open Presented By Rolex.
SkyCaddie is the official distance measurement device on the Legends Tour Presented By Staysure. Formerly known as the European Senior Tour, the Legends Tour is the most prestigious professional Tour in the world which allows the use of DMDs during tournament play.
Tour officials use SkyCaddie’s ground-mapped GPS yardages to create pin sheets when setting each day’s pins. Legends Tour competitors can download the day’s accurate hole positions onto their SkyCaddies, and can also get a printed pin sheet for the day.
“SkyCaddie GPS gives you more chance of winning golf tournaments,” said James Holmes.
“The facts prove this beyond any doubt. Because we walk every golf course to produce comprehensive and accurate data for every hole, every keen golfer will get an advantage if they can access SkyCaddie GPS yardages when playing in a competition – just like the stars on the Legends Tour.
“A SkyCaddie also helps you to play faster – for example, course management tasks such as calculating layup shots or yardages to a safe landing spot beyond hazards become instantaneous. A SkyCaddie gives you more confidence in your yardage than using a book, and unlike a laser, which is restricted to line-of-sight only, you can use a SkyCaddie in many additional situations such as on hilly courses, from the tee across dog legs or when you are out of position without a clear sight of the green.”
Follow the 2024 Legends Tour presented by Staysure at www.legendstour.com.
For all SkyCaddie information see https://uk.SkyGolf.com.