Apple Apps and Your Tee Times: A New Distribution Channel Emerges

By Harvey Silverman, Contributor, Golf Business | Silverback Golf Marketing 

In early October, Jason Wilson of Gallus Golf alerted me to a new and unknown booking channel connected through Apple Maps, called “TigerBooking.” And, no, it has nothing to do with Tiger Woods. 

A Gallus client in Missouri was attempting to determine how two local golfers tried to check in at their golf shop, claiming to have a tee time reservation. The two golfers had a voucher from TigerBooking that displayed the day and time in question. However, there were no traces of the reservation on the course tee sheet, and the time they claimed to have reserved was filled by another party – a foursome. The twosome identified Apple Maps as where they found the course and the booking link that directed them to TigerBooking. 

Ronnie Miles, NGCOA Sr. Director of Advocacy, quickly connected the dots and successfully contacted TigerBooking, based in South Korea. 

TigerBooking is based in Seoul, South Korea, and operates as a subsidiary of AGL, a logistics company headquartered in the Republic of Korea. It has an affiliation with eventseeker.com, owned by wcities.com in Austin, TX. After NGCOA posted an alert on Accelerate, several members successfully contacted TigerBooking and requested removal from the site. One member provided a contact: David Park, Managing Director of TigerBooking (email: davidpark@aglgw.com).

Miles and Mr. Park discussed NGCOA’s concerns about the unauthorized listings of U.S. golf course tee times. Mr. Park was forthcoming and indicated that he was unaware of U.S. federal laws protecting golf courses from the unauthorized use of their names and images. He agreed to remove any golf course requesting to be taken down from their website.

Golf course owners and operators may request removal from TigerBooking by emailing David Park at davidpark@aglgw.com. When doing so, include your name, contact information, and the name and address of your golf course to help ensure prompt action. Please copy Ronnie Miles at rmiles@ngcoa.org in your email to Mr. Park. However, it appears that TigerBooking has removed all tee time booking links from Apple Maps on its own, but it’s suggested to check anyway. 

Just as courses should have a direct booking link on Google’s Business Profile Page, so should courses gain a similar visibility on Apple Maps. On October 30, NGCOA CEO Jay Karen, COO Bud Smith, Ronnie Miles, and myself met with Ben Broshi, an Apple Global Partnerships executive, to gain more knowledge of Apple’s Business Connect and how to advise course operators on the opportunity to expand the distribution of tee times.  

There are a few differences in how the relationships are managed, but first, here is how to claim your business and install a direct tee time booking link on Apple Maps and all Apple apps:

To claim your business on Apple Maps, you need to use the Apple Business Connect portal. The process involves signing in with an Apple ID, searching for your business, and verifying your ownership. 

1. Create an Apple ID: If you don't already have one, you will need to create a dedicated Apple ID for your business management. You can do this on the Apple ID account page.

2. Go to Apple Business Connect: Navigate to the Apple Business Connect website from a desktop or laptop computer and sign in with your Apple ID.

3. Choose Your Business Type: Select your entity type, such as "Small Business" (fewer than 25 locations) or "Enterprise" (25 or more locations).

4. Search for Your Business: In the dashboard, search for your business name and address.

• If your business is already listed (Apple pulls data from various third-party sources), select it to begin the claiming process.

• If it's not listed, choose the option to Add a new location and enter your business details.

• Enter Business Details: Fill in accurate information, including your business name, physical address, primary phone number, website, and business category. You can also set operating hours and upload photos/logos later.

• Set the Location Pin: A location pin will automatically be placed based on the address. You can adjust this pin to the exact entrance of your business for accurate directions.

• Verify Your Business: This is the final and crucial step.

• Phone Verification (Common for single locations): Apple will typically call the business phone number you provided and give you a 4-digit verification code to enter on the website.

• Document Review/Domain Validation (For new businesses or multiple locations): You may need to upload official company documents or add a TXT record to your DNS server to prove ownership.

5. Wait for Approval: After you've submitted everything, Apple will review your listing. This usually takes a few days, and you'll receive a notification once your location is verified and live on Apple Maps, Siri, and Wallet. 

Once claimed and verified, you can update your business information anytime through the Apple Business Connect portal. This includes adding a “quick link” for tee time booking, and customizing critical information like opening hours, photos, and even creating a “Showcase” to promote events and promotions. 

To add a reservation quick link to your Apple Business Connect page, sign in as an administrator, select your location, and go to the "Actions" section to add a new action link to your reservation platform. You will need to provide the direct URL to your reservation page, and the link will appear as a button on your Apple Maps listing after Apple's review and approval process is complete. 

1. Sign in to Apple Business Connect using an account with administrator privileges. If you manage multiple companies, select the correct one from the list.

2. Select "Locations" in the sidebar.

3. Find and select the specific location you want to update.

4. Navigate to the "Actions" section and select "Add" or click the "+" next to "Actions".

5. Choose the appropriate Action type for reservations. This might be a custom action or a specific category action, depending on your business type.

6. Add your reservation link. This is the URL that users will be taken to when they tap the action button.

7. Add a label or title for the action (e.g., "Reserve," "Book Now").

8. Select "Save." Apple will need to approve the action, which can take up to three business days. 

Booking links can also be provided as a link to an app. If your golf course has its own app, we suggest adding a (free) app clip feature to your app for best results (more bookings, more app downloads, better new-customer acquisitions). Your app developer will be able to help create an app clip, which can be used to create action buttons to book tee times, sell gift cards, reserve simulator bays, etc.. Quick Link Action buttons can only appear on the Apple Maps Place Card. App Clip buttons can also be used with QR codes at your location, on social media feeds, websites, and on your Apple Maps Place Card. Here is a link to learn more about App Clips, or forward this to your app provider: https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2023/10178/. 

Apple is eager to work directly with business owners and operators, whereas Google prefers to work with tee time “aggregators,” which include GMS providers. The Apple contact is Ben Broshi, who can be reached by email at broshi@apple.com. 

Golf courses now have two enormous tee time distribution channels – Apple and Google – that encompass nearly all cell phone connectivity. Adding Apple’s Business Connect to what we’ve already discussed about Google’s Business Profile Page places your course and tee times on nearly every phone. It also makes it imperative to have an internet-connected tee sheet and booking engine, or give up your business to a competitor who does.