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Born and raised in Germany, Bodo Sieber was working in South Africa in the tech industry when friends asked him to help solve a problem.
“They were golfers and had been held up for much of their round one day by slow play,” he says. “So, they asked the golf professionals why they didn’t employ a marshal to manage that situation. My friends didn’t like the answers they received, so they asked me to come up with a solution. I wasn’t a golfer, but I did have some technological expertise. So, I started working on it.”
In time, Sieber developed a product he called Tagmarshal. First launched at the 2015 PGA Merchandise Show, it features devices that can be attached to the golf bag or installed in a cart – and that can be monitored by pro shop personnel so they can react quickly and efficiently when slow-play problems arise on the golf course – and do so with information that is accurate and irrefutable when it comes to people being out of position.
“Taking care of slow play is key for golf facilities, public and private alike,” explains Sieber, who describes himself as chief janitor and CEO of Tagmarshal. “It is a key experience influencer, and nothing ruins a day of golf like slow play.
“And in addition to ensuring that customers are happy, Tagmarshal can help boost revenues because it helps people play faster, which means that facilities can use the extra time to book additional tee times. It also gives golfers the chance to spend more time, and more money, in the pro shop and at the 19th hole after their games.”
Ever the innovator, Sieber also found a way to turn Tagmarshal into a social distancing monitor, so golf facilities can better ensure the safety of their golfers and better manage the flow of play.
Sieber’s first customer was Erin Hills, site of the 2017 U.S. Open, and he says he now has roughly 250 clients, among them Pebble Beach, Kiawah Island, Winged Foot, Oakmont and Whistling Straits.
Given the success of the product, others will no doubt follow.