This feature is only available with the following products:
Communication with players and non-players (e.g., staff, officials, volunteers, etc.) is critical in managing events and leagues. Having dependable sources of communication increases the quality of your operation and reduces the number of phone calls and questions.
One source of communication supported by our product is text messaging. Managers can draft and send text messages up to 500 characters in length to players, guests, managers, and non-players. With this method, you can directly deliver important information (e.g., tee times, weather delays, and much more).
In this article, we will discuss the following:
How to prepare for sending a message,
Text messaging character limits,
Composing and sending text messages,
Viewing Delivery Reports,
Create message templates,
Searching Text Messages, and
Review messaging costs.
Entering Mobile Phone Numbers:
The first step in sending text messages is to capture mobile phone numbers for the following:
Players: Players are individuals on the Master Roster, Event/League Roster, and Round Roster.
Non-Players: Non-players are individuals (e.g., staff, officials, volunteers, etc.) who do not play in an event/league but are essential to its success.
For more details about capturing phone numbers for non-players, Click Here.
Players:
You will be able to capture players' phone numbers using custom fields. Additionally, you can create multiple "mobile phone number" custom fields. For instance, you may want a custom field that includes the player's mobile phone number and another one with the caddie or parent's mobile phone number. This will allow you to text multiple player-related mobile phone numbers.
You can create the mobile phone number custom field(s) and add the phone numbers using four methods:
Via Spreadsheet. Click Here for details.
Via Event and League Registration. Click Here for details.
Via Master Roster Registration. Click Here for details.
Manually through the Player Roster. Click Here for details.
You will likely want the mobile phone number custom field(s) created in your Master Roster to be used across all of the events and leagues in your account. However, if you only want to store and use mobile phone numbers for a specific event/league, you can create a custom field in the event/league.
(Note: If the phone numbers are collected during Event and League Registration for an event, they are stored only in that specific event/league and can only be used for that event/league. If collected during Master Roster Registration, they are stored in your Master Roster and can be used across all your events and leagues.)
Formatting Mobile Phone Numbers For Players:
When creating a custom field, we suggest using the "One Line Answer" Answer Type (as shown below).
This answer type supports many different number formats, including dashes and parentheses. International (non-US and Canada) phone numbers need the country code prefix before the phone number.
Examples of Accepted US and Canada Phone Number Formats:
555-555-5555
(555)555-5555
5553338888
Examples of Accepted International Phone Number Formats:
+44-555-555-5555
+445553338888
When using the "Number" answer type for a custom field, only numbers and no symbols can be entered.
Once the custom field(s) is created and the mobile phone numbers added, you can send text messages.
Sending Text Messages:
Text messages can be sent to players from the Master Roster, Event/League Roster, and Round Roster. You can also include individuals from your Contact List when sending a text message. Text messages can contain pairing information (e.g., tee times, course and tee, shotgun hole, other players in one's pairing group, etc.) when sent to players within a specific Round Roster. To send text messages from:
Master Roster: Go to Customer Center > Master Roster > Manage Text Messages > New Text Message.
Event/League Roster: Go to Golfers > Manage Text Messages > New Text Message.
Round Roster: Go to Rounds > Manage Text Messages > New Text Message.
There will be a list of options to define:
Short Description: Enter a brief description of the text message. The description will be displayed on the summary of sent text messages and the Message Delivery Report for reporting purposes. Recipients will not see this description.
Send Text To:
Golfers from the Event Roster: Select the player recipients of the text messages.
All Golfers: Send to all the golfers on the roster.
Specific Golfers: Manually select specific recipients in the roster.
Select By: You can include or exclude golfers based on specific criteria. Choose a custom field, a division, or a specific registration status, and select the answer you want to filter by.
Attending Roster (Round Only): Available only when sending text messages to players in a Round Roster. Only players marked as attending will receive the text messages. To see who is marked as attending, go to Rounds > Round Player Roster.
Not Attending Roster (Round Only): Available only when sending text messages to players in a Round Roster. Only players marked as not attending will receive the text messages. To see who is marked as not attending, go to Rounds > Round Player Roster.
Phone Numbers (Players): Select the custom field that includes the mobile phone numbers to receive the text messages. You can select multiple custom fields by clicking "+."
If you look above, text messages will be sent to the phone numbers in the "Player Cell Phone Number" and the "Caddie Cell Phone Number" custom fields. Below the custom field selector, you can also send the text message to phone numbers not included in the custom fields (e.g., superintendent, club pro, general manager, media, etc.).
You can also send text messages to "Other Phone Numbers" by manually entering the numbers. If you enter multiple phone numbers, click the "+" button (do not separate the numbers into one line).Others From Contact List: Select the non-player recipients of the text messages.
All Contacts: Send to all the contacts on the Contact List.
Specific Contacts: Manually select the specific recipients in the Contact List.
Distribution List (Event/League Only): Select a distribution list as the recipients. To select multiple distribution lists, click the "+" button and choose the additional distribution list.
Text Message Character Limits:
When composing your text message, you will be limited to a message of 500 characters that will be broken up into four segments of 160 characters when sent. The following outlines the count for unique values:
All characters and special characters are counted as one,
Emojis are counted as two, and
Custom fields are counted as 15 characters, regardless of the actual value.
If the character limit is exceeded, the "Send" button will be disabled, and the character counter will be highlighted in red (as shown below). Note: You are allowed to save messages over the character limit as a template and shorten them before sending the final message.
Composing the Message:
In the Message field, you can enter the text to be included in the message. You can include various custom fields in the text message by selecting the field and placing it in the desired location in the text message.
The text message above includes various fields, including the day of the week, event name, course name, tee time, and other players in the group. As you draft your message, click "Refresh Preview" to preview the text messages for all recipients. Note: Messages over 160 characters will be split into multiple text messages.
After finalizing a message, you can send the text message to the recipients or save the message as a template for future messaging (more details later in this article). Below is an example text message
Every text message will always include instructions on how to opt out of text messaging. If a recipient opts out by replying "STOP," they will automatically receive a follow-up text with instructions to opt back into the text messaging.
If the unsubscribed individual wants to re-subscribe, they can text "START" or "UNSTOP" to that text message.
If the user deleted the text messages, they may attempt to send "Start" to the following numbers:
+1-855-559-8763
+1-201-885-5464
The user may have to try to send "Start" to both numbers, as multiple numbers are used to send text messages from Golf Genius TM Club.
Note: Managers will not receive any replies to the text message. We suggest communicating with the recipients that this is a "Do Not Reply" text message.
Viewing Delivery Reports:
On the text message summary page, you will see the following details (as shown below):
Description: Description given to the text message when sending it.
# Recipients: Total number of recipients to receive the message.
# Errors: The total number of undeliverable messages. Note: Undeliverable messages are usually caused by incorrect or inactive phone numbers.
Cost: The actual cost of sending that message.
Sent at: When the message was sent.
In addition to the available details, on the right, you can select the option to view the delivery report. You can also access the delivery report by clicking "Message Delivery Report" above near the top of the page.
In the Message Delivery Report, all sent text messages will be listed. You can filter sent text messages by player/contact, description, and round. In the example above, we filter the text messages by the "Opening Tee Time" text message blast for Round 1 (Fri, March 23).
All successfully delivered messages will have the green status of "Delivered." However, if a text message fails to be delivered, an error message will be listed.
Saving Message Templates:
Earlier in this article, we discussed the option to save a message as a template.
Messages saved as templates can be used for future messages in other events without drafting from scratch. A list of your saved templates is on the text message summary page.
To compose a new text message blast using a template, select "New Message from Template." The template message and the custom fields being used will be loaded. However, the description of the message must be entered, and the recipients must be selected.
If necessary, make any further edits to the template. Remember that the edits do not affect the original template being used unless you save the edits either in the existing template or as a new one.
Searching Text Message Templates:
You can use the search feature if you have a long list of templates and are trying to find a text message template. This feature will help you quickly narrow down your available templates to find the one you want.
To use the search feature, go to Golfers > Manage Text Messages. Start typing a unique word or phrase from the template name in the search bar. As you search, results will be displayed below the search line. When you see the template you are looking for, select it from the list (as shown below).
Text Message Cost Summary Report:
The text message cost summary provides detailed yearly cost details based on the subscription start date for up to four years for all text messages sent. To access the "Cost Summary" report from the customer center, go to Master Roster > Manage Text Message > Cost Summary Report, or within an event/league, go to Golfers > Manage Text Message > Cost Summary Report (as shown below).
Once in the Report, you can select a specific date range. When selecting a range greater than 12 months, the periods will be split into 12-month intervals (as shown below).
Additionally, you can click "Show" in the details column and a scrollable table containing all text messaging occurrences, with their associated information, such as # of recipients, # of errors, cost, and average messaging length. Further, if you want to view the message delivery report for a message group, click the "Link" button on the right.
Text Messaging Words To Avoid:
With all text messaging service providers, specific keywords get blocked. For your reference, text messages that contain words that fall in the "S.H.A.F.T." category can be red-flagged and not sent:
Sex: Businesses are prohibited from sending text messages that contain sexually explicit or suggestive content.
Hate: Businesses are prohibited from sending text messages that promote or incite hate or discrimination towards any group of people.
Alcohol: Businesses are prohibited from sending text messages that promote or advertise alcohol products to people under the age of 21.
Firearms: Businesses are prohibited from sending text messages that promote or advertise firearms or other weapons.
Tobacco: Businesses are prohibited from sending text messages that promote or advertise tobacco products.