ORLANDO, Fla. (Nov. 20, 2019) – NBC Sports Group today announced it has acquired EZLinks Golf, a PGA TOUR-affiliated company, including its online tee time marketplace for golfers and its technology platforms, business solutions and customer service for golf course partners. The addition of EZLinks will complement NBC Sports Group’s existing portfolio of golf-related lifestyle brands dedicated to enhancing the golf experience through technology, including GOLF Business Solutions, GOLFNOW, and GOLFPASS.
“As an innovative leader that is at the intersection of golf and technology, NBC Sports continues to invest in our portfolio of golf lifestyle businesses to better serve golfers and golf courses,” said Will McIntosh, executive vice president, NBC Sports Digital and Consumer Business. “Incorporating the technology and services of EZLinks into the comprehensive digital solutions we already offer will enhance our ability to help golf courses operate more efficiently and make the game more accessible for golfers.”
For more than 20 years, EZLinks has provided software and services that power the unique operations and marketing needs of the golf industry, as well as TeeOff, an online tee time marketplace for golfers. EZLinks brings deep experience in working with independent golf course operators and management companies, as well as resorts, municipalities, and private clubs, and its addition will further bolster GOLF Business Solutions’ comprehensive offerings for golf course partners.
“Like GOLFNOW, EZLinks has been committed to maintaining an open platform for golf operators,” said Gary Cohen, chief executive officer of EZLinks Golf. “The combination of our two organizations will only enhance that shared commitment as we work more closely together to serve the needs of our clients and golfers everywhere.”
NBC SPORTS’ PORTFOLIO OF DIGITAL BUSINESSES ARE DRIVING INNOVATION AT THE INTERSECTION OF SPORTS AND TECHNOLOGY
“Simply put, our strategy is to make golf more accessible, simpler and more enjoyable to play by using tech and services that help better connect golfers and golf courses,” said Jeff Foster, senior vice president, GOLFNOW and Emerging Businesses. “Teeoff and EZLinks Golf will round out our comprehensive portfolio designed to help courses elevate the golf experience at their venues and to better serve needs of the modern golfer.”
NBC Sports’ portfolio of lifestyle businesses is tailored to the specific needs of passionate participants and valued partners looking to enhance the experience of playing sports:
- GOLF Business Solutions offers course partners access to a portfolio of business-to-business solutions and technology, highlighted by:
- G1 and GOLFNOW Reservations, which are golf course management and point-of-sale platforms developed for courses’ technology needs.
- GOLFNOW Central, which provides marketing, engagement and reputation solutions.
- GOLFNOW Payments platform, which allows a golf course to seamlessly accept every form of payment from everywhere at their facility.
- GOLFNOW, an online tee time marketplace featuring more than 6,000 golf courses in 24 countries, making it easy for golfers to find a course that best fits their taste, budget and needs. GOLFPASS+ members receive additional Play benefits, including no booking fees, cancellation protection and 25% more rewards points.
- GOLFPASS digital membership program, co-founded with Rory McIlroy, which offers exclusive benefits and perks encompassing the things golfers love to do most – Play, Learn, Shop, Travel, Watch. Now available in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, and Australia.
- Shop with GOLF, an e-commerce platform giving golfers new ways to engage with their favorite brands, shows, personalities and content, and an integral part of GOLFPASS’ Shop benefits. The platform is a partnership with NBCUniversal Ad Sales.
- SportsEngine, the leading provider of Sport Relationship Management software, serves more than 1.2 million sports teams and 40,000 sports leagues, resulting in 16 million coaches, parents and athletes using the platform. SportsEngine is the largest integrated amateur sports technology platform in the world and provides SportsEngine Safety, the largest youth sports background screening and abuse prevention training company in the market.
- NBC Sports Gold, a direct-to-consumer live streaming product, features tailored passes across Premier League, PGA TOUR Live, Notre Dame Football, cycling, track and field, snow sports, ice skating, rugby, Pro Motocross, and Premiere Lacrosse League. NBC Sports Gold is powered by Playmaker Media and is available on Xfinity X1 and Xfinity Flex, Apple iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast and online at NBCSportsGold.com.
- Rotoworld, the industry leader in fantasy sports information as the highest-trafficked site, which features news, headlines, fantasy columns and premium draft kits via the web, the NBC Sports mobile website, Rotoworld Fantasy News app and two paid Draft Guide mobile apps for football and baseball.
About GOLF Business Solutions
GOLF Business Solutions is a complete spectrum of business-to-business services offered by the family of golf brands within the NBC Sports Group portfolio. Building off the recognition and trust of the GOLF Channel brand, the offerings of GOLF Business Solutions are designed to meet the comprehensive needs of businesses interested in investing in golf, helping them to become more efficient and effective.
About NBC Sports Digital
A division of NBC Sports Group, NBC Sports Digital provides sports fans with live streaming of premier events that air on NBC, NBCSN, GOLF Channel, Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, Telemundo, including the Olympics and Sunday Night Football; sport-specific websites that provide 24/7 news, scores and updates, including Mike Florio’s ProFootballTalk and Peter King’s Football Morning in America; best-in-class fantasy sports information through Rotoworld, the No. 1 fantasy sports information site; hyper-local coverage via websites and apps for the nine NBC Sports Regional Networks; and NBC Sports Gold, NBC Sports’ direct-to-consumer live streaming product that offers fans extensive access via 18 individual sport ‘passes.’ Additionally, NBC Sports Digital includes SportsEngine, an amateur league and team management platform; GOLFNOW, the leading online tee time marketplace; and GOLF Business Solutions, best-in-class business-to-business products and services. NBC Sports Digital also owns and operates Playmaker Media, a technology service that provides end-to-end support for companies in need of best-in-class live streaming and VOD solutions. The Yahoo! Sports-NBC Sports Network, a digital content and promotional partnership, constantly ranks among the most-trafficked digital properties in all of sports.