The giant golf ball on its bright yellow tee, which looked so
out of place in our studio, stands out brilliantly at the entry to
Pirongia Golf Club. Two weeks after installation and despite the
fickle Spring weather, the kiosk is being used frequently,
dispensing scorecards, golf balls, and tees, and collecting round
fees.
The kiosk has been in development since Bob Sanders came up with
the concept in 2006, was launched in September 2010, and the first
install was at Pirongia Golf Course in October 2010. Phosphor has
been working with Spynnbak for the past 2 years, developing the
kiosk interface design and software and working with Bob and
business partner Brian Kirby on the kiosk hardware and
electronics.
The kiosk allows both club members and non-affiliated golfers to
pay for rounds and collect scorecards via a touch-screen interface
with EFTPOS, removing the need for clubs to keep cash-filled
honesty boxes. Golf balls and tees, gloves and any other small
sporting accessories can also be sold on site without the need for
a pro shop.
IP protection has been secured in New Zealand, Australia, the
United States, Japan and pending in the rest of the world.
