Business

US golf technology giant pitches up at new Belfast base

Pictured at the official opening of GolfNow’s new £1.1m office in Belfast are (from left) GolfNow vice-president Brian Smith, Invest NI chairman Mark Ennis, BRS Golf co-founder Rory Smith and Mike McCarley of NBC Sports
Pictured at the official opening of GolfNow’s new £1.1m office in Belfast are (from left) GolfNow vice-president Brian Smith, Invest NI chairman Mark Ennis, BRS Golf co-founder Rory Smith and Mike McCarley of NBC Sports Pictured at the official opening of GolfNow’s new £1.1m office in Belfast are (from left) GolfNow vice-president Brian Smith, Invest NI chairman Mark Ennis, BRS Golf co-founder Rory Smith and Mike McCarley of NBC Sports

A TECHNOLOGY company founded more than a decade ago by two Co Down brothers primarily to streamline their golf tee-times, and which was subsequently acquired by a multi-million dollar US giant, has pitched up in new state-of-the-art offices in Belfast.

And GolfNow - which is owned and operated by Golf Channel and part of the NBC Sports Group - has also doubled its staff numbers in the north to more than 70.

Golf fanatics and technology experts Brian Smith (47) and his brother Rory (50) founded BRS Golf in 2003 to make it easier for golfers to book tee times online, firstly at Belvoir Park and then at Ardglass, where they'd both played as youngsters.

BRS built up a solid reputation with both golfers and courses throughout Ireland and Britain to such an extent that in 2013 it was acquired by GolfNow, which opened an office in Belfast a year later with support from Invest NI.

And as golf's popularity in Northern Ireland soared on the back of major winners like Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke and Graeme McDowell, and its hosting of three Irish Opens (and, in 2019, the tour's main Open), GolfNow enjoyed stellar growth in Belfast.

Its new £1.1 million office space in City Quays, overlooking the River Lagan, has been formally opened by Mike McCarley, president (golf) at NBC Sports.

“Expanding our presence in Belfast allows us to strengthen our global golf portfolio and better serve both golfers and golf course operators," he said.

“We’re grateful for the support from Invest NI for fostering an environment of creativity and economic opportunity, and making this an ideal home for industries seeking to tap into Belfast’s skilled and entrepreneurial workforce, particularly those with a high tech focus.”

GolfNow (www.golfnow.com) offers more than 3.5 million registered golfers more ways to easily book tee times online and via mobile devices any time of day. It also provides technology, support and marketing services to more than 8,000 golf courses around the world (2,200 in Britain and Ireland).

It is also part of the suite of digital businesses managed by Golf Channel, which is viewed in more than 500 million homes worldwide.

Invest NI chairman Mark Ennis said: “Since its acquisition of BRS Golf in 2013, GolfNow has experienced unprecedented growth, which is a testament to the drive and focus of the management team, the quality of talent that it has been able to recruit here and to our reputation within the global technology sector.

“These new offices highlight GolfNow’s longer term commitment to Northern Ireland,and we will continue to work closely with GolfNow to help support its future plans.”

Last year Florida-headquartered GolfNow (which now operates in 23 countries) reported a 33 per cent increase in tee-time bookings across Ireland, generating a total of £510,000 for more than 230 golf courses.