In the wake of the recent CrowdStrike outage, which affected millions of Microsoft products and halted everything from surgeries to plane flights to golf courses, the imperative for safe and reliable technology solutions has become more evident than ever. This is especially true within the golf industry, which depends heavily on point-of-sale (POS) and online booking systems to book and collect green fee revenue.
As the industry modernizes, golf courses and related businesses are adopting cloud-based POS systems, increasing cybersecurity risks and making system security crucial for protecting data and maintaining business integrity. In this article, we will highlight some quick facts about cyberattacks, and outline the key features to look for to ensure a safe and reliable POS & booking engine solution.
Threat of Cybersecurity on the Golf Industry
While golf courses may not strike one as the most obvious cyber attack target, notable breaches in the golf industry underscore the need for robust cybersecurity measures. Just last year, Topgolf Callaway experienced a major data breach, affecting over 1 million customers and exposing sensitive information (Cybernews). Similarly, Wentworth Golf Club, a prestigious course that hosts the prestigious European PGA Championships, suffered a cyberattack in 2021 that compromised the personal details of 4,000 members (Daily Mail).
These attacks are even more frequent for small businesses as 41% of cybersecurity incidents target small businesses, costing owners time and money (Hiscox). Furthermore, 37% of Ransomware attacks target businesses with less than 100 employees, and it’s estimated that 75% of such businesses would have to cease operations in a cyberattack (StrongDm).
What to look for in your Golf Course Solution to ensure it is secure
A golf course solution that has all four key security features (listed below) will greatly reduce the threat of cyberattacks and ensure that your operations continue uninterrupted.
What We're Doing at Teesnap
At Teesnap, our main objective is to assist golf course operators with the most secure, reliable booking and POS solution to boost customer engagement and drive revenue. We understand that a reliable and secure booking engine and POS system are essential for a successful golf operation.
Despite the recent brief outage caused by Crowdstrike, Teesnap’s secure, iOS-based platform and swift response resulted in none of our golf course customers reporting any disruptions to their operations, demonstrating the reliability of our solution. This is because Teesnap was built on the Apple iOS platform, which is known for its best-of-breed security. We have also implemented industry-leading configuration and development practices to minimize disruptions.
In addition, Teesnap’s solutions are PCI DSS compliant, ensuring more secure transactions. We also provide monitor logs and location tracking, allowing operators to prevent misuse and enabling them to shut down devices remotely if necessary. Furthermore, should one of our customers encounter an outage or cyberattack, our customer success team is prepared to assist them. In short, we take proactive measures to ensure the reliability and security of course booking and POS systems so golf professionals can focus on driving more tee times and the customer experience.
If you’d like to know more about our platform and how we ensure operators a smooth and safe booking engine, please click on the “Book a Demo” button below.
Sources:
IBM, 2023. “Cost of a Data Breach Report 2023.” IBM.
Varonis, 2023. “161 Cybersecurity Statistics and Trends.”
Hiscox Cyber, 2021, “2021 Cyber Readiness Report.”
Cybernews, 2023, “Top Golf Callaway Brands Hacked”
Daily Mail, 2021, “Exclusive Wentworth Golf Club Cyber Attack”
StrongDm, 2024, “35 Alarming Small Business Cybersecurity Statistics for 2024”