Caddee – Quality-design golf course distance guides and scorecards for golf clubs

July 18, 2017 – Their creation requires meticulous work on the course, absolute attention to detail, prodigious graphic art and a stunning aesthetic. Golf course distance guides are – when well-made – small works of art, and greatly appreciated by players.

Caddee is a company renowned for the exceptional quality of its yardage book and scorecard designs, both print and digital format (for use with apps). In this interview, founder and COB David Hamilton reveals some interesting aspects of Caddee.

When and how did the idea to create the company Caddee arise? 

DAVID HAMILTON: Fifteen years ago I sold my former business. Shortly afterwards I noticed a Strokesaver ad seeking a licensee for the Scandinavian countries. I went over to meet with the founder and came home with a contract. The business grew well. Apart from the benefit of the brand we were soon self supporting; we developed new techniques for surveying and graphic design. From 2009 we decided not to extend the Strokesaver contract. Instead we developed new styles and the Caddee concept was born.

What makes Caddee stand out from its competitors?

DH: First of all the top-notch graphics. it’s a combination of very skilled designers and the way we survey the golf courses. Everything comes down to the needs of the golf club. The design should not only be a map for visiting golfers: the real task is to create a design which will make the golf club proud when presenting it for future visitors, members and business partners.

Many golf courses seem to think the course speaks for itself, which is a truth only if you can bring everyone to see it. Today it’s a new world where everyone can visit your website in seconds.

I still see lots of golf clubs hiding their courses. Why hide the heart of your product? Every course is beautiful and in our designs the sun always shine. Of course the sporting elements of the course guide is extremely important as well; that’s why we only use tour-experienced staff for surveying and all designers are golfers, naturally.

So, we provide great graphics, and as we produce more than 160 printed course guides every year we are fortunate to keep the prices down. In our agreements with the golf club we commit to updating any alterations made on the course for each new edition. The word “printed edition” is becoming more and more un-modern as the Internet visitors are outnumbering the actual visitors. All golf courses are, if they so wish, presented in our Internet portals, Caddee.se and Caddee.eu, as well as in our app, so the course must be updated on a regular basis. Updates are free of charge.

What are the company’s objectives for the short and medium term?

DH: We are dominant in Sweden and represented in the neighbouring countries. Next step is expanding on an international level. We are also continuously trying to increase the digital visibility for the visitors. In our app the golfer can view the course guide, get a GPS-distance to the green and fill in a scorecard. In a while, with new generations growing up, this will be common practice, so we need to be on our toes.

Why have you chosen Spain as one of the Caddee priority markets?

DH: Spain has many very good courses and the golf clubs seem to appreciate high-quality products. Spain is easy reachable from our headquarters in Stockholm and we have a great sales representative, Jonas Siljeström, living on the Costa del Sol, which naturally is of great help.

What future do you forecast for printed scorecards? Will they disappear because of mobile phones?

DH: I hope not, even though we have that service in our mobile application. I like the printed scorecard and I hope it stays. The forecast is nevertheless likely towards an increase, but I’m not sure mobile phones will be the only alternative. Watches and buggy-held devices will most likely increase. It all comes down to which is the easiest way of scoring and saving the data. Time will tell.

There are golfers who think new technologies are detrimental to the original spirit of the game because they involve additional aids that did not exist before. What is your opinion about this? 

DH: Even though I use a yardage metre myself, my soul is “old school”. Once I visited the Swedish commentators during a British Open broadcasting. I asked them if they believed the leaderboard would be different if there were no distance aids. It would all come down to the skill of estimation, which was one of the original ideas of golf. The commentators avoided answering. Jack Nicklaus was one of the first to realise the benefits of knowing the exact yardages. He did wonderful things for golf but I’m not sure that was one of the things to be more joyful about. I’m well aware I’m contradicting some of my own business but wouldn’t it be fun to watch Spieth, McIlroy and Watson playing without knowing the exact distances?

By REDACCIÓN