Mobile App - Managing the Mobile App

Owned by Emily Latham
Last updated: Feb 22, 2023 by Emily Carlson
6 min read

Overview

The Clubessential Member App was built with your Membership in mind.  While on the go, your Members may now access the most useful tools of your Clubessential Website and more on their smartphone via the App to more easily and readily make Tee Time Reservations, view their Statements, review the Directory, view and/or register for upcoming events, and receive notifications about pending dangerous weather or other notifications your Club would like to distribute.  The App is available in both an IOS and Android version.  Having a Clubessential Website is a required prerequisite to getting an App.  Having Clubessential Office / POS back-office system is NOT required, but does enhance the effectiveness of the app.

Required Permissions

  • Administrator

Initial App Download 

The Clubessential Member App will need to be downloaded from either the App Store for iPhones or the Google Play Store for Android devices. If your club's app is branded, search the respective store for the club's name. If the app is a container app, search for Clubessential and download the Clubessential app instead.

Initial App Login

The Clubessential Member App requires credentials that will only be provided if you are a member or Admin of a participating club. These items include:

  1. Club ID: This will be provided to the Club Admin by Clubessential, and the Club Admin will be responsible for communicating it to the Club Members. Each Club has a unique Club ID, that combined with username and password, will enable a successful log-in.

    1. Branded apps will not need a Club ID to sign in

  2. Username: This will be the same as your website login username.

  3. Password: This will be the same as your website login password.       

  4. General Login Help

Initial Permissions

The Clubessential Member App will request permission to send notifications to the user phone. We recommend telling your Members to Allow notifications so that announcements will be received, such as “lightning warnings, reminders for upcoming events, etc). It is also recommended to allow Bluetooth so that the app can receive personalized notifications based on locations throughout the club. Enabling Biometrics will allow easy and quick logins depending on your device's capabilties.

App Toolsets - Requiring Admin Maintenance

  • Calendar of Events - There is no need to manually update the Calendar of Events on your Mobile App. All Events from your website’s Calendar will be automatically pulled into the Mobile App’s Calendar module. 

  • Club News/Articles - There is no need to manually update the Club News/Articles on your Mobile App. All Articles from your website’s Club News/Articles module will be automatically pulled into the Mobile App’s Club News/Articles module. 

  • Page Content - There is no need to manually update the Content on your Mobile App. Content used on the Mobile App is synced from the website, so any updates made to website content will update on the Mobile App. 

  • Push Notifications - Push notifications open a new channel of communication with your members. In order for members to receive push notifications, they must be connected to Wi-Fi. If the member is not connected to Wi-Fi, then the message will be received once they are connected to Wi-Fi. The push notifications work similarly to the ones your members are already receiving from apps like Facebook or ESPN. For more information on push notifications, please visit our push notification guide.

  • Beacons (Optional) - Beacons are inconspicuous devices placed in designated locations in a Club or on a Club’s Golf Course that transmit small amounts of data via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) up to 150 feet, that can be read by a Club’s Mobile App, and translated into an actionable message to either a Member, or a Staff Member. For instance, a beacon placed at the 8th Tee Box, when read by the Member’s phone via their Club’s app, could automatically trigger a message to the Member, asking if they would like to post their score. For more information on Beacons, please visit our Beacon Set-up Guide.

Clubessential Product Integrations

The app is integrated into the Clubessential Unified Suite of products (e.g.website, tee times, CRM, accounting/POS,other reservation modules,etc.)  Therefore, there is no separate maintenance required for any of these items with the App.  Members will be able to access these toolsets by logging into the App (one time only) with the same username and password they use to log into your Clubessential powered website.

  • Clubessential - Tee Times: Members will have access to a touch-friendly version of the tee sheet where they can book new tee times as well as view existing reservations. Tee times booked using the app get pushed through to the admin tee sheet, trigger confirmation emails, and flow to the Golf Shop POS for processing. Here is an example of a Member booking a Tee Time.

  • Clubessential - Other Reservation Types: Clubessential can integrate all Clubessential reservation products (e.g. dining, courts, spa, personal training, etc.), and include on the main app menu.

  • Clubessential - Calendar: Members can view and register for events from the app Calendar.  All events entered from the Website automatically flow to the app without the need for duplicate entry or additional maintenance.

  • Clubessential - Directory: Members can access the member directory and view their publicly viewable information. Restrictions on viewing are maintained in the Website, and require no additional maintenance with the App. Members can also utilize native functionality to call, email or text members directly from the app. Members can also easily update their profile picture. The profile picture automatically display in the website directory, POS, and other Clubessential tools.

  • Clubessential - Statements/Payments: Allows members to view their online statements, current activity and drill down into individual charges. Clubs can also choose to enable online payments via the app using ACH or credit cards.

  • Clubessential - Club News: The Club News pulls directly from your website’s news feed, enabling members to quickly scan the latest articles and click-through to read the full story. 

  • Clubessential - Membership Card: Members can pull up their scannable member identification card to enable easy check-in at events, or at locations like the pool or fitness center.  To learn more about self-service kiosk options, click here.

Third Party Product Integrations

In addition to Clubessential products, the app also integrates with some very popular third-party products.  There is no separate maintenance required for any of these items with the App.

  • GHIN or Golf Net - Post a Score: Members can post their score to GHIN or Golf Net through Clubessential because of the two-way integration with those handicap-tracking services.  The user interface is optimized to make it the fastest and easiest way possible to post a score.

  • Golf Genius Integration: If your Club is using Golf Genius as your tournament management software, we have an integration with their mobile website that allows members to click a “Tournaments” menu item in the app which will take them to the golf genius mobile website and the member will be automatically be logged in.

  

Best Practices

  1. Implement Beacons to encourage full usage of the App capabilities, including automatic notifications to Members for managing pace of play, and helping your Management team know who is on-site, and where they are located at any given time.

  2. Apps must be live before Beacons can be set up.

  3. Host an App Go-Live party to encourage Membership awareness and usage.

  4. Utilize scrolling banners to highlight upcoming events and encourage Member registration.

FAQs

  1. How long does a typical implementation take?

    1. If the app is in tandem with a new Website, the app will go live with the site. If the app is an Add-On project, it typically takes 2-4 weeks.

  2. Do we need a Clubessential website in order to get the App?

    1. Yes, having a Clubessential website is a prerequisite. Having Clubessential Office / POS back-office system is NOT required, but does enhance the effectiveness of the app.

  3. Does the App work on tablets?

    1. Yes, the Clubessential Member App is built to be responsive regardless of device size.