A financial case for GPS adoption in golf operations

Cutting Costs While Elevating Play: How Caddy Genius GPS Saves your Golf Course Money

Introduction To GPS Drift

GPS drift refers to the small, often gradual inaccuracies in reported location data, even when a device remains stationary. These deviations occur due to factors such as atmospheric conditions, signal multi-path (when signals bounce off buildings or terrain), satellite geometry, and receiver quality.

While modern GPS systems are typically accurate within a few meters, drift can still impact precision—especially in environments with poor satellite visibility, such as inside buildings or near dense structures. In fleet management and golf cart tracking, understanding and monitoring GPS drift is essential for ensuring location reliability, optimizing path accuracy, and identifying signal obstructions (e.g., when carts are in the cart barn).

Turf Protection = Lower Maintenance Costs

Carts repeatedly entering restricted zones like greens, collars, and soft turf areas can lead to expensive damage and constant repair cycles. Caddy Genius uses geofencing to automatically prevent carts from entering these sensitive zones—reducing wear, repair frequency, and staff hours spent on recovery.

Annual savings in labor reduction: $4,900–$8,750 USD

Labor Costs:
Turf crews typically spend 4–6 hours/week repairing damaged turf. With GPS restrictions in place, you can reduce that by 60–80%, saving ~200–250 hours/year.

200 hrs x $12 = $2,400/year
250 hrs x $15 = $3,750/year  → Estimated labor savings: $2,400–$3,750/year

Seed, Sod, and Fertilizer Usage
With less damage, material usage drops by an estimated 20–40%. If a course spends $10,000/year on turf restoration materials, that’s a savings of: $2,000–$4,000/year

Reduced Equipment and Fuel Use
Fewer repair cycles = less equipment time and fuel usage  → Estimated savings: $500–$1,000/year

These savings are immediate, measurable, and recurring.