In a fit of marketing indiscretion, I downloaded approximately 50 golf resort apps to my phone the other night.

Within a few minutes (after waiting a half hour for them all to install, of course) I realized that of all the platforms resorts were using, one of the first apps I downloaded was clearly my favorite.

Gallus + Palmetto
The combo was Palmetto Dunes and Gallus Golf.

Here’s why.

#1) Notifications
I think they call these “Instant Messages” in their feature list, but the ability to push information and notifications at the drop of a hat is huge.

Unfortunately, didn’t receive any notifications before posting this so forgive the lack of screenshot, but I love this kind of direct, owned, quickly-noticeable reach, especially when you consider…

#2) Fast, In-App Booking
As far as I can tell, aside from the first booking (your info is saved), you can book a round in five taps:

1. App Icon
2. Tee Times Icon
3. Select Day
4. Confirm Player Count
5. Book Tee Time

It’s a clean, well-designed interface (just look at how much useful info they clearly convey between the time and the price) and when combined with push notifications is a really powerful 1-2 punch.

#3) Leaderboards
Humans are naturally competitive beings, so the ability to see how you stack up against other players either locally or globally has clear motivational potential.

#4) Social Sharing
In the hubbub of resort-managed profiles, one of the most overlooked social strategies is getting your fans to share content about/for you. In that sense, this one setting within my user profile is completely awesome.

Get a birdie? Be prompted to share that achievement with your friends on Facebook. Most won’t, but some will. Really smart addition.

Good Stuff, Gallus
Overall, I really liked the simplicity of the app, the first-use tips and advice, the focus, and the marketing design to went into many of the features.

Lots of platforms exist for golf resorts, but this is by far my favorite.

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