Vantage

Vantage approached us with an idea for a golf club management tool that would stand out from the rest of the market. The founder recognized a significant gap: competitors offered expensive, outdated products that hadn't evolved with modern user expectations. He saw an opportunity to bring fresh thinking, contemporary design, and genuine value to an industry ready for change.

What made this partnership unique was the founder's dual perspective. As both an experienced golfer and domain expert, he could validate every feature, user flow, and design decision against real-world golf club operations. This resulted in a product built from deep industry knowledge.

We were able to rapidly shape the prototype and define a feature set that immediately captured the interest of golf club owners during the product demo.

Golf club management isn't intuitive if you've never worked in the industry. Before we could build anything, we needed to understand how the game works, how clubs operate, and how different user types interact throughout a typical day on the course.

“This wasn't a typical discovery phase. We were entering an unfamiliar domain, not an obvious context for most tech teams. The first stage was understanding what happens in golf: how people play, what terminology they use, how players interact with staff, etc. Only after immersing ourselves in this world could we start building features, because every functionality serves the entire game process.”

— Bohdan, business analyst at Brights

We also faced a complex technical reality: building a two-component system where the web application (used by club staff) and mobile application (on tablets in golf carts) needed to sync continuously in real-time. Any change in one component immediately affected the other, requiring careful architecture planning from day one.

Our design team joined at project inception and led a comprehensive design process that prioritized real-world usage conditions. They conducted an in-depth briefing to determine business goals, guidelines, monetization model, constraints, content priority, user types, digital literacy levels, competitors, expectations, key value, feature priorities, and competitive strategy.

The competitive analysis revealed something interesting: the market split between outdated, expensive solutions and overly complex “modern” platforms with bloated functionality. We identified a clear opportunity for a convenient, focused product at a reasonable price point.

The challenge lay in creating interfaces for two distinct audiences with very different needs:

• Platform for club staff: Superadmins, admins, managers, and marshals needed tools for pace of play control, custom map creation, order management, player tracking, and detailed analytics — all accessible from their office or mobile devices.

• Player application for golf carts: Golfers using tablets mounted in their carts needed instant course navigation, hole information, hazard warnings, and the ability to order food without disrupting their game. They had to be able to view other groups in nearby lobbies and track their position relative to the game pace.

“We conducted in-depth briefing sessions covering business goals, monetization strategy, technical constraints, user digital literacy levels, competitive landscape, and feature priorities. Then we moved into discovery workshops with the BA and client, analyzing business processes, user roles, and critical scenarios like club setup, map management, pace control, and alert systems.”

— Iryna, UI/UX designer at Brights

• Systematic approach with clear sitemap, user flows, and UI Kit enabled quick handover with minimal dev clarifications.

• Design matched the context: tablets in golf carts required simplicity, large touch targets, and noticeable states. Despite no prior golf knowledge, the designer quickly onboarded by asking the right questions during discovery.

• Conscious UX/cost compromises, especially in map setup scenarios. Food ordering prioritized the player's game — minimum actions for players, more for staff.

Web application for club operations

Live course dashboard: An online command center that tracks all golf carts in real-time, alerting staff to issues, bottlenecks, or rule violations on the course via direct notifications to individual tablets. Managers see the entire operation at a glance, responding to problems before they escalate.

Advanced map editor: A comprehensive tool for mapping course objects, territories, hazards, and points of interest. Staff can create detailed, accurate course representations that feed directly into the player experience.

Multi-level analytics: Detailed reporting at both macro and micro levels — overall club performance metrics alongside individual golfer analytics. This data helps clubs optimize operations, improve pace of play, and enhance the player experience.

Cart application for players

Intelligent map views: Three distinct modes (course overview, hole detail, pin position) help golfers navigate quickly and understand exactly where key objects are located. Players get the information they need without information overload.

Streamlined food ordering: Direct integration with the golf club kitchen enables players to order food with minimal taps, keeping their focus on the game. The system prioritizes player convenience while managing complexity on the staff side.

Safety features: Clear marking of no-go zones, hazards, and restricted areas keeps players informed and courses safe.

The Vantage MVP achieved exactly what it set out to do: prove that golf club management software could be modern, intuitive, and valuable without the premium pricing of legacy competitors. Now, several golf clubs are starting to use our product in a beta-testing version.

Our goal was to build a genuinely efficient golf club management system on the US market. With a solid MVP foundation, validated market interest, and a partnership built on domain expertise meeting technical excellence, Vantage is positioned to redefine what golf clubs expect from their management software.