Group Play is a commercial application software that is provided as a software as a service model.  The public system lives in the cloud and is available 7x24 to players nationwide.  Players register themselves with the system and can then join groups and participate in matches.
 

Why Use Group Play?
Golf groups that play together regularly generally have a person who steps up to organize the matches.  This person is often called "The Commissioner", who takes on the tasks of getting tee times, communicating with the group, putting teams together, etc.  Without Group Play, this is cumbersome, error prone, and time consuming.  

The manual process might go something like this...
The commissioner calls the club to obtain tee times and then manually sends emails to players who belong to the group to see who wants to play.  Players respond to the email indicating if they can play, and sometimes make special requests such as needing to play early or late, wanting to bring guests, or wanting to be paired with a particular player.  The commissioner receives these emails over the course of a week, and then. perhaps the day before, manually puts teams together.  Sometimes forming teams is just random, but some try and form teams using rules that they like.  Sometimes the commissioners keep track of play history using spreadsheets which they use for pairing.  Once teams are formed, players must be notified via email of their start time and playing partners.  This is usually done the day before the match and is often the only indication to the player that he has been included.  So there is a time-gap between the player signing up, and being notified that he is "in", which sometimes generates questions like "Did I Sign Up", "Did he receive my email", etc.  Also, some clubs require early warning so that they know who is playing so their tee sheet can be updated.   This is another manual task done by the commissioner.  Wow!  What a headache!

Group Play Makes it Easy!
Group Play automates many of the tasks that the commissioner would normally have to do.  First, the system keeps track of Club Staff who are contacted for things like Tee Time Requests, Tee Time Cancelations, and play Scheduling.  Using the Tee Time Request tool, the Commissioner can request tee times with minimal effort.  An email request is sent to staff members who have been identified.

If your club sends a structured email with Tee Time information, Group Play can automatically read the email and create a match for you.  Alternatively, the Commissioner will create a Match in Group Play.  Many fields in the match are set based on preferences, so match creation only requires a few choices such as match date and starting tee time.  Once created, group players are notified via email of the match specifics.  The email includes a "one-click" signup link allowing players to join matches quickly and easily.  When they sign up, they receive a confirmation via email which includes an Outlook Calendar entry, so the match appears in the player's calendar.  Also included is a "one-click" cancelation link that will remove the player from the match should his plans change.

So, the player is informed, and reminded by his calendar of the date and time range of the match.  Players don't have to access the website to receive benefits of Group Play, but if they want, they can always check the site for up-to-date information on upcoming matches.

Players join matches once they receive the match notification emails, check their schedules, and signup.  The commissioner can check the website at any time to see who has signed up and to see if additional (or fewer) tee times are needed.  Group Play generates automated emails to the commissioner when events occur such as "Match is Full", or "Time to Schedule".  These serve as a reminder that actions are needed.

At "closing time" which is usually the day before the match, the commissioner visits the website and assigns teams.  When doing so, Group Play implements "Rule Based Assignment" so that the Commissioner has control over team formation.  Group Play records play together history and finish order of teams and players which can influence team assignment.  The commissioner can manually tweak assignments in the event that desired pairings are not met.  Once teams are finalized, a button click sends team notifications to all players showing pairings, tee times, and other player information if configured.  And if the commissioner desires more automation, match assignment and notification can be automated as well by group preference settings

In the event that the match is not full, the commissioner can use Group Play to notify the club that Tee Times are not needed, and also to send the player list to identified staff.

Once the match has been played, the Commissioner optionally uses Group Play to enter team placement and scores.  This information is recorded in the database to provide statistics as well as future assignment data.

Players can log in to Group Play at any time to view future matches, view play statistics, or to search for groups to join.  Players can also create their own "private" groups which they can use to schedule matches with their buddies in smaller groups.

In summary, Group Play makes life easier for the commissioners, the players, and the club.  It is less error prone and keeps everyone informed.

Match Automation

As the commissioner, you can choose to use as much or as little automation that you are comfortable with.  In fully automated mode, the match management process goes something like this...

1. Group Play sends an email to the club requesting tee times.  This is scheduled based on your booking window.

2. Group Play receives the tee time email from the club, and automatically creates a match.

3. Group Play notifies players that a match has been created.  This can be done on a schedule, or when the match is created.  The email contains a one-click signup link.

4. Players click on the link in the match notification email they receive.  This will sign them up for the match, and send a confirmation email.  The confirmation contains a calendar entry so  it will appear in your outlook calendar.

5. On a schedule, Group Play examines match signup and sends the club Tee Time Deletion requests when it appears they will be unused.  It also includes the list of players so the club can update their tee sheet.

6. When closing time is reached (usually the day before the match, in the afternoon), Group Play automatically assigned the teams, assigned the game, and sends notification to players with their tee time and player assignment.  It sends this information to the club as well.

7. After golf, the Commissioner will be reminded to "complete" the match.  This simple process is used to identify winners and their winning score.  This finalized the match cycle.  The only thing the Commissioner needed to do was enter the winning information.