MATCHPLAY LAUNCHES LOCAL MATCHPLAY SERIES

Do you often play matches against your friends on the golf course? Do you enjoy golf trips with good food, excellent golf, and pleasant company? We at Matchplay share the same opinion and are launching a new, local version of our Matchplay tournament: Matchplay Local Series. This autumn, 64 teams will compete over 6 rounds for a spot in the dream final in Italy.

The series will take place locally in 3 regions: Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Skåne. There will be a maximum of 64 participating teams in the series, and the winner from each region will advance to a grand final at the fantastic Golf Le Fonti, located near Bologna, Italy. We will take care of everything: travel, accommodation, golf, and a pleasant banquet after we have crowned this year's winners.

The tournament will be held from August 15th to October 15th, with a total of 6 rounds played before a team emerges as the winner of the Matchplay Local Series. All teams will be from your region, which means that all matches will be played in your local area. In the unlikely event that you do not win the first round, you will instead qualify for the Second Chance, where the 32 losing teams will compete in a 5-round match series. This ensures that all teams participating in the Local Series are guaranteed at least 2 matches.

The Matchplay Local Series is limited to a maximum of 64 teams per region, and there is no possibility to expand the tournament due to high interest. Don't miss out on this year's most enjoyable matchplay tournament. We expect the limited spots to fill up quickly. Register today to not miss your chance. Register here.

GOLFAMORE GROUP LAUNCHES CUSTOMER CLUB - CLUB19

Now customers of Golfamore (formerly Golfhäftet), Out-of-Bounds, OnTee, and MatchPlay can earn points on their purchases. Golfmore Group is launching a joint customer club, Club19, for the companies in its portfolio. Regardless of which of these companies the customer buys from, the points will be accumulated under a single customer club profile.

"As Europe's largest golf network, creating a customer club was a natural step. Now, over 300,000 golfers can start earning points when they purchase something from our portfolio companies," says Johan Markus, Chief Marketing Officer at Golfamore Group.

The customer club consists of three point levels: Par, Birdie, and Eagle. Each level offers a range of different benefits and rewards. Examples of benefits include priority access to sales, tailored offers, high discounts, and waived fees for competitions.

"We want to offer the best customer club for golfers, and today's launch is a first step, a 1.0 version, and we will continue to rapidly develop Club19 and add really great benefits," concludes Johan Markus.

For partners of the companies within the Golfamore Group, golf clubs, and other collaborative partners, the customer club also provides an opportunity to reach a broader target audience than before. Partners will be given the opportunity to add offers, benefits, etc., to the club's members.

Golfhäftet changes name to Golfamore and adds more courses

Golfhäftet is today changing its name to Golfamore to continue and optimise its international expansion. Outside the Nordic region, the company is already called Golfamore, but as of today, 12 June, the Nordic markets are also changing to Golfamore. To illustrate its ambition to grow internationally, several courses, many in the UK, are being added to the already large range. In total, Golfamore cardholders can now play at half green fees on 1300 courses in 23 countries.

In 2005, the idea of the Golf Booklet was born when a group of golfing friends got tired of playing the same course all the time and wanted to try new courses. A year later, Golfhäftet was launched with 100 courses available in Sweden. Now, 18 years later, Golfhäftet is available in six markets and has 1300 partner courses in 23 countries.

"Golfhäftet is no longer a local phenomenon but a European leader in benefit cards for golfers and our name needs to work internationally. We want to reflect our passion for golf and inspiration for more golf", says Anders Carlén, CEO of Golfamore (formerly Golfhäftet).

The name Golfamore is a play on the words Golf And More and shows the direction in which the brand is heading.

"The More bit in Golfamore symbolises the added value that we want to give to both our partner clubs and our Golfamore cardholders. The golfers will be offered more golf for the money and the clubs will get more play on the course, which generates more guest play and good finances. A classic win-win", continues Anders Carlén.

During the spring, Golfamore's group company Golfamore Group bought the British golf benefit card Open Fairways. Some of the partner courses from Open Fairways have now been transferred to Golfamore, giving Golfamore cardholders a stronger range of courses on the British Isles.

About Golfmore

Golfamore is a benefit card for golfers and enables play at half green fees at 1300 golf courses in 23 countries. Golfamore is part of the Golfamore Group.

For more information contact Johan Markus at johan.markus@golfamore.com or call +46738393393.

Golfamore Group acquires Open Fairways in the UK

Golfamore Group is adding another company to its group through the acquisition of the British benefit card company, Open Fairways. The company is one of the leading players in in the UK, offering golfers the opportunity to play at nearly 800 golf courses, mostly in the UK and Ireland, with up to 50% off the green fee. The Swedish company Golfhäftet, European market leader, is already part of the Golfamore Group portfolio.

Open Fairways was founded in Belfast in 1995 by Jonathan Packham as one of the first of its kind in the golf industry. Many high-profile golf courses in the British Isles are among the affiliated clubs, including the Belfry, Fairmont St Andrews and Ardglass Golf Club. Over the years, golfing personalities such as Sir Nick Faldo have been ambassadors for the company and Daily Telegraph readers enjoyed golf privileges from Open Fairways for more than a decade.

"Golfamore Group's acquisition of Open Fairways is good news for both users and associated golf clubs. For customers, Golfhäftet's already strong offering in continental Europe, together with Open Fairways' wide range in the British Isles, provides a fantastic smorgasbord of approximately 2,000 golf courses to choose from. For golf clubs, the acquisition provides increased opportunities to attract international guests," says Johnny Packham, Founder and CEO of Open Fairways.

"Through the acquisition of Open Fairways, we are further strengthening our portfolio. We have a long-term ambition to strengthen our position in the UK market, and we now have a platform to take a big step in that direction. By combining Golfhäftet and Open Fairways, we now have one of the best, if not the best, discount concepts for golfers in Europe. We also look forward to offering the British affiliated clubs several products in our portfolio that were not previously available in their home market," says Fredrik van Speijk, co-founder and CEO of Golfamore Group.

The work of integrating Open Fairways into the existing company structure has already begun and will be completed during 2023. This will be done in close cooperation between Golfhäftet and Open Fairways, both in terms of concept development and organization.

About Golfmore Group

Golfamore Group consists of leading niche brands in Europe such as Golfhäftet, Out-of-bounds, OnTee, Matchplay, and Golfamore Events. Through portfolio companies, Golfamore Group shares its passion for golf with over 1,750 golf clubs and 320,000 golfers in 30+ countries in Europe.

For more information, contact Fredrik van Speijk at fredrik.vanspeijk@golfamoregroup.com or +46 708 55 61 62.

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Golfamore Group invests in Out-of-Bounds

Out of Bounds annually recovers over three million golf balls from golf club ponds and is already a Nordic leader in its niche. Now, it is bringing in external stakeholders, Golfamore Group, to accelerate growth and geographical expansion.

Recovered golf balls are a win-win-win for the environment, the golf club, and golfers. When the balls are recycled, the emissions of heavy metals from golf balls in nature decrease, clubs get paid for the balls that are recycled, and golfers can make a sustainable and economical choice when purchasing golf products. Golf balls lying in golf club ponds are literally an hidden asset that the club can easily make money on without a major effort. Over 120 clubs in Sweden already have agreements with Out of Bounds, and the company also operates in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Out of Bounds nearly doubled its turnover from 21 to 40 million SEK between 2019 and 2020 and showed a profit. Golfamore Group, which owns Golfhäftet and OnTee, is now taking a stake in Out of Bounds, having acquired 30% of the shares.

“We have collaborated with both Golfamore Group and Golfhäftet for many years and are impressed by the company that the founders have built up. We are proud of our own journey so far and see that together we can build a competitive business in Europe. Golfamore Group has its own experience in expanding to the larger golf markets in Europe. Now, we are ready to conquer the European market with Out of Bounds”, says Johannes Bergenwall, CEO and Co-founder of Out of Bounds.

“We have been following Out of Bounds' development closely for several years. The fact that both the golf club and the golfer benefit from their business model is something that fits perfectly into Golfamore Group's thinking of creating customer-specific win-win concepts for the golf club and the golfer. We look forward to working with the team at Out of Bounds and continuing to develop the company, its offering, and taking a leading position in Europe in the recycling of golf balls”, says Fredrik van Speijk, CEO & Co-founder of Golfamore Group.

Golfamore Group new majority shareholder in Matchplay

Matchplay is a match play competition for pairs with an official handicap played at clubs affiliated with the Swedish Golf Federation. To continue developing the concept, a new shareholder, Golfamore Group, which has also invested in OnTee and Out of Bounds, is now being brought on board.

Between 2020 and 2021, Matchplay doubled the number of participating teams in its match play competition for pairs with an official handicap. Last year, they also set a record with almost 800 registered teams for the competition. Now, Matchplay will be internationalized and developed as a concept. In connection with this, Golfamore Group is becoming a shareholder in Matchplay and will acquire 51% of the shares.

"For several years, we at Matchplay have successfully organized Sweden's most fun golf competition. Now we want to take the concept even further and also take the competition abroad. Golfamore Group was really a perfect match for us in our search for an external investor who is also knowledgeable about the industry. Together we will take Matchplay to new heights," says Mikael Gräntz, CEO and Co-founder of Matchplay.

Golfamore Group invests in golf-related companies and co-owns, among others, the tee-time booking service OnTee and Golfhäftet. In 2021, they also invested in Out of Bounds, which recycles and sells golf balls and operates a European e-commerce site for golf-related products.

"Matchplay has been on our radar for some time because through Golfamore Group's companies, we organize several golf tournaments, including Golfhäftet Trophy, which is Europe's largest team competition for amateurs, and Under Par Challenge. The tournaments are highly appreciated by both golfers and clubs, and for the latter, our concepts are both profitable and a perfect showcase for attracting more guest players," says Fredrik van Speijk, CEO & Co-founder of Golfamore Group.

"We have followed Matchplay with great interest and look forward to developing the competition by internationalizing the concept, among other things. Encouraging golfers to discover new courses is completely in line with our vision for Golfamore Group. This aspect will also be particularly important for the industry this season as we see a tendency for golf play to decrease compared to previous years," concludes Fredrik van Speijk.