The launch of the Met Office’s “Time & Place” service, the first truly local weather forecasts for any location, means that golfers can now find out what the weather will be like on their course at the press of a button on their mobile phone. Although the launch of the new service is primarily aimed at the golfing public it will clearly be a real benefit for golf course operators, greenkeepers and golf day organisers too.
The service – using a WAP handset or the basic text messaging service SMS – gives weather updates with postcode accuracy on the hour every hour if required. It will also allow you to plan around the UK weather up to five days ahead.
Gareth John from the Met Office said “We know that golfers are prepared to play in most weather conditions but thunderstorms and lightning pose a real threat if you’re caught out half way through a round. We can see this becoming invaluable for golfers who want to know what the outlook will be like up to five days in advance. It’s a real technological first – it’s like having one of the most powerful forecasting computer systems in the world, in the palm of your hand. You can call up and find out the conditions on a particular course for the weekend coming up.”
Connecting to the new service involves visiting the Met Office web site at www.metoffice.gov.uk where people can sign up and stipulate the information they want to receive. The service is payable on subscription with the ability to pre-pay for an agreed amount of messages – on average 20p a message (minimum £10 spend).