‘Leading the way in the industry thanks to a state-of-the-art IT solution’ 

The club was opened in 2002 and is therefore still quite young. ‘However, until a few years ago, the IT infrastructure was still very outdated,’ says Ennio Losa. Thanks to its forward-looking manager, the association has made huge leaps in this area in recent years and implemented a pioneering technological solution for Switzerland. A solution that, following the example of the Gerre Losone Golf Club, has already been considered by other Ticino golf clubs and could soon become a reality in the rest of the country. All of this was only possible thanks to the close and successful collaboration with Swisscom.

‘The problem was the IT’s structure, which was based on a server that fell apart at every turn,’ says Ennio Losa. We faced numerous challenges, ranging from excessively slow processes to inadequate data security, including sensitive data. ‘The situation was intolerable; our IT infrastructure was no longer reliable, so we had to find a solution.’ This was partly due to the fact that the management tool widely used in golf, the PC Caddie software, was not powerful enough and therefore could not guarantee sufficient continuity and quality of services.  

So it was time for something new. There were two options: modernising the IT infrastructure by maintaining the previous server-based approach, or implementing a new idea instigated by the manager, namely migrating to the cloud. This was a very courageous alternative, as it was not yet widely used at that time. In retrospect, however, it was certainly the right choice.

Despite initial concerns, the decision was consequently taken in favour of the second option. Swisscom was brought on board to help with the implementation. The company is considered a reputable, secure and reliable partner and it already manages the club’s entire telephony operations – fixed network and mobile communications. The software company Piramide Informatica Sagl was also commissioned as a partner to realise the project. The cost of financing its implementation is important, but it has the advantage of relying on a single provider for the entire system, meaning you have only one contact person for all your needs and – since Smart ICT is a modular solution with a fixed monthly fee with easily calculable costs – an operating fee without any surprises.

So the direction is set. A prerequisite for realising this idea is fibre optics, which can provide a bandwidth that is sufficiently powerful to be able to network the entire system. After all, the Smart ICT alternative is also the best because it is both more cost-effective and quieter to operate than the conventional solution, while keeping costs constant. Let’s start with the first aspect: the existing ‘server under the desk’ structure can lead to extraordinary, unplanned costs due to outages or faults. The new (cloud) structure, on the other hand, is a managed service and is therefore subject to a fixed monthly fee, as mentioned above, in order to keep costs under control. And secondly: the Smart ICT solution means that both the operation and maintenance of the IT structure are handled by Swisscom experts, giving customers who are not involved with IT in their core business the opportunity to devote themselves to other things.  

There is one last issue to be resolved: the implementation of the PC management software Caddie. At first, the path seems to be an uphill one, as the cloud also has its own, so it takes time for the parties to reach an agreement. In other words, in the end: PC Caddie joins in and opts for the Swisscom Cloud. The result was a new partnership that was launched in autumn 2020 – as soon as it was installed, it was clear to everyone that the solution works and was the best choice that could have been made. This is what PC Caddie’s senior staff in Switzerland have to say: ‘For over 30 years, we have focused on the golf market and its ever-changing technological challenges with our management solution designed specifically for golf clubs. For a unique golf experience, you need not only the course, but also stable and reliable IT infrastructure – before and after the game. In Swisscom, we have a renowned partner by our side that delivers all the structural requirements for a golf course from a single source.’

Today, the Gerre Golf Club’s courageous solution is also welcomed by other golf clubs in Ticino, as well as by active establishments on the other side of the Gotthard Pass that could take the same path.

Managing Director Ennio Losa concludes his interview and highlights the impact of the Smart ICT solution at his club. All employees who work with IT on a day-to-day basis are satisfied with the smooth operation of the system – one that is not exclusively designed for golf clubs, but can be used in any sporting and leisure context. In a nutshell, the example of Golf Gerre can serve as an inspiration for many other activities that are keen on innovation and like to keep up with the times.