NBC Sports Group & Rory McIlroy Inc. Launch GOLFPASS: A Modern, Digital Golf Membership

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- GOLFPASS Promo: Watch Here  

NBC Sports Group and global golf superstar Rory McIlroy today announced the launch of GOLFPASS, a new digital membership delivering comprehensive benefits tailored to the modern golfer's lifestyle. GOLFPASS is a first-of-its-kind, direct-to-consumer subscription program, which offers opportunities to play more golf, comprehensive tools to improve any golfer's game; high-quality video content; and enhanced shopping and travel experiences. GOLFPASS is the product of two years of development and collaboration between Rory McIlroy Inc. and NBC Sports Group. The announcement was made today by McIlroy, GOLFPASS founder, and Mike McCarley, president, GOLF, NBC Sports.

"Golf has been a constant in my life, a passion I share with millions of others. Creating GOLFPASS with NBC Sports was driven by my desire to enrich the golf experience for fans all around the world," said McIlroy. "Arnold Palmer showed tremendous vision when founding GOLF Channel in 1995 and it now stands as a significant part of his legacy. I have the utmost respect for the impact he made on the game and I will carry that spirit forward by helping to lead our sport into its digital future with GOLFPASS."

"GOLFPASS is designed to make golf more accessible and fun using NBC Sports' portfolio of golf tech and services that help better connect golfers to the sport. Whether it's video instruction from the best coaches in the world or enhancing the golf experience on and off the course, GOLFPASS adds tremendous value for golfers," said McCarley. "Rory is the perfect partner for GOLFPASS, not only because he's an approachable, genuine and global ambassador for golf – much in the same way Mr. Palmer was – he's also eager to modernize how golfers engage with the sport in their daily lives, whether watching a screen or with a club in their hand."

GOLFPASS: CONNECTING GOLFERS TO THEIR PASSION
GOLFPASS perks and benefits span five pillars – Play, Learn, Watch, Travel and Shop – which are the most frequent ways golfers engage with the sport. A GOLFPASS membership – $9.99 per month or $99 per year – is unmatched and available today via www.golfpass.com and soon via connected TV, and iOS and Android apps. Memberships tailored for the U.K., Ireland and Australia will launch in the coming months:

• PLAY: GOLFPASS members receive a free round of golf each month, good at a choice of 7,000 GOLFNOW partner golf courses in 26 countries around the world, including Royal  Portrush Golf Club, site of The Open this year in Northern Ireland, and top resorts like Harbour Town at Sea Pines Resort, TPC Deere Run, home of the PGA TOUR's John Deere Classic, or Pasatiempo Golf Club. Members receive 25% in savings when registering to compete on the GOLF Am Tour, which annually hosts 800 local, regional and national amateur tournaments in the U.S., Canada and, soon, Australia. Additionally, GOLFPASS+  ($199 per year) members receive additional benefits on GOLFNOW, including waived booking fees, cancellation protection and 25% extra rewards points.
• LEARN: At launch, GOLFPASS members will have access to more than 4,000 on-demand instruction videos featuring many of the world's elite coaches, including Sean Foley (Justin Rose) and Cameron McCormick (Jordan Spieth), as well as McIlroy's coach, Michael Bannon with their GOLFPASS Original series, Lessons with a Champion Golfer. GOLFPASS instructional content includes tips from golf legends, including Paul Azinger, Nick Faldo, Gary Player, Annika Sorenstam and more. And GOLFPASS provides access to Revolution GOLF's award-winning roster of coaches: Foley, McCormick, Martin Chuck, Chris Como, Martin Hall and Andrew Rice. Other GOLFPASS benefits include special pricing and early access to Revolution GOLF Schools, and golf-specific fitness and training programs, including Core Golf with Don Saladino.
• WATCH: Showcasing a video library totaling more than 1,000 hours this year, GOLFPASS is home to exclusive GOLFPASS Originals, as well as GOLF Channel's robust video archive, which spans historic competitions, insight from golf's biggest names and award-winning franchises like Emmy-nominated Feherty, Emmy-award winning GOLF Films and more. Exclusive GOLFPASS Originals at launch include My Roots: Rory McIlroy, My Daily Routine and Toughest Tracks, with an expanding slate rolling out throughout the year.
• TRAVEL – GOLFPASS members receive unlimited $100 travel credits at a selection of top resorts, including Sea Island in Georgia, The Biltmore in Miami and Bali Hai Golf Club in Las Vegas. Members receive unlimited $100 credits for all GOLF Advisor Getaways, which are scheduled at spectacular resorts, including Streamsong Resort in Florida, Turning Stone Resort & Casino in New York and Baha Mar Casino & Hotel in the Bahamas. And members receive insider travel information and custom itineraries built from GOLF Advisor  experiences at more than 10,000 golf destinations around the world.
• SHOP: Annual GOLFPASS members receive a free dozen TaylorMade golf balls. GOLFPASS members can shop more than 45 brands and take advantage of exclusive member pricing on clubs, apparel, accessories, digital instructional tools and training aids – including free shipping. TaylorMade, as an official GOLFPASS partner, will provide member pricing across their best-in-class equipment and golf ball portfolio, preferred access to new product releases and exclusive, Rory McIlroy limited-edition products.

"GOLFPASS is truly an exciting new platform and community for golfers. We are proud to be a launch partner and look forward to integrating our TaylorMade brand and presenting our best-in-class products to GOLFPASS members in the years to come," said David Abeles, president and CEO, TaylorMade Golf Company.

GOLFPASS: EXCLUSIVE CONTENT FROM RORY MCILROY
McIlroy's role as GOLFPASS's founder was highlighted last night when he introduced GOLFPASS on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and continues today with scheduled appearances on NBC's TODAY, CNBC's Squawk Box, GOLF's Morning Drive; NBCSN's Men in Blazers; McIlroy will start sporting the GOLFPASS logo on his golf bag at next week's Genesis Open. Additionally, McIlroy's contributions include co-hosting an exclusive GOLFPASS podcast with television host, radio personality and Emmy award-winning producer Carson Daly (The Voice, TODAY), as well as kicking off four GOLFPASS Originals and continually providing exclusive content:

• My Roots: Rory McIlroy: McIlroy shares his own story – openly and honestly – from his humble beginnings to his meteoric rise to world No. 1, four-time major champion and FedExCup Champion. My Roots: Rory McIlroy is the first six-chapter installment of this GOLFPASS Originals interview series, which will capture the journeys of a wide spectrum of leaders from across the golf landscape.
• My Daily Routine: McIlroy kicks off this GOLFPASS Original series where top golfers, athletes, entertainers and acclaimed business professionals explain what they do each day to keep them sharp – including "life hack" tips spanning from their morning rituals to how they wind down at night.
• Lessons with a Champion Golfer:  In the first season of this GOLFPASS Original instructional series, members learn directly from McIlroy and his lifetime instructor, Michael Bannon, as they share drills and tips used throughout McIlroy's career. This 12-part series features premium-quality instruction and utilizes top technology, including a Swing 360 camera, specialty graphics, Toptracer and Trackman stats.
• Toughest Tracks: Travel the globe with top golfers, analysts and celebrities to find out how they navigate some of the hardest holes in golf. In the first episode, McIlroy walks the newly designed 7^th hole and several others at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, site of The Open this year.

A native of Northern Ireland, McIlroy, 29, turned professional in 2007 and has become one of the most popular golfers in the world because of his approachability with fans and candor with media. A four-time major championship winner, McIlroy also has earned 23 career victories, including 14 on the PGA TOUR. He held the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking for 95 weeks and is one of only four players to win three majors by the age of 25 (Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth), which include The Open (2014), U.S. Open (2011) and the PGA Championship (2012, 2014). He has represented Europe on five Ryder Cup teams and won the PGA TOUR's prestigious FedExCup in 2016.

ABOUT RORY MCILROY INC.
Rory McIlroy Inc. is the trading name of Rory McIlroy Management Services (RMMS) Ltd, a publicly-filed, limited company, domiciled in the Republic of Ireland. RMMS Ltd owns and manages Rory McIlroy's global commercial and image rights.

ABOUT NBC SPORTS GROUP'S GOLF DIVISION
NBC Sports Group's GOLF division delivers multimedia golf content, technology and services. Anchored by GOLF Channel – co-founded by Arnold Palmer in 1995 – GOLF content is available to nearly 500 million viewers in nine languages across more than 70 countries around the world. GOLF features more live coverage of the sport than all other U.S. networks combined, including global tournament action from the PGA TOUR, LPGA Tour, European Tour, NCAA, THE PLAYERS, The Open, Olympics, Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup, as well as high-quality news, instruction and original programming. Delivering unmatched coverage from the world of golf via GOLF Digital, fans can access 24/7 live streaming through the NBC Sports App, as well as complementary coverage via PGA TOUR LIVE on NBC Sports Gold. In addition to these all-encompassing media platforms, NBC Sports connects the world to golf through a wide array of technology and lifestyle services, including: GOLFNOW, the world's largest online tee time booking platform; GOLF Business Solutions, solving business needs through leading technology, marketing and services; GOLFPASS, an all-in-one digital membership delivering comprehensive benefits tailored to the modern golfer's lifestyle; Revolution GOLF, the world's largest direct-to-consumer digital platform in golf, offering best-in-class video instruction and game improvement products; GOLF Advisor, the ultimate digital destination for the traveling golfer, featuring the largest number of user-generated golf course ratings and reviews in the industry; GOLF Academy, a North American network of instructional facilities; and GOLF Am Tour, the world's largest amateur golf tour. GOLF's global reach originates from its world headquarters in Orlando, Fla., and extends to its international office in Belfast, Northern Ireland; regional offices across North America, Europe and Australia; and also includes collaborations with Sky Sports and serving as the Official Media Partner of St Andrews Links.

-NBC Sports Group-

SOURCE Golf Channel

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