FLOWOOD, MS -- The Refuge, an upscale daily fee golf course in this growing suburb outside Jackson, has launched a new promotional campaign aimed at increasing the number of annual pass holders at the course and enlightening golfers of the “softer, gentler Refuge” the course has become in recent years.  It began with the “Play The ‘Fuge” slogan and web site in December and now, for a limited time, the course has begun giving away SkyGolf GPS SG2 personal digital caddies with every Premium Annual Pass sold.  “We know that the annual pass at The Refuge is the best deal in the State for anyone who plays golf,” explains Paradigm Golf Management’s Nathan Crace.  “Our current pass holders know this too, but we want to raise awareness for those golfers out there who may not know the advantages of the types of Annual Passes we offer.”  Paradigm Golf Management, LLC (Paradigm) took over the operations of The Refuge in December of 2002 and has spent the past two months gearing up for what Crace describes as a “significant marketing push” throughout Mississippi and Louisiana.  He says the SG2 promotion is just one piece of that puzzle.  “We’ve spent the past two months developing new ideas and creative ways of marketing the facility and now that spring is here,” he says “We’re beginning to peak the interest of those golfers with a touch of “cabin fever.”
          “Given that SkyGolf is based out of Ridgeland [a suburb north of Jackson], we have been watching the development of the SG2 closely over the past six to eight months,” Crace explains.  “We were confident that the SG2 would be the biggest thing to hit the consumer side of the industry since graphite shafts and now that I have seen it for myself, I’m convinced it will be.”  The Refuge is one of a few authorized SkyGolf retailers in the area and the only public course that Crace is aware of in the Jackson market that is an authorized retailer.  “The Refuge was also one of the first courses that SkyGolf mapped for their GPS unit and it goes without saying that we are thrilled to be a part of what’s to come with this new technology.”
          The SkyGolf GPS SG2 Personal Digital Caddy is a handheld device roughly the size of a cellular phone that utilizes the latest GPS technology to track your movement on the golf course in real time.  There’s no waiting for the device to compute yardage and it’s completely portable.  “One of the features that stands out for me,” continues Crace “Is the ability to not only take it with you when, say, carts are restricted to paths because of rain, but also the ability to use it on more than 3,000 golf course worldwide.  The unit is yours to keep and it’s not limited to being attached to a golf cart.”  SkyGolf also says that the SG2 is 500% more accurate than cart-based GPS yardage systems.  That’s reassuring for those who have had been long or short of the green at a course with cart-based GPS systems that can have noticeable margins of error.
          Purchasers of a Premium Annual Pass at The Refuge can get as many as two free units with their passes for the Corporate Passes, or one pass each with an Individual or Family Premium Pass.  “Of course, we’ll be selling them in the golf shop and online through our web site,” says Crace.  “But we’re primarily receiving feedback from those who are interested in the units with the Premium Annual Passes.  The way we see it, if a person wants to play golf, why pay for initiation fees, monthly dues and food minimums when all you need to pay for is golf?
          Crace also says that The Refuge has been undergoing some continual improvements since opening in October of 1998 that will surprise people who may not have played the course in a while.  “We provide a tremendously valuable product to the golfer in the form of a fun course with excellent conditioning and outstanding customer service,” Crace explains.  “Our staff does a super job servicing the customers and our superintendent and his crew have done an excellent job over the past few years opening up some areas and doing some minor renovation work to make the course more enjoyable to play.  This is definitely not the same course it was four, two, or even one year ago.”   For more information on The Refuge and the details of how the SkyGolf SG2 units work, visit The Refuge web site at www.playthefuge.com.