IMG Invests in Charitee Golf-course Monitors

Friday, August 26, 2005

Provided by the Plain Dealer

Written by Mary Vanac, Plain Dealer Reporter


Cleveland sports and talent marketing agency IMG is taking a swing with a homegrown golf business.

IMG will invest in Charitee Golf Hole-in-One Monitoring System in Cleveland, said the system's creator, Mike Burkons. Both Burkons and an IMG spokeswoman declined to give the terms.

JumpStart Inc., the Cleveland economic development organization and early stage investor, got IMG and Burkons together. "We brokered the first meeting," said Thom Ruhe, JumpStart's chief marketing officer.

Sam Gerace, an entrepreneur-in-residence at JumpStart, has informally helped Burkons for about a year.

Using surveillance cameras and transaction kiosks, Charitee Golf enables golf courses to run hole-in-one contests continually.

Burkons, a law school graduate turned entrepreneur, launched his business early last year with the help of a $3,000 prize from what now is called the NEO Business Plan Challenge and money from investors.

A year ago, he installed a test system at Cleveland Metroparks' Manikiki Golf Course in Willoughby Hills. He refined and standardized the system at three more courses this year: Briarwood Golf Club in Broadview Heights, Little Mountain Country Club in Concord and FoxCreek Golf and Racquet Club in Lorain.

The system lets golfers compete for prizes if they make a hole-in-one at a particular hole. Every golfer gets a chance at a cash prize.

But they also can pay for upgrades to bigger prizes, such as Harley-Davidson motorcycles or Hummers.

"It's one of the better selling items in our pro shop," Mike Masterson, golf professional at FoxCreek, said about the upgrades.

Burkons believes his system is ready to be launched outside Ohio -- especially with IMG's investment and connections.

"We are thrilled to align ourselves with a strategic partner as smart, successful and well-connected as IMG," Burkons said.

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