How a top-tier Troon property bypassed public carriers to solve “horrible” connectivity, creating a premium guest experience and operational dominance.
Executive Summary
Context: Classic Club, an Arnold Palmer masterpiece in the Coachella Valley, faced a “Connectivity Crisis.” Despite world-class amenities, the property suffered from a digital blind spot. Public cellular signals (AT&T;, Verizon) failed to penetrate the topography, leaving fairways in the dark and beverage carts offline.
The Pivot: Rather than waiting for carriers to build more towers, Classic Club took ownership of their airspace. By deploying a Private 5G & Mesh Network, they turned a liability into a competitive asset.
Part 1: The Diagnosis(The Pain)
The Problem: The ‘Digital Rough’
Before the transformation, the digital experience did not match the physical luxury of the brand.
1. The ‘Disconnect’ Anxiety (Guest Pain)
High-net-worth members—CEOs and entrepreneurs—cannot afford to be unreachable for 4.5 hours. Dropped calls on the back nine meant guests were anxious rather than relaxed
“We were selling a five-star physical experience in a one-star digital environment. It’s hard to justify premium green fees when a guest drops a million-dollar business call on the 12th tee.
— General Manager“
2. The Operational Black Hole (Staff Pain)
Beverage carts frequently hit dead zones. Point-of-Sale (POS) tablets would freeze, forcing staff to write down credit card numbers (security risk) or comp drinks because they couldn’t process payments.
“My beverage cart team was driving blind. They couldn’t communicate with the kitchen to restock, and credit card readers were spinning circles. We were literally leaving money on the course.”
— Director of Food & Beverage
Part 2: The Solution (The Cure)
The Fix: Owning the Airspace
Traditional Wi-Fi couldn’t cover the acreage, and trenching fiber was too destructive. We deployed a Private 5G Hybrid Network.
1. The Backbone (Starlink + Fiber)
High-speed terminals at the clubhouse provide low-latency internet backhaul, independent of local ground infrastructure.
2. The ‘Invisible’ Canopy (Private 5G)
Two 5G radios were deployed to blanket the property. These radios utilize secure CBRS spectrum to penetrate tree lines and terrain that block standard public 5G cell signals.
3. The ‘Moving Bubble’ (The Golf Cart)
We retrofitted carts with industrial routers. This turns every golf cart into a moving Wi-Fi Hotspot.
Zero Friction: Guests connect their phone to the cart once.
Carrier Agnostic: Works for AT&T;, Verizon, T-Mobile, and International guests equally.
The Transformation: Before & After
BEFORE: Public Carrier Dead Zones
Classic Club relied on public carriers (AT&T;, Verizon, T-Mobile) whose signals couldn’t penetrate the property’s topography. Analysis showed only ~35-40% effective coverage with massive dead zones across fairways 3-16. The blue areas show the limited Private 5G coverage overlay, while yellow dots represent sparse public carrier signals struggling to reach the property.
The Coverage Crisis:
- Only 35-40% of property had reliable signal
- Fairways 3-16 were complete dead zones
- Beverage carts lost connection mid-transaction
- Guests couldn’t make calls or stream content
- Public carriers had no plans to improve coverage
AFTER: 100% Property Coverage Achieved
With the full Private 5G deployment, coverage jumped from ~35% to 100% of the property. The yellow heat map shows strong, consistent signal strength across all 18 holes, the clubhouse, and parking areas. Red zones indicate maximum signal strength at critical areas.
Coverage Improvement: 35% → 100%
The transformation eliminated all dead zones, enabling reliable connectivity for guests, staff operations, and future IoT applications across the entire 150+ acre property. Zero coverage complaints since deployment.
Part 3: The Candy (The Experience)
The ‘Always-On’ Round
The network didn’t just fix the internet; it upgraded the asset.
The ‘Executive Cart’ Experience
Streaming Sports: Foursomes can now stream the NFL Playoffs or The Masters in 4K on their iPads while playing their own round.
The Boardroom Bunker: Zero-latency Voice over Wi-Fi allows executives to take a clear conference call on the 7th fairway, then immediately return to their game.
The Proof is in the Speed
While public cell phones struggled to load a webpage, our network delivered fiber-like performance in the middle of the fairway.
Part 4: The ROI (The Financial Model)
How Classic Club turned connectivity into a six-figure value stream
| Revenue Stream | Source of Value | Estimated Impact |
|---|---|---|
| The “Connected Cart” Upsell | Offering a high-speed “Executive Cart” upgrade for business or streaming. (50 Cart Fleet × 50% Utilization × $20 Upsell) | $182,500 |
| Event Retention & Pricing | Preventing cancellation of weddings/corporate retreats due to “tech fears” + ability to charge premium facility fees for guaranteed livestreaming. | $60,000 – $85,000 |
| F&B; Velocity | 100% Uptime on Cart POS systems. Zero transaction failures. Faster ordering = 1 extra round of drinks per cart/day. | $25,000 – $40,000 |
| TOTAL ANNUAL VALUE | $267,500 – $307,500+ |
Future Proofing Bonus
This network infrastructure is ready today for the next generation of golf tech: Autonomous Mowers, AI Security Cameras, and GPS Agronomy Sensors.
Is your property losing revenue to dead zones?
Don’t let poor connectivity lower your guest satisfaction scores. Upgrade your asset with the “Connected Course” standard.
Solution Provider:
Jason Thomas Founder & CEO
(760) 567-8901
jason@privatewavewireless.com
www.privatewavewireless.com
Powered By:
Ataya: www.ataya.io
Moso Networks: www.mosonetworks.com
