Press Release
STRAWBERRY FARMS FIRST GOLF CLUB IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TO OFFER FREE WiFi INTERNET ACCESS
September 30, 2004
IRVINE, Calif. -- Strawberry Farms Golf Club in Irvine has become the first golf course in Southern California to offer free Internet access with state-of-the-art technology to individuals and meeting planners -- and golfers -- who use their facilities.
The increased demand and convenience by meeting planners, small groups and mobile professionals who require wireless Internet connection during off-site meetings and recreation activities is now available at Strawberry Farms Golf Club throughout the Club House, which includes the 20 person Board Room. The installation of WiFi equipment is the first in Southern California by any golf facility.
Strawberry Farms General Manager Rick Howard recognized the need, benefits and added value of providing the new wireless service especially for guests who use the facility for both meeting and golf outings. Howard noted, "In addition to the golf activity, the hosting of small meetings (up to 20 attendees), has grown in recent years and adding this wireless service as a part of our space package makes common sense. Our guests can now be provided with all the amenities of a hotel meeting room in the environment of our country club-like facility that includes golf, dining and special event capabilities."
The wireless network was designed and built by Zumasys, a national IT infrastructure company and provider of award winning, wireless mobility solutions based in Lake Forest, CA. Zumasys used Proxim AP600 dual-mode access points, which broadcast the two most popular wireless frequencies, 802.11b and 802.11g, for maximum speed and compatibility. To ensure the security of the connections, Zumasys also implemented a SonicWALL Pro 2040 firewall and VPN solution.
Zumasys president Paul Giobbi commented on this project, "Strawberry Farms gets it. Having secure, wireless access for your customers is quickly becoming a necessity if you want to stay ahead of the pack. We expect Strawberry to not only differentiate, but generate new revenue streams through their innovative use of this powerful technology."
Before determining the need for such a system, Strawberry Farms worked closely with both local corporate and meeting services organizations that use off-site meeting spaces to determine the need and benefits of the new WiFi Internet access program. This service is standard in many hotels today as a basic requirement. Due to the great space and environment at Strawberry Farms it has been viewed most favorably by meeting organizers from local companies as well as professional meeting planners and area destination management companies.
Strawberry Farms Golf Club is located at 1811 Strawberry Farms Road in Irvine, off the 405 Freeway and Jeffrey, south of John Wayne Airport.
Contact Information
Rick Howard
General Manager
Strawberry Farms Golf Club
(949) 551- 2560
More information can be found at www.sf-golf.com/wifi
About Zumasys
Zumasys specializes in architecting and implementing multi-vendor technology solutions that allow remote offices and mobile users to work together wirelessly, improving customer service and profitability. Zumasys applies its expertise with the Citrix MetaFrame Access Suite to create centralized application portals that are accessed over cellular-based mobile Internet connections (i.e. 3G Wireless). These wireless application portals ultimately lower costs, increase productivity and ease application deployment. For more information, visit http://www.zumasys.com.