John Deere has acquired OnLink, a golf course performance optimization software platform, two years after it began working with the software company.
OnLink is a cloud-based golf course management platform that allows golf courses to collect data and manage equipment, labor, water, chemicals and nutrients, and playing conditions.
Walt Norley founded the software company in 2015 and introduced OnLink in 2017 when it announced its partnership with John Deere. Norley rebuilt the software for John Deere from bottom up to make it more user friendly, and to have more robust reporting features, such as economic reports. The reports provide superintendents and managers with a six-month look at actual expenses versus budget, which can then be compared to weather.
Most industry observers expected John Deere to acquire the software after a trial period.
“We know that data-driven decision making is key to improving agronomic outcomes and financial returns for our golf customers,” said Manny Gan, director of global golf sales and marketing at John Deere. “This acquisition allows us to continue developing the OnLink platform with the data knowledge we’ve already built to deliver insightful information to our customers.”
With this acquisition, OnLink will become integrated into the John Deere suite of technology solutions.
“We are proud and honored to have an industry leader acquire our software platform,” Norley said. “Current and future OnLink users will have the benefit of John Deere, and their strong dealer network, to scale the platform for further value and efficiency.”