Draft:1-800-GOLF-TIP

• Comment: Please add additional independent reliable sources that discuss the subject in detail. Seawolf35 (talk - email) 01:08, 30 October 2023 (UTC)

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1-800-GOLF-TIP

Product type	toll-free telephone number
Owner	Erotic Chatline
Country	Canada , United States
Previous owners	Unknown Mayfair Communications Inc. PrimeTel Communications

1-800-GOLF-TIP (1-800-465-3847) was a 1-800 number that initially began circulating in Canada (specifically around the province of Ontario) during the early to mid 1990s. According to first-hand accounts, upon dialing the number, callers would be directed to a pre-recorded audio message containing a male voice in an Indian or Middle Eastern accent counting from 1 to 10 in a continuous loop, with some accounts recalling an abrupt "siren" or loud 'buzzing" noise around 12 minutes into the recording. Although the telephone number has shifted between different owners since its original in the 1990s, it is currently owned by an erotic hotline. The use of the number by its original owner and the purpose behind the audio recording remain unknown.

The website, 1800golftip.com, was established for individuals, who dialed the number while it was circulating in the 1990s, to share their memories and experiences of calling the number, with the front page reading: "Remember the 90s? Remeber high school? Remeber calling 1-800-GOLF-TIP? If you don't, you're a fraud. If you do, WTF was that?".

History

The 1-800-GOLF-TIP billboard today in St. Cathrines, Ontario.

Although there is no formal documentation regarding the origins of 1-800-GOLF-TIP, it is most likely that the number originated in the Canadian Province of Ontario. First-hand accounts from various internet forums recall that in the early 1990's, callers would learn of the number from an advertisement on a small billboard in the town of St. Cathrines, Ontario. Knowledge of the telephone number would have then circulated throughout other cities within Ontario, including Toronto and Ottowa, via word of mouth.

It is also remarked by callers from the early 90s that dialing the telephone number became somewhat of a trend or a phenomena, especially amongst teenagers and young adults, who in some cases, would dial the number as method of prank calling. One archive of a school newspaper from Carlton University, Ottowa, in 1993, listed 1-800-GOLF-TIP as the number one most talked about "things" amongst the students.

1-800-GOLF-TIP was taken over in the early 2000's by the telecommunications company, PrimeTel Communications, however, the 1-800 number directory still list 1-800-GOLF-TIP as being owned by a separate telecommunications provider known as MayFair Communications, who acquired the number in 1998. PrimeTel most likely gained possession of the number after acquiring MayFair Communications, which was a company that was most likely centered around selling toll-free telephone numbers for telemarketing purposes. Similarly, PrimTel has been known to gather telephone numbers from the 1-800 directory in order to sell them to erotic chatlines. This could then explain PrimeTel's acquisition of MayFair most likely as a mean to gather a large pool of 1-800 or toll-free telephone numbers and sell them to various hotlines. This has then led to speculation that 1-800-GOLF-TIP was originally used as a telemarketing ploy that would use the number collect active telephone numbers via its large call traffic, which might have motivated MayFair to acquire the number in 1998.

Audio Recording

Although there is no known formal documentation or recording of the original audio from the call, the individuals who dialed the number have all shared a similar description of the audio, with some even replicating the recording from their own memory.

Callers who dialed 1-800-GOLF-TIP or 1-800-465-3847, back when it began circulating in the early 1990s, would be redirected to an audio recording containing a male voice with a distinctive Indian or Middle Eastern accent counting from 1 through 10 in an almost seamless loop with an occasional pause for a breath between either the numbers 7 and 8, 5 and 6, or 6 and 7.

By around the 12 minute mark, callers would remember hearing a very loud and sudden "whaling" or "screaming" sound, which was said to be similar to the sound of a siren. Some callers remarked the noise as sounding almost "human like", with others reporting that is sounded more like a loud ambulance siren. Some speculators believe the sound might have been an alert that the telephone line was losing transmission or going off-hook.

Theories

PGA Hotline

A likely theory behind the origins of 1-800-GOLF-TIP was that the telephone number was set up as a hotline for the Professional Golfing Association, possibly for callers to receive golfing advice upon dialing the hotline, which would explain its vanity title: GOLF-TIP. The reason behind the recording could be for the owners of the number to either establish a test audio or for developing an automated directory menu where callers could select various numbers between 1 through 10 in order to access different information or be directed to assistance.

In a column in a publication by The Tampa Tribune on December 3, 1994, the PGA advertised a hotline using the telephone number, (800) GOLF-TIP, where caller's could receive "golf tips via a toll-free instruction hotline".

Hoax/Prank

Some speculators believe 1-800-GOLF-TIP was likely established as a type of hoax or social experiment that was meant to stir up call-in traffic simply for entertainment and satisfaction purposes. However, many have disregarded this theory because it would have meant that the original owner invested money in advertising the number via a billboard with no intended financial return or payoff.

Telemarketing Ploy

Other arguments behind the establishment of 1-800-GOLF-TIP was that it was created as a method of marketing lead generation, where 1-800-GOLF-TIP was utilized as a mean of gathering active telephone numbers for telemarketing purposes. This method would have been proven very effective, as 1-800-GOLF-TIP would have been generating a large amount call-in traffic during the 90s from people who would intentionally dial-in using an encrypted telephone number, which could be sold later on. This theory would also give motivation behind the original owner's investment in advertising the number in St. Cathrines, as the more call-in traffic the number generated, the more payoff the owner would receive.

Placeholder Audio

A more simple explanation for 1-800-GOLF-TIP was that the owner and person who paid for the billboard may have died or been involved in an event following its establishment where the owner was forced to use the audio recording as a placeholder.

External Links

Welcome to 1-800-GOLF-TIP