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- Guinness Ventures is lead investor in Series A round
- Golf+’s backers include Rory McIlroy and Tom Brady
Scottish golf technology firm Shot Scope has raised UK£2.7 million (US3.3 million) to build on the success it has achieved in the UK by expanding the global reach of its performance hardware and software.
The Series A round was led by Guinness Ventures, which invested UK£2.1 million (US$2.6 million), with other participants including the Scottish Investment Bank, Edinburgh-based angel fund Equity Gap and Old College Capital – the in-house venture capital arm of the University of Edinburgh.
Shot Scope develops wearable, laser, and performance-tracking devices that allow golfers to analyse their strokes to inform better decisions. The platform now has more than 100,000 users in 162 countries worldwide and claims to improve each round by an average of 4.1 shots.
More than 36,000 golf courses around the world have been mapped, with the app offering more than 100 metrics on an individual’s game, including distance, approach, short game, putting, scoring and strokes gained.
The ultimate ambition is to make Shot Scope’s technology an essential companion for any recreational golfer.
“As market leader in the UK, our team wants to scale up global expansion so golfers around the world can experience the game-improving benefits of Shot Scope,” said David Hunter, Shot Scope chief executive. “The investment and partnership with Guinness Ventures will allow our team to focus on this growth and deliver our technology to golfers globally.”
Meanwhile Golf+, the startup whose investors include Rory McIlroy, Steph Curry, and Tom Brady, has become the exclusive virtual reality (VR) golf game of the PGA Tour. Officially licensed experiences will start appearing within the Golf+ platform next year, with exclusive content linked to official tournaments.
The hope is that the partnership will attract new audiences to the game and take advantage of the sport’s expanded data collection capabilities.
“The Golf+ VR platform is a forward-thinking way to enjoy the sport that is appealing to gamers and golfers of all levels, and an innovative way for people to play the game of golf and grow the sport globally,” said Len Brown, PGA Tour chief legal officer, and head of licensing. “The tour will support the partnership with new courses, ShotLink powered by CDW data, shot trails and video highlights from PGA Tour competitions.”
Golf+ recently raised US$6 million in fresh funding and its application is available on the Meta Quest 2 headset.
