research
DISCOVERY
I’m an experienced golfer myself and have used various apps over the years—apps for booking, managing my golf handicap, or registering rounds. During the pandemic, golf courses were one of the few activities allowed under the restrictions in Sweden. (Thanks, Anders Tegnell, for that.) As a result, Swedish golf saw more than 100,000 new active players during the pandemic years, on top of the existing players. That’s an increase of over 12%—which is incredibly exciting and great for the sport. Golf became the best way for many to socialize because other activities, like bars, gyms, and indoor sports, suffered more from the restrictions. This led to a larger golf community. I also noticed a big difference in how difficult it became to book available tee times, since almost all bookings were full with groups of 3 or 4 players. I saw groups of friends and families out on the course and thought about a rather overlooked segment of golfers—the ones who might not have family or friends interested in playing but still want to have company. There wasn’t really an app to help golfers connect with other golfers, or a feature on any service for that purpose. So, I turned to social media like Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram to search for posts and groups created by golfers. That’s when I found 4-5 different groups with thousands of members. Among them was the "Golfvänner" group, a group created solely for finding people to play with. I went through tons of old posts and quickly saw patterns in the comments and the frustration from members. Players would post openly asking if anyone wanted to play, and the comment sections would fill up fast with responses. Everything from questions about handicap, course, when and where, to whether someone would be willing to play as a mentor for new golfers.
ANALYSIS
I haven’t found any statistics or interviews post-pandemic regarding the social aspect of golf, so I wanted to check what the target audience thinks about it. Since the target audience for the app is people who play golf in Sweden, I sent out a survey to the groups I found on social media. I received over 200 responses, which came from socializing groups, competition groups, local golf clubs, and a forum for buying and selling used golf equipment. I also conducted interviews with four different people I selected to represent various aspects of golfers. One was a beginner who had just started playing, another was an experienced player with 40 years of golf experience in Sweden, a third was a junior-level elite player, and the last was a golfer who had recently moved from Gothenburg to Karlstad. The responses from the survey strengthen my thesis that there’s an overlooked group of golfers who play alone or have difficulty connecting with other golfers. But what surprised me was how large the majority was that actually wants to meet new golfers. The interviews also confirmed what I gathered from my research: there’s a lack of a social platform for Sweden’s golf community. On social media, people post asking if anyone wants to play, seeking tips, or looking for competition partners. But it’s only those who dare to ask that get noticed, and based on the statistics from my surveys, it’s likely there are many more who don’t have the confidence or feel it’s too big a hurdle—and almost embarrassing—to message a stranger about playing golf. I received an answer in more than one interview where the person said they would cancel their round if they couldn’t find someone to play with. That’s completely unacceptable if you ask me, and it was one of the reasons that pushed me to follow through with this project. A change is needed, something that unites golfers, lowers the threshold for meeting new players and friends. Golf in Sweden needs a platform where there’s an open atmosphere, it’s easy to connect, and a service that helps golfers find each other based on various requirements or preferences. A place that becomes golf’s "go to" when it comes to reaching out and getting out to play.
see more
Are you looking for your golf ball?
You will probably don't find it here. But I got something better for you, here are some more cases to look at instead
