Ernie Els knows golf.
He has won four major championships, is a former world No. 1 and is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.
In June, Els announced his investment and partnership with mobile golf technology startup 18Birdies. His reason for investing: to focus on the global engagement of golf, more particularly, to expand the game of golf around the world.
“Too often, players lose the joy of the game in the number on a scorecard,” Els said in a statement. “The 18Birdies team uses technology not only to improve game performance, but to inspire the mental approach to the game and ultimately help people enjoy their golf more. I applaud that. I’ve seen what their technology can do and really believe in the continued innovation they are bringing to the golf experience.”
18Birdies’ DreamGames campaign aims to up golf participation by rewarding golfers for playing the game, no matter their results. The more golfers play, the more chances they will have to win daily prizes like drivers, wedges, golf balls and money.
With Els’ investment in 18Birdies, raising money has gone well for the company.
“It’s going great,” 18Birdies CEO Eddie Lui said in an interview with Bloomberg. “We are definitely getting a lot of interest, both from the Silicon Valley technology side and also the golf industry. We are feeling a lot of momentum tilting towards us. Everyone is recognizing that we are doing something very different for the golfing industry.
“We are disrupting the entire industry by helping golf to embrace and also to adapt to the modern lifestyle, especially for the millennial generation and ultimately to grow the game of golf.”
