If you make a great shot on the green, but your best golf buddies aren’t there to see it, Foursum has you covered on more than 26,000 golfcourses across the country.
Foursum is aiming to be the Facebook of golf apps. Their team combined standard app features such as a GPS rangefinder, a handicap tracker and leaderboards, along with a user interface that allows for maximum engagement. In golf terms, this means trash talking and virtual high fives from your Foursum buddies across the country.
Now, Foursum is rolling out their newest feature: reserved profiles for the top 50 players on the PGA Tour. Users will now be able to follow the scorecards of their favorite PGA players within the app, including crowd favorites such as Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott, Rickie Fowler, and Bubba Watson.
Avid user, Cort Kim, says keeping score against the pros is the perfect touch. The frequent leaderboard topper says Foursum has helped him not only make significant improvements but motivate him to get out on the green. “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t look at that leaderboard every time I step on the course.”
Kim’s not the only one keeping track. One of the highlights for many users is the interaction they have with Foursum staff. Avid golfers use the app to get to know their customers and receive feedback on how to make the app better. Whether it’s complementing a virtual buddy on shooting under par, or ribbing your brother about getting stuck in a sand trap, the engagement helps make every round feel like an outing with friends.
Foursum’s sleek design and easy user interface are added bonuses. 22 year old Ben Ratliff says it feels like a video game. The Indiana State senior tells us he also enjoys the option of adding in his scores when he feels like it. That’s no accident, according to Foursum. They want you to have the option of keeping your phone in your pocket while you play, giving you the pleasure of staying in the moment and focusing on the game. You can input your scores once you’re done. According to Kim, it takes about as much time as it does to drink his post golf beer.
We caught up with Matt Eldridge, Creator and Chief Executive Officer of Foursum.
How did you come up with the idea for Foursum?
Matt: The idea of Foursum arose from being on the course trying other golf apps and feeling that it could be done better. Better UX, better design, better features and simply provide a better all around experience. I love technology and I love golf so combining both was a “no brainer”. Plus, I wanted to wake up every morning and have an excuse to talk about golf all day and get “paid to play”. We don’t call it “golfing” at Foursum, we call it “testing”.
How many people use it now?
Matt: We have A LOT of very engaged golfers on Foursum. We don’t disclose numbers but I can say that in the last couple of months coming out of our beta have been crazy. Golfers love what we have created and they are at the course telling all of their golf friends. For me, thats how I know we have built a compelling product; people are willing and wanting to tell their friends and have them join.
What courses does Foursum work on?
Matt: We currently have 26,000 courses across North America with the vast majority having FREE GPS/ yardage’s to hazards and pins. Foursum is completely FREE. We plan to expand to Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Asian markets in the fall of this year.
Where are you looking to take Foursum from here?
Matt: Our vision for Foursum is simple; help grow the game of golf, build a legacy golf brand, and be the best golf app in the market worldwide. Lets face it, golf is hard, we want to make as enjoyable as we possibly can and feel Foursum helps in that initiative.
Tell us about the new PGA branded profiles you’re debuting for the app.
Matt: We feel the PGA will be excited about the initiative. At Foursum, we are reaching a very targeted consumer and promoting the PGA brand and the personal brands all of its players is great for the game. We want to grow the game of golf and people that are passionate about golf and their favourite players will now feel even more connected then ever. We feel that players want to connect with their fans and when they claim their Foursum account, they will be able to do just that; be connected. Much like twitter held authorized accounts for celebrities, we are doing the same for PGA players. Its about protecting the personal brands of players and then allowing them to have conversations with loyal fans.