If you play golf often, you probably know how awkward it can be if you don't have a foursome to play with. A game of golf usually takes over five hours, and it's much more enjoyable when you're paired with people you have something in common with. To solve this, Peter Kratsios created GolfMatch, an app that uses an algorithm to match players with one another based on factors like age, location, gender, skill level, and game interest.
As passionate entrepreneur, Peter has taken GolfMatch from a conceptual idea to solve a pain point to the creation of a growing social community with over 40,000 engaged members.
"There were times where I would be matched with people who were 30 to 40 years older than me with nothing in common" remarks Kratsios. Similar to a dating app, GolfMatch's system uses behavioral data to find the best matches for you to play a round of golf with. It filters through other users with factors like location, handicap, age, courses you regularly play, and the styles that you most enjoy. "Nowadays you have mobile applications that allow for social experiences in so many areas, whether it's dating or food, and we wanted to do the same for golf," Kratsios said.
Three of the most commonly expressed frustrations with golf are that it's expensive, time-consuming, and inaccessible. On GolfMatch, people can join groups catered to their specific interests. Examples of groups include "Cheap Golf," which focuses on the best discounted rates around, or "Buy and Sell," where users can purchase or sell golf equipment.
The company's latest innovation is adding filters into its tech that can also track which groups users are involved in to recommend matches. Users will often organize events directly through groups before connecting in person. These groups essentially allow golfers to create their own community of players. "I'm communicating with people several times a day through the groups feature," Kratsios told us.
Peter's biggest insight so far: "Everyone has a unique emotional connection to golf and people crave the basic human desire to belong to something bigger than yourself".
In this episode we discuss how in only two years GolfMatch has become an influential social platform to help grow the game of golf. Topics include:
• We learn about Peter's story as a young golfer and the personal experiences that ignited his entrepreneurial passion.
• What is GolfMatch and what was Peter's motivation to create it.
• The business opportunity and gap in the golf marketplace that GolfMatch is poised to capture.
• The importance of strategic partnerships in order to propel your technology forward as a commercially successful enterprise.
• The value of a dedicated, passionate and lean team that embraces the GolfMatch vision and culture in order to build an agile business.
You can register for free by downloading the GolfMatch App from either The App Store or Google Play.
Learn more about GolfMatch at: https://golfmatchapp.com/ and @GolfMatchApp on Twitter and Instagram
Additional Links:
April 17 2015 Fox Business "Elevator Pitch featuring Peter and GolfMatch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_N0_hJ2oWFA
"Life Without Golf" video short where Peter talks about his passion for golf: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NR7cYmylWo
June 5 2016 Business Insider article on GolfMatch: http://www.businessinsider.com/golfmatch-app-pairs-players-together-2016-6/?r=UK&IR=T/#-1