For many new golfers starting out, it's difficult to play with others golfers sometimes because...well, you're bad. Golf is hard. And it's embarrassing to get matched up with players who are better than you because everyone is waiting for you to hit the ball more than 10 feet so the game can getting moving. Also, playing by yourself is no fun. I think there is an opportunity to connect new golfers together. Golfers that have been playing a long time and frequent the same club will have undoubtedly already made friends that they typically play with, and are good enough to be paired with whoever. But for someone like me that only started playing a few months ago, I want to play a lot. But as with most sports, you don't want to play by yourself all the time and you don't want to do terrible in front of better players. Every time I go play golf with myself, I inevitably get paired up with someone because the course gets backed up because people are playing slow in front of me, or people behind me are playing fast. And I always have to say something to the effect of "Are you sure? I just started and am not great at all. I don't want to hold you back." It's just awkward because my golf game is so inconsistent. One second I'm driving it 200 yards, and the next I slice it right into the water. Woohoo!
Who: New golfers
What: Unable to find golf buddies around same skill level
Why: New to the game, new to the environment, don't know other new golfers
I believe there is an opportunity here to create something that would help new golfers connect.
Interviews: https://soundcloud.com/kyle-harris-19/sets/testing-the-hypothesis-interviews
These interviews went surprisingly well. Everyone I spoke to either just started playing golf, had played golf briefly at one point, or has been playing less than a year. All of the interviewees related to the problems I listed above, and agreed that having an opportunity to connect with other new golfers at similar skills levels (or lack of skill) would be beneficial in the sense that it would make them want to play more.
I think this is a great idea, and perhaps it can be used for many sports. Another interesting application of a similar idea could be a gym for beginners, or for people who do not have a lot of experience working out, as fear of the other people in the gym is one of the most prominent reasons people do not go to the gym! Definitely I think it is a good idea for golf, as there are so many nuances, and people can take it very seriously, which makes it particularly difficult to learn, since beginners don’t get an opportunity to practice.
ReplyDeleteKyle,
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great idea. I play golf, and see so many people quit at the start of golf just because of how hard it is, and it's so hard to play with people that are so much better than you. I think creating something that connects new players is a great idea because it could also retain so many new players. This is absolutely a plausible opportunity, well done.
Hey Kyle,
ReplyDeleteI thinkyou have a really cool idea. You're providing a service to people that helps them overcome a socially awkward situation. It's a very bottom-line solution; it's simple, but it solves a problem that people have. I also like the idea because golf is a sport used frequently for networking, and this would further clients in that goal as well.
I can really relate to your idea here. I enjoy playing golf too, but I play it too infrequently to get better at it, and because of that I often find myself in the same situations as you when I actually do play. I think that this is a great idea, and I'm glad that you came up with something interesting and new that's based more on your actual experiences and what you saw in the world that can be changed.
ReplyDeleteKyle,
ReplyDeleteThis is a good idea, and I feel that the situation is like that for any beginner in any sport. I've been in that situation in which I want to learn something new but I feel intimidated because of my lack of skill.
This is a great idea, I remember when I first started golfing and I constantly felt like I was holding people up. I felt like the more I worried about the people behind me, the worse I would play, which would inevitably slow me down more. I like your idea of pairing up players with similar skill levels, but I'm curious to know more about how you will do this. There are so many courses here in Florida with many members. How do you plan to match people with similar skill level when there is a large amount of members who are typically the regulars at most courses. Great idea, I'd love to know more about your solution.
ReplyDeleteHey Kyle, I definitely feel your pain. I also started playing golf later in life, as do many people. It is definitely a sport where there is a big difference in playing speed between a beginner and an average player. Each shank can be tens or hundreds of yards back or skewed from a decent but not even excellent shot. This can be uncomfortable from someone who a
ReplyDelete...(cont.) wants to play with a partner but does not want to slow people down. This could be a great service because there are many people like us, it is just a matter of finding each other. Luckily I had a friend who was very skilled but was patient and played with me and actually helped me get a lot better. Maybe an additional feature could be really good players who could pair with beginners and show them some tips. Good luck
ReplyDelete