Golf has long been regarded as an activity that is expensive and exclusive to social elites, often associated with high social status and wealth. However, Tushar Narang, founder and chief technology officer of Golfoy.com, believes that this concept is not accurate. In an interview, he shared his experiences, revealing the affordability and popularity of golf, and breaking the inherent perception of the sport.
Narang notes that many people think golf is an expensive sport, but in fact, it costs about the same as other common entertainment activities. For example, bowling in a shopping mall costs about 1500 rupees (about 40 minutes), while a golf match costs Rs 1500, which can make people enjoy hours of sports. He stressed that the main factor that hinders people's participation in golf is a psychological barrier, not a real financial burden. Golfoy’s mission is to allow more people to reach and enjoy the sport by lowering the bar.
When talking about golf equipment, Narang stressed the importance of AI technology in helping players choose the right equipment. Golfoy has developed a smart equipment selection guide. Users only need to answer a few simple questions and the system can provide 95% equipment adaptation recommendations based on their needs. After three years of testing, about 80% of users said the recommended equipment is very suitable for them, which greatly enhances the experience for beginners.
Despite the relatively small size of the golf market in India, Golfoy already accounts for 15% to 17% of the market share, supplying one-third of Indian golf courses every month. Narang said Golfoy's platform is filling some gaps in the global market, especially in how to buy golf equipment, providing more convenient services for golf enthusiasts around the world.
Narang also pointed out that precision is the key to golf, and even the millimeter-level gap can affect the outcome of the game. Therefore, many professional golfers rely on data to improve their performance. Golfoy uses AI technology to provide players with accurate data analysis to help them choose the right angle and method of hitting the ball, thereby improving overall performance.
Despite significant progress in generative AI models in other fields, Narang believes that its application in the golf field is still limited. Golfoy relies more on machine learning technology that requires field data. Although attempts have been made to use OpenAI for customer interaction, Narang believes that the technology is not reliable in the golf field due to its broadness and off-topic issues.
Looking ahead, Narang hopes to develop a modern golf AI model and is committed to building an open source model that can be used by users around the world. He stressed that Golfoy has never raised funds since its inception and has always remained profitable, which has laid a solid foundation for the company's sustainable development.
Key points:
The entry fee for golf is not high, and a game cost is equivalent to bowling.
Golfoy has developed a guide to selecting smart equipment, with user satisfaction reaching 80%.
Narang hopes to make golf more popular through AI technology and is committed to developing open source AI models.