Every so often, an assignment crosses your desk that you think will be one thing but turns out to be something else entirely.
That’s what happened when I was assigned to write this article on the GPS app known as GolfN. I thought it would be easy: a quick review of a simple GPS app. I’d download it, use it a few times and tell you what I liked and didn’t like.
Oh, what a naïve lad I was barely five weeks ago.
What I’ve learned is that the GolfN app can be a simple GPS/scorekeeping app that keeps extremely basic stats input by the user. However, if you really want to dive in up to your eyebrows, GolfN can be something else entirely.
It all depends on what you want out of it and how much time, energy and money you care to invest. That investment, friends, can range from nothing at all to quite a lot of all three.
Oh yeah, you’re going to want to read this one.
GolfN: Gamifying your golf game
Let’s start with the absolute basics. GolfN is a free download for both iOS and Android. It’s a free and easy-to-use GPS and scorecard app. Based on your input, it’ll track fairways and greens hit (and where you missed), as well as putts and penalty strokes.
It features 40,000 mapped courses worldwide and can integrate with the GHIN handicap system for posting scores. If you’re so inclined, there’s also a social aspect with an in-app Facebook-style community.
If that’s all you want, that’s all you’ll get. And it’s free to download and to use.
But this is where GolfN gets interesting.
“The core concept is let’s give away the basic functionality that everybody else charges for,” GolfN founder Jared Phillips tells MyGolfSpy. “Then let’s make it more like credit card rewards for golf. The more you play, the more you engage in the app, the more points you can earn toward things you actually care about.”
What we’re talking about is app-based gamification. Every time you play golf and use the app, you can earn points. Those points can be used in the GolfN Pro Shop for things like L.A.B. and Bettinardi putters, Miura and Srixon irons, Cleveland wedges, COBRA metal woods and even Stewart electric trolleys.
“If I can earn points for a new Miura wedge or a set of irons, I’ll grind for that,” says Phillips. “What’s better than getting new Miura irons? Not having to pay cash for new Miura irons.”
So yeah, that’s interesting. And so are the sweepstakes for experiences, products and events.
But the GolfN app is about to get fascinating.
There are membership levels, and then there are membership levels
You can earn points with the free version of GolfN, but if you want to earn points faster, you’ll need to buy a membership.
Aha, so there is a catch.
Well, yes, of course there is. Why would you think there wouldn’t be one?
“We have thousands of users who don’t pay us a dime and probably never will,” Phillips explains. “But if you want to go higher, you can get a membership.”
The credit card analogy Phillips shared earlier is actually spot on. You can get a Delta SkyMiles Blue entry-level American Express card with no annual fee and earn Delta miles. Or you can get a Delta SkyMiles Reserve card that costs $650 per year, earn more miles, get upgrades, achieve higher SkyMiles status quicker and get access to Delta lounges. If you fly a lot, it can make sense.
“Why would you choose to do that?” says Phillips. “Because the points and perks are better. That’s why.”
A higher GolfN membership tier earns you more points faster. If you use the free version and want to earn enough points for a set of Miura irons, you’ll want to start young and plan on playing a hell of a lot of golf. To speed it up, you can buy memberships by the month or by the year (a 25 percent discount from the monthly price). An annual White membership gets you a 4.6x points multiplier (meaning one round earns 4.6 times the points. The monthly version is only 2.7x). Silver gives you an 11x multiplier (6.3x if monthly) while Gold gives you a 54x multiplier (only 19x if monthly).
If you really want to go crazy, get a Diamond membership. You have to apply to be a Diamond, but it carries a 275x points multiplier. If you buy it by the month, however, it’s only a 106x multiplier.
How much do these membership levels cost? Well, here’s where we transcend fascinating and enter the world of WTF???
Wait, it costs how much???
Say you want a White membership. If you go month-to-month, it’ll cost you $25 every 30 days. If you choose the annual option to earn more points, it’s $18.75 per month. Silver is $50 per month, or only $37.49 if you sign up for the full year.
Gold is where we separate the playahs from mere participants. It’s either $200 per month or $1,799 for a full year, which comes out to $149.99 per month.
Diamond? I think you better sit down.
It’s $899 by the month. A full year costs $8,099, which is $674.92 per month.
WTF???
I had to ask Phillips if he was serious, and if anyone actually bought Gold or Diamond memberships. He assured me that yes, he was and yes, quite a few do.
“About 60 percent of our users are under the age of 35, so they get things like in-game powerups and gamification,” he explains. “They’re digital powerups. It’s easy to understand if you put it into the context of gaming.”
It took me a while to wrap my head around why anyone in their right mind would pay $899 for one month of GolfN. Believe it or not, I came up with a scenario – only one, mind you – that might actually make sense.
Let’s say I really want a set of custom-built Miura KM-700 irons. At $400 an iron, they make those new McLaren sticks look like a bargain. With upgraded Nippon Pro Modus 105 shafts, white SuperStroke Revl midsize grips and a fancy ferrule, we’re looking at $3,150 for a seven-piece set.
If I know I’m going to be playing a lot of golf over the next 60 days, it actually works to buy two months of Diamond for $1,800 to earn the 96,000 points you’d need to get them. At that point, you’d actually be getting them at over $1,300 off of retail.
I’m not sure I’d want to present that spending plan to the House Ways and Means Committee, however. A set of custom Srixon ZXi5 irons (55,960 points) or a custom L.A.B. Link 2.2 putter (27,500 points) might let me keep my spot in the big bed.
How quickly can you earn points? Seven rounds of golf with a Gold Membership can get you around 47,000 points, so it can add up pretty quickly.
Does GolfN actually make money doing this?
Yes, they do make some money off memberships, but there is some behind-the-scenes crypto/Non-Fungible Token (NFT) stuff going on. That angle isn’t forward-facing, however, and doesn’t impact day-to-day usage.
You can also buy gear with cash at the GolfN Pro Shop. Phillips is set up as a wholesale customer for GolfN’s OEM partners, who will drop ship product directly to the GolfN user.
“We don’t really fit into green grass or e-comm,” he says. “We’re kind of in the middle. Our first big partner was Dunlop USA, with Srixon and Cleveland. They opened us up on a risk, and we’re now one of their biggest customers.
“It took the better part of a year to get Miura on board. Within the first couple of weeks, we sold $26,000 worth of clubs.”
If this sounds a little like a Mill River plan, it’s similar. A Mill River Golf deal is where members pay an annual fee or buy-in. In exchange, they can buy stuff at cost plus a small markup, maybe 10 percent over wholesale. It’s limited to members only.
In today’s world, there’s also value in information. Phillips says the average GolfN user logs in over 75 times a month. There’s a daily Press Your Luck spin contest, and you can earn points for checking in at places like Golftec, Topgolf, driving ranges or simulators in your area. Frankly, there’s so much going in the GolfN app that you do have to go back in just to understand what the hell is going on.
“Most apps, you only log in when you’re playing golf,” says Phillips. “We get a million views a month from people just going through the app to see what’s going on. Our partners love this because it’s a way for them to actually see people actively looking at their products.”
So, is GolfN for you?
Boy, is that a loaded question.
After using the app for a little over a month, I can draw a few conclusions, but I still have some questions.
First, it’s a pretty good GPS app. It’s free and easy to use, which are two things I value. Second, I’m starting to get the gamification and I’ve always been a points slave. I have the Delta Reserve card, stay at Marriotts and rent cars with National, all in the name of earning freebies. Give me a target and I’ll grind away at the sunuvabitch until I get status.
Lastly, as GolfN gains more users, I can see how it can be of value to OEMs. Data makes the world go round, and all those little ones and zeroes are the propellant.
Remember when Google bought Nest Labs, makers of the Nest thermostat, for $3.2 billion in cash 12 years ago? Do you really think it was because Nest had a really cool thermostat? Or maybe, just maybe, did it have something to do with data and knowing your preferences and habits as Google built its “Smart House” empire?
So, after all this, I do get the GolfN app. Sort of. It’s a game that you pay to play, and you can pay as much or as little as you want. If you want to win big faster, however, you’ll have to pay more sooner.
If, however, you balk at paying Arccos its $17 per month, I’d love to hear what you have to say about a GolfN Gold membership at $150 per month.
On the other hand, if you see me hacking it around Breakfast Hill with a new set of Miura KM-700s later this year, you’ll know how I got them.
The post This Golf App Pays You In Real Gear Just For Playing appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
Article Link: https://mygolfspy.com/news-opinion/this-golf-app-pays-you-in-real-gear-just-for-playing/