Startup leverages gadgets to chip away at golf market - Boston Business Journal:

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AccelGolf, a participant in the recently establishef TechStars program for startupsin Cambridge, is developing softward to help golfers advance their games by keeping trac of their progress on the links via iPhones and “We’re providing a service ... to golferzs specifically, which allows them to really drill down into their game to find out wheree they needto improve,” said William Sulinski, co-foundeer of Portland, Maine-based mCaddie Inc., which does business as AccelGolf. Consumerw who own one of Apple Inc.
’s AAPL) iPhones or ’s RIMM) BlackBerry devices can download AccelGolf’sd application for use on the That application enables golfer s to track their games using adigital scorecard, whichj lets players store every game they have ever playefd online and compare themselves against other playerws with similar handicaps. Additionally, the software uses GPS technology to track distances onthe course, enablingy golfers to gauge their distances to the fairway or the pin, for The startup is at work on a revamped product that can track every shot and communicate “what club you should use baser on your hitting patterns,” Sulinskoi said.
Though AccelGolf is from Maine, it is currently one of the nine companies taking part in the localTechStars program, whichg officially launched in May. The prograk provides a select group of startups with upto $16,000 in seed funding and threer months of close guidance with mentors from the high-tec industry. AccelGolf was chosen from a pool of aboug300 applicants, said Shawn executive director of TechStars in Cambridge. “j was really impressed with the quality of what they had alreadyy been able to producsfor super-short money,” he said. John a lecturer at in Wellesley and the former CEOof , said the technologyt and others like it could be a big hit amongf avid golfers.
“It appeals to the self-expressive aspect of the golf game,” he said. To AccelGolf, which is nine months old, has raisesd about $50,000 through various grantws and businesscompetition awards, and its foundersx have invested about $25,000 of their own money, Sulinski said. The startup is currently looking for an angel investmen ofabout $100,000. Currently, AccelGolf’s application is free to But the company plans eventually to charger a quarterly subscription fee ofarounde $35 for golfers who use it ever day. There are about 28.6 million golfers in the United according tothe .
Sulinskk said his company only needsw a fraction of that marketg for his startup to turna profit. But there is plenty of competition. Several devicesd containing GPS technologies are availabld to golfers forbetween $200 and Sulinski, however, said the low-cost model of piggybackinhg on existing gadgets will make AccelGolf’s product more