Scottish golf technology company prepares to go to the next level

Shot Scope was set up in 2015 by its chief executive, David Hunter, and earlier this year closed a £6.6 million funding round headed up by lead investor Guinness Ventures. Mr Hunter says the company is now preparing to go to the next level with expansion into the lucrative US market.

Why did you set up Shot Scope? 

After working in engineering for eight years I returned to university to complete a post graduate in teaching and then worked as a teacher of design technology for two years. It was during this period that I had the idea for Shot Scope and I was introduced to the amazing start-up ecosystem around Edinburgh.

I am passionate about golf and Shot Scope was born out of the idea of utilising statistics to improve. Over three years I recorded the outcome of every golf shot in eight different notebooks and spent three hours every week entering the data into a software program that displayed all the results graphically. My handicap improved from 16 to 5 in two years using this process. 

In the beginning the business was funded through Scottish Enterprise grants.  This support was critical in the very early days of Shot Scope and helped when pitching to early-stage investors.

In Edinburgh and Scotland there is a good angel investor network that is willing to put money into early-stage companies. Shot Scope had a seed round of investment from Old College Capital at the University of Edinburgh, investment from angel group Equity Gap, and Scottish Enterprise in its first year of trading.

David Hunter set up Shot Scope in 2015 (Image: Shot Scope)

What does the business look like today?

We are based in Livingston with a team of 38 engineers, developers and commercial staff. In the past 12 months we have sold products in more than 160 countries and we work with more than 700 golf and sports retailers around the world. Our focus is international growth and North America a key target for 2025.     

What is the difference between Shot Scope and other golfing GPS technology on the market?

Our technology is unique in that we were founded on automatic shot tracking – every shot is recorded in the background as the golfer plays.

After the round the golfer clicks one button and the data is transferred to a mobile phone or computer where more than 100 statistics and insights are displayed.  The player can view an overhead map that details every golf shot for every round.

Over the past five years our product line and software has expanded. Our products include rangefinders, GPS watches, and GPS handheld products. Golfers on average improve 20 times faster with Shot Scope, dropping 4.1 shots in 25 rounds.   

What’s it like working with a player of Jennifer Saxton’s calibre?

We didn’t have to convince Jen, she has been working hard on her game over the past few years and Shot Scope was the perfect way to track progress, identify weaknesses and improve.

The results speak for themselves: in 2022 Jen won the coveted St Rule Trophy by three shots and highlighted her Shot Scope tracking data and strategy tool as key to the win. Many Shot Scope users experience this, where tracking data takes their game to the next level.

We have a few other famous and formidable friends of the company. If the criteria is both famous and formidable it would have to be Celtic, Liverpool and Scotland legend Sir Kenny Dalglish who has used Shot Scope products since 2019 – and it’s pretty cool that he is a fellow Scot. 

What are your business objectives for the coming year?

The team has a strong plan and roadmap that includes international expansion in the USA and an 18-month development pipeline of new product lines.

We are exciting by the prospect of bringing our products and shot tracking technology to golfers globally. Our mission and passion is to help golfers all over the world improve and enjoy the game we love.

What do you love most about the game?

How can you not love golf? It’s frustrating, addictive and rewarding, and it drives you mad most of the time! But for me it’s the greatest game ever invented and unfortunately, like many golfers, I don’t get the time to play as much as I would like.

My son Luke has taken up the game at 10 years old and I love spending time on the course with him. What other game could three generations of a family, all with completely different handicaps, play together and make it competitive? Golf truly is a game for life and I feel privileged to be part of it.

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