GolfForever Lands $10M for AI-Powered Home Trainer
Leveraging artificial intelligence, GolfForever instructs users on ways to increase their strength, flexibility and balance to improve their swings
GolfForever is living up to its name now more than ever. The digital fitness and wellness system, which features in-home training that prolongs a golfer’s playing career, just closed a $10 million Series A funding round.
Clerisy, a consumer growth equity fund, led the funding round while PGA Tour standouts Scottie Scheffler and Tom Kim followed as equity investors. Scheffler, who currently reigns as the world’s number-one golfer, and Kim, a three-time winner on the PGA Tour, also serve as brand ambassadors.
“GolfForever was founded with a mission to help golfers of all levels and experience improve their bodies, so they can improve their games and play without pain or injury at every age and for as long as possible,” said Jeremy James, founder and CEO of GolfForever. “We’re thrilled to join forces with Clerisy and Scottie and Tom, two of the world’s greatest golfers, to accelerate our growth and enable more players to reach and maintain their full potential and enjoy the game for years to come.”
A ‘Hole in One’ Off the Links
GolfForever drew appreciation from the golf community long before these big names started writing the company big checks. The brand’s golf-specific training and wellness program, featuring portable equipment, a mobile app and streaming instruction co-developed and presented by the world’s top golf trainers and medical experts, was the first of its kind.
With personalized exercises, the company instructs users on ways to increase their strength, flexibility and balance to improve their swings. Artificial intelligence (AI) analyzes results from a user’s strength and flexibility tests before starting to ensure specific, tailor-made exercise regimens.
With the platform adapting to each user specifically, it makes GolfForever and its offerings available to golfers of all levels, as the software learns and understands where each user is at with their game before moving forward. The platform also helps golfers alleviate pain and avoid common injuries to upgrade their overall playing experience.
“GolfForever is a vital part of my daily warmup, fitness routine and a key contributor to my success over the past two years,” said Scheffler, who won The Masters in 2022. “I’m proud to help bring our training system to players everywhere, whether you’re a pro like me or a weekend golfer. Every golfer should use it.”
Putting the Investment to Use
A multitude of doors already lead to GolfForever with the platform accessible through its own e-commerce site, Amazon, and more than 900 retail operations including Dicks’s Sportings Goods, Golf Galaxy and PGA Superstore. But with the new capital, GolfForever plans to further solidify its place in the golf space, crafting more athlete and retail partnerships, developing a multi-state mobile experience tour, special events and research initiatives.
The game’s best were quick to realize GolfForever’s ambition and capabilities. Outside of Scheffler and Kim, more than 400 PGA and LPGA Tour pros use GolfForever to turn their bogies into birdies without ever leaving their homes. Additional brand ambassadors include PGA Tour members Zach Johnson, Justin Leonard, Ryan Palmer, and instructor Rick Smith, who worked with Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Vijay Singh and John Daly.
A Growing Fitness Option
GolfForever’s newly acquired financial support speaks to a larger phenomenon within the fitness space regarding the sport’s popularity. While it’s not strength training, HIIT, or spin class, golf, or at least golf-related activities, have gained momentum as an exercise modality over the past few months.
Apple Fitness+ just released a new workout program for golfers. Rose Zhang, a rising star in the sport being a top-10 finisher in three LPGA majors last year, joined Apple Fitness+ trainer Kyle Ardill on the project, which offers training methods for aspiring golfers. Forme, another personalized virtual training app, has also stated its intent to make larger strides in the golf vertical.