For years golf was a sport on the decline.
Between 2003 and 2018, golf saw a decrease of over 6.8 million players and more than 1,200 course closures.
As we head into 2025, that’s no longer the case.
Golf is exploding and the industry is estimated to reach $160 billion by next year.
More money means more startups.
One of the top emerging golf startups is Golf.ai, an AI partner for every golf experience you can think of.
In this interview with CEO and co-founder Peter Bergin, we discuss the growth of Golf.ai and where he sees it going as well as predictions he has for the golf industry.
Hello, who are you, and please describe your company.
Hello. I’m Peter Bergin, the CEO and co-founder of Golf.ai, a startup that aims to revolutionize the sports industry.
Golf.ai is your AI partner for all golf experiences.
Whether you’re on the course needing a virtual caddie or off the course exploring incredible stories about your favorite golfers, we’re here to make your golf experience more enjoyable.
We simplify complex rules, help you navigate the course, and enable you to discover incredible stories about golf.
Think of us as your go-to resource to improve your game, engage with professional golf, or simply share your passion for the sport.
What was the process of getting the company off the ground?
Getting Golf.ai off the ground was a journey fueled by passion and opportunity.
As a self-taught programmer, I noticed the rise of large language models (LLMs) and saw untapped potential in combining them with sports technology.
Being a longtime sports fan with industry experience, I began developing applications that leveraged language models to enhance the sports experience.
Through connections with like-minded individuals, our ideas evolved, and we formed the company around a simple yet powerful principle: making sports more fun, accessible, and enjoyable.
Recognizing that language models could revolutionize the sports landscape, we aimed to be among the first to develop applications in this space.
Our team consists of sports fans, athletes, and tech enthusiasts deeply connected within the industry.
As we continued our conversations, we knew we had to bring this technology to life.
How is the company doing today and what does the future look like?
Golf.ai has just launched, and we’re embracing a fast-paced approach of launching quickly and iterating based on feedback.
We’re collaborating with our early adopters to refine our initial product and are already working on new offerings.
We recognize that the sports tech space moves rapidly, and we’re eager to capture consumer attention by staying ahead of the curve.
Building products that people haven’t seen before is both exciting and challenging.
It requires us to focus on the right areas, educate users about our capabilities, and attract a growing user base.
Looking ahead, we’re creating interactive platforms for sports fans to access engaging stories and information exactly when they need them.
We all crave narratives and insights that enhance our enjoyment of sports, whether we’re watching or playing.
Our technology aims to make it easier and more engaging for fans to connect with the stories of their favorite players and teams.
The potential is vast across various domains in sports—playing, watching, socializing with friends, or betting.
Our touchpoints begin with the discovery of information and are fueled by continuous curiosity. There’s ample room to innovate within these boundaries, and that’s where we plan to position ourselves and make a significant impact.
Through starting the business have you learned any lessons that were particularly helpful or advantageous?
Starting this business has taught me several valuable lessons. One key insight is that product decisions are rarely black and white—they come with numerous trade-offs.
Just because something works on another platform doesn’t guarantee it will work on yours.
The psychology of how users perceive your platform is almost as important as its functionality, and the two are deeply interconnected.
Since we’re building an experiential platform with products that often have no direct comparison in sports, we must develop alongside our users and sports fans.
Over the past two years, I’ve created a huge number of interaction points for sports enthusiasts, engaging with a diverse group of users across various sports.
Whether they were tech-savvy or not, I’ve witnessed both the magic and the confusion in people’s eyes.
Understanding what someone wants in a product isn’t straightforward or always conveyed directly. It requires a deep comprehension of what’s possible, what drives people, and what they truly desire.
We’ve realized that we have the potential to change how people enjoy their favorite sports.
These conversations and experiences have been invaluable, influencing every small decision we make—even down to the placement of a pixel on the screen.
The mantra we’ve embraced is simple: build things and talk to users.
We’ve been doing this diligently, and now it’s time to execute fully on these learnings.
How big do you see this company getting?
We envision Golf.ai becoming the go-to technology that serves as the interaction point for all sports experiences for consumers.
Our core belief is that AI will integrate seamlessly into every aspect of sports engagement, whether during live events or in between.
We’re specializing in building the necessary infrastructure and understanding to enable these interactive experiences.
Whether you’re playing, watching, or simply scrolling, people crave stories and connections that keep them engaged.
Currently, much of this interaction is static and one-way, often driven by sensationalism.
We aim to shift the focus back to meaningful stories and connections, fostering a deeper, long-term relationship between fans and the sports they love.
By building these connection points, we believe we can make a significant impact on the sports world.
While the technology is complex, our goal is to make it incredibly simple for users to enjoy their favorite sports at a depth that hasn’t been possible before.
Why is now the right time to launch this product?
I believe the best time to launch any product is now.
Timing is crucial and often a key factor in a startup’s success, but it’s something that can usually only be fully appreciated in hindsight.
While strategy and thoughtful planning are important, we prioritize launching when we’re ready and building alongside the early users who trust us.
Given that much of our technology leverages language models—and considering the current excitement and rapid development in this field—we feel that now is the ideal time.
The ways we experience sports are ripe for fresh ideas and interfaces, and the evolution of language models presents new opportunities.
We believe in launching and iterating with our users, working alongside them rather than waiting for the future to unfold without us.
How are you thinking about customer acquisition?
We have a two-fold strategy to address customer acquisition.
First, we’re partnering with other platforms to embed our technology, allowing their user base to experience the benefits of Golf.ai directly at their points of interaction.
Secondly, we recognize that much of sports content revolves around personalities. We believe the future lies in the hands of creators and athletes.
By bringing them onto our platform as voices and points of interaction, we allow fans to experience sports alongside the people they trust and are most excited about.
This approach helps us connect with users on a more personal level, leveraging the influence of personalities they already follow and admire.
What advice do you have for founders looking to raise capital within sports?
My advice is to start now.
The sports industry is vibrant, with significant capital being injected at the team level.
This increased attention will continue to grow and fragment across different sports and teams, creating incredible opportunities for businesses to support this growth or build new experiences for fans.
Share your vision boldly—don’t diminish it.
Communicate what you truly believe your company can become. Paint a vivid picture in investors’ minds; they’re investing in you and the potential of your company.
The ability to tell your story, illustrate your vision, and demonstrate execution are critical.
Remember, your pitch deck is just a tool for communication, not an end in itself, be creative in your approach and you’ll stand out.
Talk to anyone who will listen—you never know who might be interested or willing to invest. Seek out people who believe in your journey because it won’t be an easy one.
Sports touch people on an emotional level, and if your product can tap into that emotional connection, now is the time to act. Have those conversations and start today.
What are some predictions you have for the golf space over the next couple of years?
I anticipate continued growth in the golf space over the next few years. I’m particularly interested in non-traditional forms of golf, such as shorter courses, par-3 courses, and indoor simulators.
Golf can be intimidating with its high barrier to entry, but these new offerings reduce the need for significant upfront investment or extensive knowledge of the sport.
On the professional side, I’m excited about new formats like TGL. There’s a clear appetite for short, team-based formats that can bring additional excitement to the game.
Golf is a sport that people are passionate about, and it needs to evolve to become more approachable and offer a wider variety of experiences that aren’t perceived as old-fashioned.
The indoor component, in particular, will enhance viewing experiences and contribute to the sport’s growth.
On the experiential side, Golf.ai aims to help more people get into golf by making it easier and more enjoyable to play.
There’s a community of passionate individuals in the golf space working to grow the game.
While there are challenges and inefficiencies, there are also tremendous opportunities to improve the sport. I believe in the entrepreneurs working in this space and continue to support them.
It’s an industry where, by building together, we can each carve out our own niche while collectively growing the game.
Are you currently hiring and or raising capital? If so, where can people apply and find out more?
Yes, we’re both hiring and raising capital! After a successful pre-seed round earlier this year, we’re now raising capital for our seed round.
We have an exciting roadmap ahead and are looking to accelerate development and user acquisition.
We’re also seeking new talent to join us through our seed round and beyond.
We’re interested in AI builders, web app developers, designers, product managers, and marketers—any passionate individuals who love sports and want to help build the platform for all sports experiences.
If you’re interested in investment opportunities or joining our team, please email me at peter@golf.ai.
