Matt Eldridge and Adam MacDonald have decided to follow that age-old advice about working on your greatest passion, and they’ve figured out a way to combine their proficiency in software with their love of golf.

These two veterans of the Moncton tech community are preparing to launch Foursum – a mobile app for golfers -- at the Professional Golf Association Merchandise Show in Orlando, Florida, in January. Foursum allows golfers to input four basic stats from each hole they play, so they end up with a range of data in a personalized databank. The data can be instantly shared with an instructor to help golfers identify the parts of their game that need improvement. They can form league tables to compete with other golfers, or they can accumulate loyalty points each time they play; the company is working on a feature that will allow golfers to trade their points for branded merchandise at the Foursum store.

“It’s the funnest way to compete against other golfers, improve your game and track your progress,” said Eldridge over lunch at a Moncton restaurant recently.

With a 2.7 handicap, Eldridge is fanatical about golf. The eyes of the former CEO of social media analysis company Lymbix light up when he even mentions the subject. MacDonald’s handicap is 11.6 and he admits Eldridge is a better golfer. A veteran of such startups as Lymbix and Spheric, his strength is software architecture.  

Foursum will be a free product with a $30-a-year premium option. Users will download the app onto their device, so they can either keep score on their phone while they play, or photograph their scorecard afterward to automatically input their data. MacDonald said the golfer has to input four stats per hole, which serious golfers habitually record on their scorecard. They are: fairways hit; length to hole; putts and score. With this information, Foursum’s algorithms can produce 45 different stats that golfers and instructors can analyse to improve play.

“It’s everything that the PGA tracks and it’s what you need to be a better golfer,” MacDonald said.

Foursum also allows friends to compete with one another – even golfers of different skill levels who are playing on different courses. The technology accounts for the handicap, not only of the golfer, but also of the course, so players can compare their games and ascertain who’s had a better day on the links. They can even wager their loyalty points.

Eldridge and MacDonald have charted a clear path to market. The third co-founder of Foursum is Louis Melanson, a five-time Atlantic PGA Teacher of the Year. They plan to use Melanson's network and the contacts they make at the PGA Conference to educate golf pros about the power of Foursum. The thinking is that Foursum can help pros generate business because it shows them their clients' shortfalls. As soon as they receive a report of a golfer’s recent game, the instructor can call the golfer, say what needs to be worked on and suggest a lesson. The pros, Eldridge said, will become evangelists for the technology.

The Foursum co-founders are also convinced they have a healthy market to work in. Eldridge said there are now 26 million core golfers (playing at least eight times a year) in the U.S. Their average household income is above $100,000 per year and they spend $76 billion annually on golf. The founders believe that golfers will spend money freely on a chance to improve their game.

Eldridge and MacDonald have so far financed Foursum internally. They are now raising $500,000 from angel investors in Atlantic Canada and San Francisco, and believe the Californian investors will make up the bulk of their funding. Eldridge said they are being discriminating in their choice of investor, looking for people who bring both capital and networks.