An Aspen golf startup made a hole-in-one this week.
GolfForever, an at-home golf training system, raised a $10 million Series A round on Jan. 11. No. 1 world golfer Scottie Scheffler and three-time PGA Tour winner Tom Kim participated in the round and will now serve as brand ambassadors.
GolfForever claims to be the first golf-specific training and wellness program that combines equipment with a mobile app to improve a user’s swing, flexibility and strength. After taking a flexibility and strength test, the artificial intelligence-powered app creates daily fitness plans for each user, including warmups, workouts and recovery plans.
The startup's physical equipment is called Swing Trainer — a pole that’s two-and-a-half times heavier than a traditional driver with a D3 swing weight and resistance bands that can be attached to one end. The Swing Trainer is used for at-home workouts and warmups at the driving range or golf course.
“GolfForever is a vital part of my daily warmup and fitness routine and a key contributor to my success over the past two years,” Scheffler said in a statement. “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.”
The startup was founded in 2019 by chiropractor Jeremy James, who has years of experience treating and training professional and Olympic athletes, according to the company.
The Series A funds will go toward new partnerships, research initiatives and activations and events.
“We’ll invest in expanding our reach as a safe and effective way for users to improve their bodies and better their games, so they can keep playing for as long as possible,” James told Colorado Inno via email. “In terms of partnerships, we have a couple of very exciting news announcements coming out in the next two weeks that will include launching digital activations and creative content and showcasing GolfForever through multiple channels and events.”
Miami, Florida growth equity firm Clerisy, which invests in consumer and consumer tech companies, led the Series A round.
“GolfForever was created by medical professionals and expert trainers and the system’s credibility and effectiveness have earned it the endorsement of the sport’s most prestigious players and organizations,” Lisa Myers, co-founder and managing partner of Clerisy, said in a statement. “We’re proud to partner with Jeremy and the entire team as they bring this unique training system to more golfers at all skill levels.”
James, who specializes in chronic back pain, is also the co-author of “The Younger Next Year Back Book” and the founder and CEO of FitForever, a platform offering daily customized workout videos and fitness tracking.
GolfForever is used by more than 400 PGA Tour and Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour professionals and thousands of mature golfers, according to the startup. Its training system can be found at major retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods, PGA Tour Superstore, Golf Galaxy and Amazon.
