In a game where every stroke counts, finding the right golf ball can be as critical as nailing the perfect swing.
Enter ScanMyGolfBall (SMGB), a trailblazing app developed to revolutionize how golfers select their ideal ball.
According to app and company founder Tim Chase, who serves as CEO of SMGB Technologies in Melbourne, Fla., “It’s a convenient and easy-to-use ball fitting tool. Based on those questions, the app will recommend the best ball for you, or a series of balls, that are a good fit”.
“You can also scan any golf ball through your phone’s camera, and the app will tell you how well that ball fits you based on the profile you’ve created.”
The ScanMyGolfBall app questions a golfer about swing speed, flight path tendencies, general trajectory, short-game spin, and more.
Based on those answers, the app builds a profile and ultimately recommends specific golf ball models.
Plus, golfers can scan any ball to see instantly how well that model fits their game.
Like millions of avid golfers, Chase was blindly playing a popular ball from a leading manufacturer for a long time.
After reading up on it, he realized it was a misfit for his game. He switched to a softer compression ball and immediately added 20 yards.
“I had a slower swing speed and couldn’t generate enough clubhead speed to compress the ball I was playing,” he says.
“And that’s what gave me the idea for this app – especially because I was playing in a men’s league and there were older gentlemen out there playing the forward tees, hitting it 180 yards off the tee, yet also playing a ball that’s better fit for a pro”.
“As I studied this more, I realized most golfers don’t really understand golf balls, the concept of low-spin and high-spin balls, the difference a cover makes, compression, etc”.
“So, I set out to develop this app that makes everything very simple. By using the right ball, most people will get more distance off the tee and more accuracy. The app is a great tool for golfers.”
The ScanMyGolfBall app, which already has a database of more than 500 ball models, both new and old, goes beyond simple identification.
It scans and processes ball cover type, layer count, compression, spin rate, feel, and dimple patterns.
The app will soon be able to analyze and assess golf ball damage and determine its fit for use through a three-image scanning process.
Chase says his current focus is to continue building the ScanMyGolfBall app user database, which already has thousands of golf ball fitting data, enough to start seeing some exciting trends in the collected data.
Currently, the top 5 most scanned manufacturers include 1. Callaway, 2. Titleist, 3. TaylorMade, 4. Srixon, 5. Bridgestone.
Furthermore, the top 5 most scanned golf ball models included 1. Titleist ProV1, 2. Callaway Supersoft, 3. Titleist ProV1x, 4. Callaway Chrome Soft, 5. Kirkland Performance +.
“While Titleist has the top scanned ball, Callaway has more varied models of balls being scanned with golfers showing a preference for Callaway’s slower swing speed models as opposed to Titleist’s fast swing speed models,” explains Chase.
“Meanwhile, Kirkland, with only a single model on the market (the fewest of all the manufacturers represented), still made the Top 5 for most scanned balls alongside top premium balls, a likely indicator that its bargain price is a deciding factor among an increasing number of golfers.”
Chase looks forward to growing the number of app downloads and continuing to match golfers to new golf balls when they are released.
“Being able to connect anytime with our fast-growing database and impacting the thousands of golfers in our system who benefit from having a properly fit golf ball is exciting,” he said.
“We can send push notifications directly through the app to golfers, letting them know as new ball models become available”.
“From there, we have the technology to create codes that could be directed to golf retailers or even specific brand websites.”
“Yes, there are other services like ours online – but most are not brand-agnostic and free”.
“I consider this to be like a fiduciary of golf balls, in that we’re looking out for the best interest of golfers,” continued Chase.
