Generally, golf is considered a game for the elite and a very traditional and formal sport. It appeals to a very specific target audience, and young folks and millennials certainly don’t fall in this niche category. In order to keep the spirit of golf alive, Netherlands-based Leadingcourses.com – a golf course review & booking platform, has raised €2.5M in a fresh round of funding led by a group of angel investors.
Use of the funds
The raised capital will help the company to expand its services throughout Europe. “I am extremely proud and grateful that we were able to raise this capital in these challenging times,” says Ruben Meiland CEO of Leadingcourses.com.
“While the pandemic spread, golf has gained enormous popularity because of its outdoor and socially distant nature. With this investment, we plan to grow from being Europe’s largest golf-booking and review site into becoming Europe’s leading golf platform,” adds Meiland.
About Leadingcourses
Leadingcourses.com was founded in 2007 by a passionate group of golfers. Currently, the company provides an online platform for golfers to discover, compare, review and book various European golf courses.
Additionally, Leadingcourses.com also offers golf clubs access to valuable data and insights to efficiently enhance their services and increase revenue. The company claims to have grown to become the largest golf booking & review platform in Europe.
The platform has about half a million visitors each month, with over 280,000 verified reviews, and 25,000 courses on the platform through which it caters to a huge community of avid golfers globally. According to the company, currently, its website is available in 9 languages. It compares 25,217 golf courses from 153 countries and over 400,000 golfers use its platform each month.
Expansion plans
Two years ago, Leadingcourses introduced booking functionality on its platform and allowed golfers to book “tee times” at golf courses globally. And now, the company plans to launch a paid membership in 2021, that aims to provide deals, perks, additional features, and unique experiences to golf enthusiasts.
“We have built an incredibly strong brand and Europe’s largest community of avid golf enthusiasts. We plan to leverage the credibility of our brand and utilise our vast amount of data to enhance the experience for both golfers and clubs, thus creating additional value on both sides of the marketplace,” says Meiland.
The company’s expansion plans include launching an entirely new platform and mobile app in early 2021, allowing the site to scale their product efficiently and provide many new business opportunities to grow its services globally.
By leveraging big data and investing in unique, relevant and personalised content, the platform will provide a wealth of information for golf enthusiasts as well as support golf clubs in enhancing their online presence, services, increase revenue and help them tap into new technologies such as dynamic pricing.
