As written by TechBuzz: HERE.
Ogden, Utah — October 7, 2025
Backswing (Ogden, Utah) announced it has raised a $1 million seed round from Ollin Ventures (Lindon, Utah), Utah MBA Angels (Salt Lake City), and others, to expand engineering, course partnerships, and product development.
Founder and CEO Gregory Woodfield didn’t set out to disrupt golf. He just wanted to book a tee time.
After using a movie ticketing app that let him effortlessly invite friends, pay, and walk straight into the theater, he tried to organize a round of golf the next morning—and hit a wall of outdated systems. “It was like jumping from Uber back to calling a cab,” he said.
That friction sparked the idea for Backswing which aims to simplify every part of the golfer’s experience—from booking tee times to coordinating groups, splitting payments, and staying connected to courses. It’s not another swing tracker or GPS yardage tool. Backswing is focused entirely on making it easier to play.
A Fragmented Industry Ripe for Change
Golf is a $100 billion global industry, but the tech hasn’t kept pace. Booking a round typically involves navigating a patchwork of outdated websites, third-party aggregators like GolfNow, or even phone calls. Payment is often separate. Group coordination? Usually handled in text threads.
“There’s a tech gap in golf that no one’s really solved,” said Woodfield. “Players want simplicity. Courses want operational efficiency. Right now, neither are getting it.”
Backswing aims to close that gap with a unified app that handles:
For course operators, Backswing promises reduced no-shows, better customer data, and smoother engagement—without adding back-office complexity.
Competition and Differentiation
Several incumbents—GolfNow (Orlando, and owned by NBC Sports), foreUP (a Utah-based company previously covered by TechBuzz here and here), Chronogolf (Montreal)—already offer parts of this experience. But Woodfield says most of them focus on either the golfer or the course, not both. And none streamline the full cycle: from tee time booking to post-round payments and engagement.
“Golf apps right now are either marketing tools for courses or glorified spreadsheets for players,” he said. “We want to build the connective tissue.”
Backswing’s differentiator, according to its founders, is simplicity and integration—removing the need for four different apps to do what one should.
Early Traction and Next Steps
The app launched on September 16, and within its first week, it was downloaded by more than 8,000 users. Today, the platform features over 4,000 courses, allowing users not only to explore their options but also to conveniently book tee times directly through the app.
Beyond basic booking, Backswing is rolling out new features to deepen its ecosystem:
The long-term vision? Become the most popular operating system for amateur golf.
“We’re not building a tee time app,” said Woodfield. “We’re building the modern golfer’s hub.”
As written by Tommy Land at TechBuzz.
