60 million golfers promised improved play as Edinburgh tech firm raises over £6 million

Shot Scope was founded in Scotland - the “home of golf” - in 2016 by a group of engineers and professional golfers brought together by their love of the sport. The latest round of investment will bring its game-enhancing tech such as GPS wearables, laser rangefinders and shot tracking devices to more golfers around the globe, promising them “more in-depth performance analytics”.

The firm has raised $8.5m in a Series B funding round led by Guinness Ventures, which invested $4m. The funding also involved investment from key participants Scottish Enterprise, Growthdeck, The SideBySide Partnership and Edinburgh-based Equity Gap, alongside Virgin Money providing $1.9m debt finance.

David Hunter, chief executive of Shot Scope, said: “This investment accelerates our mission to deliver game improvement technology to 60 million golfers around the world. Throughout 2024 we plan to invest in infrastructure across the USA to support our retail and distribution partners.

“Golfers globally love our GPS, rangefinder and shot tracking technology, having sold products in 160 countries in 2023. Golf has experienced a huge change in the past five years, people of all ages and demographics love the sport. With Shot Scope golfers can improve quickly and enjoy the game they love even more.”

As part of its expansion, the business is relocating to new headquarters on the outskirts of Edinburgh to accommodate a growing team of marketing, sales and customer service experts. The new site will support Shot Scope’s ambitious plans to scale operations and target a worldwide audience.

The firm’s products are already available in the largest retailers in the US including Dick’s Sporting Goods and PGA Tour Superstore. It has also established a presence in mainland Europe, Australia and New Zealand with retailers including Dormy, Golfbox, Golf Warehouse and PGC Group stocking its products. Supplementing the physical products, Shot Scope’s mobile app and web dashboard is home to a “plethora of free-to-access features” for its users.

Adam Barker of Guinness Ventures said: “Shot Scope’s innovative product and software suite is meeting strong market demand, positioning the company for significant expansion both domestically and internationally. As lead investor, we are thrilled to further support Shot Scope at this inflection point and to continue being a part of its exciting growth journey.”

Christopher Kennedy, director of venture debt at Virgin Money, added: “Shot Scope is an established leading technology business within the golf market and has been a valued customer within our venture debt portfolio of high-tech businesses for the last three years. Over that period we have built a strong relationship with the team at Shot Scope and we are pleased to provide this follow-on funding as the business continues to grow.

“It’s exciting to see what the future holds as Shot Scope’s expanded suite of products increases further in popularity in markets across the world,” he added.