Raleigh entrepreneur Anthony Franklin is the founder of WeGo Golf, a startup providing sophisticated golf simulations at events and collecting valuable data for clients in the process.

Raleigh founder Anthony Franklin was inspired to build his startup by a desire to bond with his son and teach him about business. Franklin’s son is an avid golfer and introduced Franklin to the sport. So, wanting to build something together, Franklin decided to create and launch a golf-based business, with his son’s passion as the foundation.

The resulting startup, WeGo Golf, was founded in 2022. It delivers a fully mobile golf experience through a custom, patent-pending setup designed to be flexible, accessible and immersive. The system features portable hitting bays, adjustable mats suited for all skill levels, and multiple play modes—from casual, point-based, arcade-style golfing games, to realistic course simulations. 

There is even an AI-driven putting experience that enables clients to customize and brand the digital environments displaying the simulated outcomes of users’ putts.

WeGo Golf’s “bread and butter” is an ability to serve larger audiences and occasions, including corporate events and gameday activations. The startup takes its portable system to client venues, setting up crowds of all sizes with a chance to simulate golf in a variety of ways. Ultimately, the team’s goal is to introduce a golf club to as many people as possible, no matter the skill level or the type of event. 

At first glance, WeGo Golf may appear to essentially be a high-tech mobile golf experience. And to be sure, that description is not inaccurate. But Franklin said the data the startup collects sets WeGo Golf apart from a typical golf simulator or party service.

Coming from a heavy tech background, Franklin had noticed a common theme: Everyone wants new data. However, that data is sometimes hard to collect, especially in an organic way. Franklin, using his background and his son’s experience with golf, put the pieces together and came up with a way to organically collect data while offering the users a great experience. 

Swinging for data

“Really, we’re a first-party data capture service that’s kind of wrapped up in a fun golf experience,” Franklin explained.  

WeGo Golf collects a wide range of first-party data by embedding surveys and engagement touchpoints that are relevant to a given client directly into the event experience. Because the setup is hands-on and in-person, participants are more inclined to opt in and complete full surveys on site, which results in higher quality responses than one gets through traditional digital outreach.

The data, whether it amounts to contact information, psychographics, product interest, or something else entirely, is passed along to the client in the form of a curated data set reflecting real-time interactions.

Meanwhile, the startup’s mobility also gives it access to diverse environments, from college gamedays to employee appreciation events. This helps the clients organizing g and hosting these events reach audiences they might not typically wouldn’t find through standard marketing channels.

For example, during an event at Wake Forest, WeGo Golf conducted an opt-in survey among participants. They were able to identify how many attendees expressed interest in purchasing football season tickets, along with a range of psychographic data points. This type of information is highly valuable to a client and can be gathered with ease under the umbrella of the engaging golf experience that attracts passersby. 

“We summarize and share with them a report, a confirmed dashboard that is tailored to them, corresponding to what the engagement was, opportunities for them in the future, et cetera,” Franklin said. 

QUICK BITS
Startup: WeGo Golf
Founder: Anthony Franklin
Founded: 2021
Team size: < 10
Location: Raleigh
Website: www.wego.golf
Funding: Bootstrapped

WeGo Golf operates as a service-based business, charging clients based on the number of hours they require. The company offers a fully white-glove experience from start to finish. Golf Pros working with the startup handle the setup, manage the bays throughout the event, assist golfers with their swings and positioning, and dismantle the system afterward—ensuring clients don’t have to lift a finger. 

Currently, the company has 10 total portable systems in operation from Washington, D.C. to Orlando. By the end of the year it will have increased its spread to Boston, Denver, Chicago, Miami, and Dallas. And because of the nature of the business, overhead is quite low and the WeGo team is able to gradually expand without needing much outside capital. 

“We’re on pace to quadruple revenue from last year, and that is just within our immediate market” Franklin said, “We’ve got a really strong growth trajectory.”

Franklin was clear that the growth WeGoGolf is concerned about is not just revenue, but the community of people introduced to golf through their services. 

“That’s the experience,” Franklin said, “We meet you where you are and we provide some guidance.”