Through a new app, Shots – The Golf App, golfers upload a video of their swing, then request feedback as to how to improve it. Photos: Chris Emeott
Swing, share and improve with the Shots app.
The hypothesis behind Shots – The Golf App is simple: Golfers like to critique other golfers’ swings.
“Subconsciously, we see a swing and think, ‘Oh, that’s really good.’ Or, ‘Oh, that’s really bad,’” says Shots application designer Matt Foster.
Shots is a short-form video-sharing app that delivers golf-related content to golf enthusiasts. At its core is a social space that allows golfers to share their swings while simultaneously encouraging fellow golfers (users) to comment and critique.
Users can form groups, both public and private, and chat within these groups. Golfing buddies can even thumbs-up or thumbs-down to your swing, alongside four different reactions, too. Constructive criticism, coupled with straightforward advice, can lead to improvement, and that’s the point. “Golfers post on the app, looking for big changes and little tweaks,” Foster says. “That’s just what they do.”
Foster’s path to app design is akin to an errant golf shot, not exactly the straightest trajectory. Born in Australia, he came to the United States to play college football. He was a punter and a computer science major. He started at Purdue University in Indiana and finished at Sam Houston State University in Texas. He met his wife, Kelcie Foster, who is from Stillwater, in Austin, Texas; the two married, had their child, Bowie, 18 months old, and moved to Woodbury in 2023 to be closer to Kelcie’s family.
Matt Foster
Nic Catterall, Foster’s business partner, is also from Australia. Catterall is a high-performance coach to PGA and LIV Golf tour players. He specializes in musculoskeletal therapy and sports science. Users can expect his expertise to be available on the app.
Foster is quick to note that apps are works in progress. In other words, they’re always evolving. As an example, he was putting the finishing touches on a shot-tracker feature three months after the app was first released. He’s talked about connecting golfers with golf pros for lessons and making it easy for foursomes to fill missing slots. “Technology is what it is,” Foster says. “It’s always going to change.”
Going Live
Shots – The Golf App was soft-launched in October. It’s available free of charge at the Apple App Store and is only compatible with IOS platforms, but expect that to change. “We want to keep it free,” Foster says.
While its user numbers are still growing, as one would expect after a soft launch, Foster and Catterall have great expectations. “Our goal is to have 100,000 users by the end of 2025,” says Foster, who notes that at the time of writing, Shots – The Golf App currently has 150 users.
Early reviews are positive. One reviewer gave it five stars while adding, “Great app, which gives you a customized feed of golf content. [Rather] than scrolling through other apps and being interrupted by non-relevant content, this app brings golf all to one platform!”
The next step, obviously, is to take the app to market. “We’re going to have to advertise,” Foster says.
Foster is counting on the notion that golfers are passionate about everything golf. “When we decided to develop an app, we knew it had to be niche, and we knew people had to be passionate about it,” Foster says. “That’s golf.”
Foster’s golf game? “I was on my high school golf team, but I’m not very good at it,” he says. “I am on the app, so …”
