Hole19

What Hole19 does

Hole19 (legal entity H19 Ltd, incorporated in the UK, with historical operations through Portuguese entity Stat Track Technologies) is a consumer mobile golf technology platform founded in 2011 by Anthony Douglas. The company operates a dual-app ecosystem: the flagship Hole19 Golf App provides GPS rangefinder, scoring, and shot tracking across 42,000+ courses for 4.8M+ registered golfers in 195 countries, while CORE Golf serves as a companion practice app offering 100+ drills, personalized practice plans, and PGA Tour coach video instruction. The core technology stack is mobile-first GPS with proprietary course mapping, automatic shot detection, strokes-gained analytics, and club recommendation engines, complemented by AI-powered round analysis via Otto AI (launched July 2025) that leverages a 70M-round proprietary dataset for personalized improvement recommendations.

The business model is consumer freemium with three monetization layers: a free GPS/scoring tier, a Premium subscription at €99.99/year providing unlimited GPS and advanced stats, and an Intelligence tier at €99.99/year bundling Otto AI, auto shot detection, strokes gained, and a free CORE Golf subscription on iOS. Otto AI additionally operates a usage-based consumption layer priced at $2.99-$5.99 per report. Customer segments span recreational golfers of all skill levels, with secondary segments in serious/avid golfers (who upgrade to Intelligence) and golf teaching professionals using CORE Golf for student practice plans. Distribution is exclusively through Apple App Store and Google Play with smartwatch integrations on Apple Watch and Wear OS.

Hole19 employs 11-50 people across Lisbon (HQ) and Madeira Island, Portugal, and is privately held with no disclosed institutional venture capital funding since a 2017 Series A of approximately $4.08M from Caixa Capital, Faber, Kibo Ventures, and White Star Capital. The company received EU FEDER grant funding (€186,128.83) for internationalization in 2021-2023 and has maintained a steady product cadence with three major updates between December 2025 and June 2026, anchored by the Otto AI launch and subsequent Intelligence Plan rollout.

Name

Hole19

Legal name

H19 Ltd

Website

https://hole19golf.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hole19 is a consumer mobile golf technology platform offering GPS, scoring, shot tracking, and AI-powered round analysis across 42,000+ courses for 4.8M+ golfers in 195 countries, monetized via freemium subscriptions (Premium/Intelligence) and consumption-based Otto AI reports.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Golf Performance Software

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)

SIC

Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Golf Rangefinders, GPS & Wearable Tech Retail (CRAMAGAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Golf Training Aids & Swing Analytics Retail (CRAMAGAG), Golf Equipment, Apparel & Pro Shop Retail (CRAMABAG)

Keywords

• Golf GPS app
• Golf score tracker
• Golf shot tracking
• AI golf coaching
• Golf practice app

Headquarters

HQ city

Évora

HQ country

Portugal

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Hole19 Premium Subscription: Annual subscription at €99.99/year providing unlimited GPS, advanced stats, game modes, and all core app features. Includes 14-day free trial.
2. Hole19 Intelligence Subscription: Premium tier at €99.99/year including all Premium features plus Otto AI reports, auto shot detection, strokes gained analysis, and free CORE Golf subscription (iOS only).
3. Otto AI Reports: Consumption-based AI round analysis reports priced at $5.99 for free users and $2.99 for Premium subscribers. Available in packs of 5, 10, or 25 reports. First report free.
4. CORE Golf Subscription: Golf practice app with 7-day free practice period. Integrated into Hole19 Intelligence plan for free (iOS only). Standalone availability mentioned.
5. Freemium Core App: Free GPS, scoring, and basic tracking features with premium upsell pathway to Premium and Intelligence tiers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Hole19 builds and sells a mobile golf platform: a flagship GPS rangefinder and score/shot-tracking app (Hole19), a companion practice app (CORE Golf) with 100+ drills and personalized plans, and an AI round-analysis feature (Otto AI) that delivers natural-language coaching recommendations. The platform is distributed as a freemium consumer app through the Apple App Store and Google Play, with Premium and Intelligence subscription tiers and consumption-based AI report pricing.

Product overview

Hole19 operates as a dual-app ecosystem for golfers: the core Hole19 Golf App (GPS, scoring, shot tracking) and the companion CORE Golf App (practice/training). The Hole19 app offers two subscription tiers — Premium (€69.99/year) and Intelligence (€99.99/year, includes Otto AI, Auto Shot Detection, Strokes Gained Analysis, and free CORE Golf). Otto AI is an AI-powered feature that analyzes round data to deliver personalized improvement recommendations. CORE Golf provides 100+ drills and practice plans. The apps are designed to work together: Otto AI identifies improvement areas and links directly to specific CORE Golf drills for practice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CORE Golf: Companion golf practice app that provides 100+ performance drills, personalized practice plans, and progress tracking to help golfers structure practice sessions that transfer to the course. Integrated with Hole19 for complete improvement ecosystem.
• Otto AI
• The 19th Hole

Products and services

• Hole19 Golf App Mobile GPS, rangefinder, and shot-tracking application for individual golfers; provides accurate yardages (including Plays Like with elevation), digital scorecard, shot tracking, LivePlay leaderboards, advanced stats, and a course database of 42,000+ courses across 195 countries. Available on iOS, Android, Apple Watch, and Wear OS with a freemium model.
• Otto AI AI-driven round analysis engine that ingests structured round, shot, and scoring data, then generates personalized natural-language improvement recommendations, strategic insights, strokes-gained benchmarking, and direct links to relevant CORE Golf drills. Sold per-report ($2.99 for Premium subscribers, $5.99 for free users, first report free) with packs of 5, 10, or 25 reports.
• CORE Golf App Companion golf practice app offering 100+ performance drills with video instruction from PGA Tour coach Shauheen Nakhjavani, 15+ pre-built practice plans, and personalized plans generated from a golfer's weakness profile. Used by individual golfers to structure range practice and by coaches to assign and monitor student practice. Includes a 7-day free practice period and is bundled free with Hole19 Intelligence on iOS.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hole19 Premium golfers save on average three shots per round
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature8 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Shot Scope: Shot Scope provides GPS rangefinders, performance tracking, and an AI-driven performance platform with both hardware and software, competing with Hole19 on course navigation, shot tracking, and strokes-gained analytics.
• 18Birdies: 18Birdies is a free golf GPS, scoring, and social app with premium tiers offering advanced stats, AI caddie, and game-improvement content — a direct consumer golf app competitor with similar freemium and subscription monetization.
• Arccos Golf: Arccos offers AI-powered golf shot tracking via wearable sensors paired with a smartphone app, directly competing with Hole19's shot tracking and AI analytics. Both target individual golfers seeking data-driven performance improvement.
• Golfshot (now Shot Scope): Golfshot is a longstanding golf GPS, rangefinder, and stat-tracking app with AI features and Apple Watch integration, sharing the same target user, feature set, and freemium model as Hole19.
• TheGrint: TheGrint offers handicap tracking, GPS rangefinder, and stat tracking for golfers, with a freemium model and social/community features — a direct mobile-first competitor to Hole19's core app.

Emerging players

• SkyTrak (GolfTEC): SkyTrak provides at-home golf launch monitors and simulators with software analytics — a partial overlap with Hole19's performance analytics focus, but anchored to indoor simulator hardware rather than on-course mobile play.

Broad incumbents

• Garmin Golf (Approach series): Garmin's Approach GPS watches and golf app combine dedicated hardware with course maps, scoring, and stat tracking — directly overlapping with Hole19's GPS rangefinder and smartwatch functionality, but anchored to Garmin's own device ecosystem.
• Bushnell Golf: Bushnell is a legacy golf rangefinder and GPS hardware brand that has expanded into app-based distance and stat tools, overlapping with Hole19's GPS yardage and scoring functionality through a hardware-anchored model.
• Apple (Apple Watch golf features): Apple's native Apple Watch golf workout mode provides on-wrist GPS, scoring, and club tracking — a platform-level capability that Hole19 integrates with, but which Apple could expand to compete more directly.

Others

• Golf Genius: Golf Genius provides tournament and event management software for golf clubs, leagues, and organizers — adjacent to Hole19's LivePlay tournament features, but focused on organizers rather than individual golfers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hole19golf
• Facebookfacebook.com/hole19
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hole-19

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hole19