Shot Scope

An Edinburgh golf-technology company that makes GPS watches, rangefinders and shot-tracking sensors so golfers can see their game in numbers.

About Shot Scope

Shot Scope makes technology that helps golfers understand their own game. Its range includes GPS watches, laser rangefinders and small shot-tracking sensors that attach to your clubs. After a round, an app and dashboard show more than 100 performance statistics, such as how far you hit each club and which parts of your game lose you the most shots. The company says the products work without a monthly subscription. It also owns a database of around 36,000 mapped golf courses, which the devices use to give distances on the course.

Shot Scope was founded in Edinburgh by David Hunter, an engineer and keen golfer. He began by tracking his own shots with pencil and paper, and his handicap dropped from 16 to 5, which gave him the idea that data could help ordinary golfers. His stated aim is to "change the game of golf" by helping golfers around the world improve. The company says it serves more than 300,000 golfers in 160 countries, a figure from a trade profile whose date is not shown. In its words, customers and the golf community are "at the heart and soul of everything we do".

Shot Scope's home is Edinburgh, Scotland, and a business-magazine article described a team of 25 people there, though that was an earlier figure and the business may have grown. Golf is closely tied to Scotland, and the company's story as a Scottish firm selling to the world is central to how it presents itself. A December 2024 headline says Lord Mervyn Davies was named chairman of its board. The same profile mentions plans for growth in the United States, wider European distribution and new products.

The people mentioned in articles are golfers as well as business staff. They include a former PGA teaching professional who leads global sales, a former Walker Cup player who is chief commercial officer, and a member of the Scotland ladies' team who works in marketing and uses Shot Scope data in her own practice. The company says its culture centres on passion for the game and on listening to customers and the golf community. That is its own description, not something we have checked.

Companies like this employ electronics and hardware engineers who design watches and sensors, software developers who build the app and course database, and data analysts who turn rounds into insights. Marketing, sales and customer-service teams work with golf retailers and players around the world. Operations and logistics staff manage manufacture and shipping. Engineering, computing, data and business subjects are typical starting points, and a love of golf helps. The company's website is the best place to check what it is looking for now.

What they do

• {'desc': 'Watches that show distances on the course and record each round.', 'title': 'GPS watches'}
• {'desc': 'Handheld devices that measure distance to the flag and hazards.', 'title': 'Laser rangefinders'}
• {'desc': 'Club sensors and an app with more than 100 performance statistics.', 'title': 'Shot-tracking sensors and app'}

Key facts

• Founded in Edinburgh by David Hunter, an engineer and golfer whose handicap fell from 16 to 5
• Based in Edinburgh; a business article reported a team of 25 (an earlier figure)
• Says it serves more than 300,000 golfers in 160 countries (undated trade profile)
• Mission: to change the game of golf by helping golfers improve

Website: shotscope.com