Wayne, Pennsylvania, United States: Golf Genius Software (GGS) has added a new ‘digital scorecard’ option to the live scoring capabilities of its tournament management platform.

This digital scorecard experience supports the traditional ‘marker’ convention used in competitive golf tournaments. With paper scorecards, players in a group exchange cards, and a designated player is the official scorer or marker for one or more other players. The marker can also note their own score, which is referred to as ‘marker’s notes’.

At the end of the round, players compare hole-by-hole scores, verify scores and certify their scorecards. This traditional scoring convention is now comprehensively supported as a fully digital process when using USGA Club Premium, USGA Association or Golf Genius Club Premium.

GGS has worked closely with the USGA to implement an approach that aligns with the Rules of Golf as an alternative to the paper scorecard.

“Demand for live scoring had been growing steadily since we introduced this capability in our mobile apps in 2013, but usage sky-rocketed this year as associations and clubs looked for solutions to support contactless golf,” said Chris Kallmeyer, Co-CEO at Golf Genius, a Full Business Member of the Asian Golf Industry Federation.

“We have been working with the USGA and other partners to take live scoring to the next level by reducing or eliminating the role of paper scorecards. While the pandemic has created an urgent need for contactless golf practices, digital scorecards also represent an example of how the embrace of digital technology can benefit the future of the game,” he added.

Gareth Londt, Managing Director of GHIN and IT at the USGA, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has driven golf innovation and new ways of thinking, and golfers and administrators directly benefit from these new tools. A digital scorecard is one more way golf can be more sustainable while promoting a game that is connected and contactless at the same time.”

The American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), a long-time Golf Genius partner, plans to immediately adopt the new digital scorecard experience.

Mark Oskarson, AJGA Chief Operating Officer, said: “We have successfully used Golf Genius live scoring for hundreds of junior competitions since 2018, and a digital scorecard process that replaces paper has been a goal of ours for some time. We had the opportunity to share our needs with the Golf Genius team and are very pleased with the introduction of this important new capability.”

The new digital scorecard option is available immediately to USGA Club Premium, USGA Association, and Golf Genius Club Premium customers.

Golfers simply refresh their Golf Genius mobile apps and the digital scorecard will be activated. When a tournament administrator specifies digital scorecards for an event, each player will be assigned a unique Golf Genius ID (GGID) and can assume the role as marker for other players in their group.

Click here to watch a video and get an in-depth look of the new digital scorecard feature.