Paper Scorecards Could Be Obsolete By 2030 As Technology Takes Over

Scrambling around in your golf back for a pencil to mark your card could soon be a thing of the past as one golf technology expert says paper scorecards could be obsolete by the year 2030.

Mike Zisman, founder of Golf Genius, says that the way technology is so widely used on the golf course now, everyone will be inputting their scores into their mobile phones by the end of the decade.

Zisman’s company developed the GHIN app that runs the USGA handicapping system in the USA, with another customer, the American Junior Golf Association, not using scorecards at all even now.

It means that governing bodies, competitions and clubs are moving away from the traditional old scorecard, meaning that they could be an afterthought even as soon as in just seven years.

“But by 2030? Yes, absolutely,” Zisman said when asked if paper scorecards could be a thing of the past. “There are some organisations even today that don’t use scorecards.”

He’s also quoted on the Golf Club Managers Association (GCMA) website explaining why the younger generation of golfers who’ve grown up with technology will see it as a logical step to chuck away the pencil and scorecard and get out their smart phones.

“I belong to Merion, which is a great golf club,” added Zisman. “We’re not allowed cell phones on the course. There are probably two dozen clubs in the US that are still like that.

“It’s the old holdouts that don’t allow phones on the course and it should be a respite away from it.

“Therefore, you’re using paper scorecards but that’s going to change. The USGA with its GHIN app, which we built, allows you to enter scores on a hole-by-hole basis with stats so, clearly, the USGA are saying to people, ‘look, this is perfectly OK’.

“There is just a dramatic difference between under 40 years of age and over 40-year-olds.

“With the under 40s it’s, ‘what do you mean I’m not going to use my phone? I use my phone for everything’.”

So enjoy marking your scorecard while you can, as they may soon be consigned to the golfing history books.

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