For many years we’ve been tracking our coaches’ technology usage for their businesses. In the recently released 2024 Proponent Group Operations and Compensation Survey we look at six key technology areas: Launch monitors, cameras, video analysis software, lesson scheduling software, student performance tracking software and additional teaching technologies. Here’s what we found.
Launch Monitors
TrackMan (65 percent usage), FlightScope (28 percent) and Foresight (25 percent) have been the top three launch monitors – in this order – for the past five-plus years. Over the past five years TrackMan is up 15 percentage points, while FlightScope is up 1 point and Foresight is up 14 points. Full Swing held steady in fourth place at 7 percent market share. Meanwhile, only 3 percent of our coaches report not using a launch monitor when they teach.
Cameras
Apple owns this category with 93 percent of coaches using either an iPhone (53 percent) or an iPad (40 percent) to film their students’ swings. That total saw a 9 point increase in iPad usage over the past year. That was offset by an 11 point drop in iPhone usage.
Video Analysis Software
For the first time, Coach Now (now owned by Golf Genius) has overtaken V-1 in our survey as the most used video analysis software at 18 percent market share. V-1 is in second at 17 percent. As more options continue to come into this space, a record high 16 software packages scored at least 1 percent usage in this fragmented category.
Lesson Scheduling Software
Electronic scheduling remains extremely fragmented. USchedule continues to lead in market share at 20 percent (down 5 points from last year’s survey). Acuity held steady at 10 percent in second place with ThrivSports (now owned by Golf Genius) down 1 point to 9 percent. Google Calendar was fourth at 7 percent usage. Nearly 20 other options were mentioned by our coaches. Many using software not specifically designed for the golf industry. Interestingly, those using their PGA of America paper calendars still make up 5 percent of respondents.
Student Performance Tracking Software
CoachNow (now owned by Golf Genius) and TrackMan shared the top spot with both recording 27 percent market share. Sportsbox AI was in third at 21 percent, followed by Operation 36 (18 percent) and Decade (12 percent.) Twelve different tracking software packages registered at least 1 percent market share in another fragmented portion of the coaching software market.
Additional Teaching Technologies
The top spot for the sixth year in a row is Blast Motion in use by 56 percent of our member coaches. Sportsbox AI – with 42 percent of our coaches already using their two year-old app – is comfortably into second place. HackMotion (28 percent), BODITRAK (27 percent) and SAM PuttLab (25 percent) rounded out the top five.