INNOVATION 57
New players, family appeal, the breaking down of social and economic barriers, and so forth. Two young entrepreneurs in the south of
‘On the tee….for 69p’ T
HERE is much talk all around the golfing world about the need to attract new golfers for the good of the industry.
England have not been part of this collective hand-wringing, but in an ‘app’ they have developed for smartphones they instinctively knew that they were onto a new idea that ticks all those boxes. ‘Par-Tee’ is great for people who have never picked up a club before. You can play it in the park, the street, the shopping mall or your kitchen. It is inclusive, easy-to-learn and family orientated and low cost. Ultimately, its producers Adam Sideserf and Tom Millson knew they had come up with a good, fun game (Adam is studying for a degree in Promotional Media at Southampton Solent University, while Tom is studying Business Management at Middlesex University). Tom’s application programming skills and
Adam’s feel for games and the media have combined to create Par-Tee. Launched last August, it is fast-approaching 2,000 downloads at the sum of just 69 pence each. Par-Tee is believed to be the world’s first
truly augmented reality golf application for smartphone devices. Currently available on iOS (Apple) devices, Par-Tee allows the user to create and play a virtual golf course whenever or wherever they want. Te map views allow the user to place the flag anywhere in the world, then by using the devices camera, to see the flag and the ball as if it were really there. To take a shot, select one of the three clubs available; then
swing the device with the desired shot power. Watch as the ball flies through the air to its new location. Tere will be no glares from the chairman of the greens committee! Te first- time user is free of all the traditional pressures of that first golf shot at the driving range or club. Tom Millson told GBD: “Like many good games, Par-Tee was partly born out of another idea for an app, involving the tracking of buses by satellite to help commuters. We looked at how we could apply what we learned and we hit upon golf because of its target-orientated approach. Te game uses a combination of GPS and compass information on the device to work out where you are on your own ‘course’, which you invent for yourself.” Adam added: “Any fun game like this thrives
if it allows the user plenty of flexibility. People love it because you can play any time, and anywhere. You can play the putting game in the living room or you and your friends can play the longer game at your local park.” Te GBD editor enjoyed a go at Par-Tee and wasn’t very good at it! But it was strangely exciting to be standing in Tom’s living room in the London Borough of Hillingdon and positioning a flag on the iPhone screen down along Charles Street outside, amid the cars and pram-pushing mums. Ten it was a swing of the phone and a ‘hit’, and the game could go out of the front door and wherever the imagination took you from there. Leading gadget magazine Stuff liked Par-Tee
so much it made it one of the ‘apps of the week’. Andy Robertson, a technical writer in Wired magazine also liked the product. Known as a
New ‘Par-Tee’ golf app is fun, inclusive, and costs less than a packet of golf tees.
‘GeekDad’, Par-Tee kept him and his family amused on the way home from school…all for 69p remember. Andy writes: “Te novelty is that, unlike other golf games that provide a preset course for you, Par-Tee creates a course with your surroundings. But more than that – and this is the part the kids really liked – you then play in your surrounding environment… actually walking round in real space to get to the ball and hit it towards the hole. It’s the first time in a long time that my kids have been asking to go out for a walk after school.” Steve Brine, MP for Winchester and a former golf industry specialist, has been a big supporter of Adam and Tom. He told GBD: “As soon as I heard about the Par Tee app I saw its potential and I love the fact this is a first venture from two young, enthusiastic local entrepreneurs. “As someone who worked in the golf industry
before entering Parliament I know how hard it is to break into the market so I was particularly keen to help Adam and Tom and introduce them to a few people. We need to get their download numbers up and hopefully some of the work we are going to do together can help them get off to a flying start.” Tom is coordinating Par-Tee and other
projects from his company, Silvertech Studios. Adam and Tom are open to discussing their ideas with any interested party. But at the moment we’re playing golf in a living room in London and I have to hit a shot over the sofa, out of the window and over three neighbours’ gardens. “Quiet please!” GBD • Contact Tom Millson at
tom.millson@
silvertechstudios.co.uk, and see
www.par-tee.co.uk
Above: The game as seen on the iPhone. Above right: Tom (left) and Adam. Right: Winchester MP Steve Brine has been highly encouraging
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