New Golf Training Platform Ikonik Lets Students Control the Process Instead of Coaches
Summary
This experience prompted Jim Shalhoup, a former executive in the golf industry, to develop a digital training platform called Ikonik to distill insights, consolidate communication and offer an archive of video instruction for a student to learn the sport with the guidance of a coach. He generally maintains a roster of 60 students at a time but has added 10 remote clients through beta testing of Ikonik—working with skill levels ranging from raw beginners to a former NFL player (Eric Wood) who owns a GCQuad simulator and shaved his handicap down to five. Shalhoup says the app has an AI engine and, once it ingests a critical mass of player data, it will apply machine learning to help guide pertinent lesson modules based on a user’s playing style and preferences. Earlier in the development process, Shalhoup says he had conversations with well-known instructors David Leadbetter, Jim McLean and Michael Breed at which point a consultant on the project joked about the potential involvement from these “icons of the game”—a quip that ultimately led to the app name, Ikonik. Most established instructors made their names at physical locations—Ledbetter operates his own academy in Orlando, McLean runs a golf school at The Biltmore Miami—but Jacobs believes the business models will change, especially considering that some clubs ask for up to 50% of a coach’s fee for use of the course.