San Francisco, April 1, 2016 – With golf returning to the Olympics this year, interest in the sport is spreading into countries that, only a few years ago, had little concern for the game – Russia being one of them. Today, however, golf courses are springing up around that country and participation in the age-old sport is rapidly increasing. As part of a major growth maneuver, GAME GOLF announced it will enter the Russian marketplace with its high-tech shot-tracking products and has signed the top female player from Russia, Maria Verchenova, to its international roster of tour professionals. Verchenova joins a team that includes LPGA Pro Sophie Walker and PGA Pros Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk, Lee Westwood, Chesson Hadley and others who are using GAME GOLF’s newest technologies to improve their games.
Verchenova joins the GAME GOLF team just as the company launches new GAME GOLF LIVE, the world’s first and only wearable real-time automatic shot tracker to be available on all online, smart phone and smart watch platforms. The device is approved for use in tournaments according to the Rules of Golf by the USGA and R&A (when used without the App). Tour Pro Sophie Walker currently wears the device on the Ladies European Tour to gather data that is not available via Shotlink on that Tour. Verchenova plans to use the device in future tournaments.
“There are so many more people interested in playing golf than when I started,” said Verchenova. “The sport is growing, just as technology for the game is increasing, so the timing is perfect. Golf is a hard sport, but I think GAME GOLF will be very popular, because its design is light and easy to wear, and it shows you where you can improve, gives you tips and lets you see how you’re doing.”
With GAME GOLF LIVE, robust data from every shot is instantly displayed on your smart watch (Apple and Pebble with Android Wear coming soon), or iOS (iPhone) or Android phone in a dynamic and socially driven interface.
“The Russian market is an important frontier for us,” said John McGuire, CEO of GAME GOLF. “We are the shot-tracking technology leaders in the United States and Europe. Russian athletes are some of the best in the world. They know how to train and know how to take advantage of technology that can improve their abilities. We see that GAME GOLF has the potential to help grow a new generation of superb golfers. Maria is a great example of someone who seizes opportunities and is focused on bringing golf to the next level.”
About Verchenova
Verchenova spent her childhood in Moscow. As a young girl she was a serious dancer and attended the ballet school, “Inspiration,” from 1992 to 2002. During a family vacation in the Czech Republic, she was introduced to the game of golf at the age of 12. She started her amateur career by winning the Russian Amateur Championship in 2004 and 2006. She continued to win tournaments, becoming the Latvian Amateur Champion (2005), Slovenian Amateur Champion (2005), Austrian Amateur Champion (2006), and runner up in the 2006 World University Championships in Turin.
She turned professional in December 2006 and was the first Russian to become a full-time member of the Ladies European Tour. Two years later, she posted her best finish, tying for fifth at the Tenerife Ladies Open at Golf Costa Adeje in Spain. In 2008, Verchenova contended for the lead in the Dubai Ladies Masters, dueling with golf legend Annika Sorenstam for a time. The highlight of her 2009 season was her graduation from the Russian State University of Sport and Tourism. Playing multiple tournaments a year for the next several years, her career best finish arrived in 2014 when she tied for fourth at the Turkish Airlines Ladies Open.
Follow Verchenova on GAME GOLF at http://www.gamegolf.com/player/mariaverchenova.
About GAME GOLF
The GAME GOLF platform has over 33,000 courses mapped, more than 700,000 rounds of golf uploaded from more than 125 countries, and has captured data on more than 60 million golf shots. GAME GOLF has partnerships with the PGA of America, Golf Channel, Golf Channel Academies and the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour.
GAME GOLF LIVE retails for $299 US MSRP and does not require any additional service fees. GAME GOLF is currently sold globally in golf specialty shops and more than 800 green grass pro shops; and on #AmazonLaunchpad. For more information or to view videos of GAME GOLF in action, visit GAMEGOLF.com or follow us on Facebook and Twitter at @GAMEGOLF and on Instagram at @GAME_GOLF, #GAMEGOLF.
Contact:
Siobhan Olson, Siobhan@FeistyPR.com, 336-769-6365
