Smart Score is a golf course IT solution and golf portal service company established in October 2014 and started service in June 2015. To put it simply, it started as a golf course IT solution business that manages scores (scores) with a tablet PC instead of a paper score card.
Vice President Park No-seong, one of the three founders of Smart Score, recently met with a reporter and confessed, “No one expected the success of this business to the extent that even golf course owners dissuaded it, saying that it was not viable.” “But golf is a sport, and records are important in sports. So, score management is a matter of time and speed, and I thought it would work out someday, and the answer was fixed,” he explained the background of starting the business.
Smart Score’s core business is a golf platform business based on two pillars of the golf industry: golf courses and golfers. All online traffic generated by golfers using golf O2O services, such as score management, can be utilized at golf courses (networking of operating solutions through IT service provision). This soon becomes golf round data and becomes the basis for developing business and services throughout the golf industry.
Of course, the direct motive for starting a business played a part in that he was a ‘golf maniac’ who loved golf enough to make all the founders, including himself, feel sorry for him. So, as an accountant, I ran out of an accounting firm that was very popular and started a business.
Eventually, as ‘Smart Score’, a golf course management solution through an original and unrivaled business model, became commonplace among golfers, Smart Score became a common noun. In recognition of these contributions, in 2022, he was awarded the ‘Presidential Commendation’ for venture merit. The company, which started with three people, has grown into a small and medium-sized business with about 300 employees.
Due to the success of attracting foreign investment, the business area, which was limited to IT solutions, is expanding to distribution, apparel, brand business, and overseas expansion. Following the acquisition of Golf Wear McKayson and Club Jestime, it is operating King’s Rock (formerly Hildesheim) in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province on consignment. Golf magazine, an American golf magazine, is also being published.
Apart from this, it is also spurring other new businesses. Smart Score’s IT-related business includes golf course IT solutions and services with customer convenience based on apps. Among them, the response to the mobile caddy, which is scheduled to be released in May, is expected.
For the first time in the industry, we also offer a club rental service that even returns. Vice President Park said that he plans to expand the golf course operation business in the future based on the know-how accumulated from the successful operation of King’s Rock. The starting point of the consignment operation of the golf course is set as ‘contributing to popularization’. Golf course management solutions, such as standard running time for each golf course and score statistics according to pin position, are also the main business areas in the future.
However, recently, Smart Score, the first runner, and Kakao VX, the latecomer, are fighting a court battle over golf course IT solutions.ㅋㅋㅋ벳
Deputy CEO Park also brought up the story of a lawsuit. On the 10th of last month, Smart Score filed a criminal complaint against Kakao VX with the Suwon District Prosecutor’s Office for violating the Information and Communications Network Act. Deputy CEO Park said, “Kakao VX continuously attempted to access our admin page a total of 801 times over a period of two years from around March 2021 to March 2023, and 577 of them were hacked successfully.”
This is the biggest crisis since its founding. He even wrote a rather furious expression, ‘because of the theft of Kakao VX’. Smartseo is currently in the process of civil litigation with Kakao VX over the Fair Trade Act and the Unfair Competition Prevention Act.
Vice President Park said, “Smart Score still has a lot of work to do,” adding, “However, the current situation is somewhat scary. Because the opponent is a dinosaur company. However, we will use all our capabilities to respond as best we can.”