Skill Shot Golf App Launches For Hole-In-One Bets

The new Skill Shot Golf app launched on April 26 for avid gamblers to make hole-in-one bets. The app allows users on the golf course to bet they'll make a hole-in-one on any par 3 hole in the U.S.

Skill Shot Golf app allows users to wager up to five tokens for $25 on making a hole-in-one on any par-3 hole

Marshall Threw and Kevin Reed, natives of Farmington, Illinois, started working on the golf app over a year ago. The duo had help from Chris Caldwell, who owns hypernova in Bloomington, to build the app.

“We're both avid golfers and both travel a lot,” Threw told Dave Eminian of the Peoria Journal Star. “We saw the idea on some courses that had hard-mounted cameras on the green. You have the option at those courses to pay an extra $5 when you check in for tee time and it enters you in a hole-in-one competition.

“We like a good friendly wager. We noted entry rates were at 50-75% during the week and 100% on weekends. And we were going down that path. But then we got the idea — everyone has a really good camera in their pocket. We don't have to pay $10,000 to put a camera on one course in a fixed position.

“We pivoted to just filming it all in an app. That gave us instant access to every course in America.”

Skill Shot Golf's currency is a token that can be purchased through the app for $5. The player can wager up to five tokens for $25 on making a hole-in-one on any par-3 hole.

Golfer can win a max of $13,000

If the golfer hits a hole-in-one on a par-3 hole from a $5 bet, that would win the gambler $1,000. The calculations depend on the distance and the amount wagered. The user can win a max of $13,000.

However, not all holes qualify for the app. Each hole must be at least 100 yards long. It must have a direct line of sight from the tee box to the cup. This means tall trees, elevated greens, and back-sloping greens will disqualify the hole.

To use the app, your playing partner must activate the record button in the app on your phone. The app will then generate a two-digit code. The code needs to be read aloud and written on the ball. It needs to be shown to the camera, along with the golfer's face and at least one of the hole markers in the frame.

The video needs to show the golfer from tee to cup, retrieving the ball, and showing the code on it to the camera. The recording cannot be shut off in order for the app to accept a wager.

App is only available in select states

Customer feedback has been mostly positive so far.

“We've got over 300 downloads already. We have customers from all over the nation, and we called every single one of them to touch base with them, get feedback,” Threw added.

“We're starting out with getting paid for a hole-in-one. We're hoping to add additional payouts in the future — hitting it on the green, hitting it within a flagstick length of the cup or on the fairway. In the future, we might add other sports.”

Unfortunately, the app is only available in select states. The states excluded due to regional legalities are Arizona, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, and Tennessee.

Golfers can download the Skill Shot Golf app from the App Store for iPhone users or the Google Play Store for Android users. Search for “Skill Shot” and look for the app icon.