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We are only as good as our community! Got an insight about a startup doing something cool, hit reply and let me know (self-promotion welcome!).

In this Open Letter:

• Fun & games: The SKA moment that sparked a Golftainment revolution.

• Dogey Doge Elon, YouTube taxis & Shoprite’s A2X boost.

• On their own: Government stops babysitting Eskom a bit.

• A good time to build: Don’t let stuff distract you from blockchain.

TRENDING NOW

How SKA sparked Golftainment

Unlocking bowling alley vibes at the range

If you've ever been to a bowling alley, you'll know the social aspect is what truly makes the experience. Sharing laughter as friends hit gutter balls, fueled by the playful animations on the scoring screen – it all creates an atmosphere of fun and camaraderie.

But what if you're not a fan of bowling? Or there aren’t any around – they’ve dropped in popularity recently. How do you get that same level of social engagement on, say, the golf green, the “modern boardroom”? That's precisely what Stellenbosch-based startup Inrange is – golf with bowling alley “gees”.

Recently, the Inrange team invited me to one of their enabled driving ranges. And I wasn’t disappointed. By tracking golf balls with remarkable accuracy (within a few centimetres), Inrange has unlocked an array of interactive games that friends can enjoy together at the driving range.

The Origin Story

Legend has it that two engineers working on the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) were discussing radar technology when one said, "I bet you I can't track a golf ball," to which the other replied, "I bet I can. Hold my beer." This wager led to the creation of the first Inrange prototype. Since then, the company has expanded to serve numerous ranges across South Africa, the UK, Europe, and now the USA. Each range features:

1. 2–3 radars that track the origin, flight, and landing of golf balls

2. Local servers that collect and process data to create flight paths

3. App-enabled screens per tee box that allow players to engage in games

4. A cloud service that logs each shot

5. A mobile app for frequent players to monitor their progress and train on.

This impressive engineering achievement seamlessly integrates multiple disciplines.

The Outcome

Driving ranges equipped with Inrange technology report higher sales and can charge up to 30% more and see an increase of up to 30% in balls hit. And with a business model that aligns to the number of balls hit, Inrange is aligning itself with the interest of its clients… Smart move.

Moreover, the social aspect of the games encourages players to spend more time at the facility, boosting food and beverage sales.

A New Era for Golf

For years, golf brands and the broader industry have attempted to grow the sport but have faced challenges, including:

1. Lengthy golf rounds takes 2.5 to 5 hours to complete, not including travel and preparation time (not to mention the all-important stop at the 19th hole for post-game drinks).

2. High costs, limiting accessibility for many potential players.

3. Ongoing urbanization, reducing available space for golf courses in densely populated areas.

Play golf in the heart of London or any of the other InRange-enabled ranges worldwide.

While it's still early days for Inrange and this innovative approach to "golftainment," the expertise and costs that went into its development, will make it hard for competitors to enter the game. And this puts them in a good space to make waves in an exciting industry.

Keen to go check it out? Hit one of these ranges and let me know what you think.

• Randpark Golf Range in Gauteng

• Hazendal Golf Range close to Stellenbosch

• The Golf Village Tygervalley in Bellville, Cape Town

• World of Golf in Gauteng

• Gillooly's Golf Village in Gauteng

IN SHORT

Have you Doged on Doger yet? Elon Musk changes Twitter bird logo to a Doge. (Was buying Twitter the world’s most elaborate/expensive publicity stunt?)

YouTube while you ride. Vodacom launches free wifi in taxis in pilot project fitting 3200 taxis with wifi routers.

Big name entry: Alternative stock exchange A2X gets a bit of a boost as Shoprite lists with them. Is this the start of the rise of an alternative stock market?

Earning more than R1m a year? You are earning more than 95.7% of South African tax-paying citizens (Personal Income Tax).

A long way to go? New report shows US teens are not that excited about VR. Despite 1 in 4 owning a device, only 4% use it daily.

Rich flirts: Desperately trying to ditch the “cheap hook-up” image, Tinder is reportedly working on a $500-per-month subscription for affluent singles.

POWER UPDATE

Looking for the Silver Lining

You don’t have to tell South Africans that loadshedding sucks. But it’s only April and we’ve already clocked half the total loadshedding days as the whole of 2022 – and some say already shed the same levels of energy.

And, if you were struggling to get hold of Eskom yesterday, it’s because they were in court trying to stop the Free State town of Frankfort from reducing their loadshedding by generating their own power.

But they could have their hands full soon, as the government announced it’s scrapping the electricity state of disaster, at the same time also withdrawing Eskom’s exemption from reporting on wasteful expenditure (which was reportedly to protect its credit rating).

Hopefully, that means we’ll see some real action soon.

THE THREAD

Probably a Good Time to Keep Building

Wondering why crypto regulation is taking so long to come into effect? Sure government bureaucracy plays a role, but there is also the consideration of how crypto and tokenised assets will affect the existing market dynamics, including stock markets, retirement, monetary policy and the future role of central banks and governments.

In the latest episode of How would you build it, we discuss regulation and ask whether it’s a good time to be building blockchain-based solutions.

You can now also catch it on Spotify.

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