EGolfScore offers another way to be a golf nerd

PINEHURST, N.C. - I’m a golf nerd. The best is example is the way I use a scorecard during every round. I’ll use a whole scorecard - just for myself.

The top box will contain my overall score for the hole. The box underneath it will contain an F for fairway in the upper left-hand corner and a G for green in regulation in the lower right-hand corner.

The box below that contains the number of putts in the upper left-hand corner and a Y, for yes, or N, for no, for getting up and down.

I don’t leave the course until I’ve compiled all that info. The one thing I haven’t done is catalog all that info to see what my season, yearly, or career average might be.

But now you might be able to do that - and much easier. It’s called EGolfScore (www.egolfscore.com). I met the co-founder and CEO Joe Kaplan here at the Jimmy V Celebrity Golf Classic.

EGolfScore kept score for the tournament. They use blackberry devices. Each group had one. One player would enter the scores for each player that is already listed. After pushing ENTER, a leader board would appear on the screen. So, you knew exactly where you and your team stood after each hole.

How many times have you played in an event and you had to guess, “do you think 15 under will win?” Now you know. “Guys we need two eagles on the last hole!” Plus, it keeps all the players’ interest. Everyone in my group wanted to know “what place now?”

Joe offers his services to a number of charity golf events. It costs the tourney $30 to $40 per player. Joe says a sponsor can underwrite the scoring system and have their names on the scoreboard.

But EGolfScore isn’t just for charity and celebrity golf events. “We want to become the official scoring system of golf courses,” Joe told me. He says EGolfScore can make life easy for club pros who have numerous events for their members.

And Joe also wants to get golf nerds like me who don’t necessarily play at a pricey club. You can sign up individually to keep track of your scores as you play. EGolfScore will calculate what Joe calls “a recreational handicap” for you. They’re working with official handicap systems to sync them up in the future, he tells me, so your GHIN will be automatically calculated.

The cost for individuals is only $36 a year; that’s right - $3 a month. Joe estimates there are a half million to one million amateur golfers in the U.S. So, he sees great growth in the company. Right now, they’re looking for investors to expand the privately held company. For more information, Joe says you can contact him by e-mail at joe AT egolfscore DOT COM.