When Danny Wax returned home to Los Angeles in 2013 after a three-year stint on what was then called the Nationwide Tour, he thought golf would be his greatest networking tool.
“My dream was to play professional golf,” Wax says. "I was able to accomplish that, and when I came home, I thought that I'd meet a lot of new, interesting people through the game I loved.
"But that wasn’t the reality. Millions of people play golf, and it's an incredible game for building relationships, but most of us play with the same group, over and over again, never expanding our network."
Wax's solution was to create Forelinx, a platform that allows its users to search for people in their industry, network within the site, and seamlessly book tee times at nearly 1,500 courses across the U.S.
The biggest problem in the golf industry, according to Wax, is the lack of technological innovation.
"A lot of companies are investing in wearables, which is great, but I think golf is missing something much simpler: Connectivity," Wax says.
He hopes that Forelinx, which released a beta version Jan. 1 after eight months of development, is the tool that will "unite" the golf community.
An interesting aspect of the site is that users actually sign up with their LinkedIn account, as opposed to creating an account with a standard form (address, email, etc).
By connecting through LinkedIn, the Forelinx team hopes its community will network through golf (expense accounts, beware) and that the game will organically create business or social relationships.
"Not having anyone to play with is a major deterrent for almost every golfer," Wax says. "By creating an online community of golfers and encouraging offline interaction we hope to see an increase in rounds played."
The initial revenue model is earning a percentage on the tee times booked through the site. Wax has plans for other revenue streams later on, but for now, connectivity is king.
