Hence: Golfmates.com

-- Ellen McCarthy, Washington Post, November 7, 2008

-- Hillary Oswald, Asian American Golfer Magazine, Spring Issue, 2008

-- Kristi Gustafson, Albany Times Union, October 13, 2007

Who knew that Montauk Downs and Long Island National and other fine courses on the East End could be destinations in the dating scene? It makes sense that golfers would be on the same wavelength as singles looking for love. Those who take up the game often dedicate themselves to improving their skills in search of the often-elusive round in which everything clicks. More than a few fall in love with the game and experience the passion of it. And, of course, a very important quality in golf is patience.

So too with a relationship, or the seeking of one. Men and women put themselves out there, try to improve their personal skills, and look for that almost-perfect mate. It takes patience, and a willingness to overcome frustration. For the lucky ones, there is love and passion.

For a growing number of men and women – especially those over 30 – golf courses are the place to meet Mr. or Ms. Right. “Golf is anything but a smoky bar,” I was told by Scott Kroeger, founder of the internet dating site Golfmates.com, which has produced four marriages. “It really is one of the few sports men and women can enjoy together. The pace of the game allows for casual conversation. Golfers are sort of passionate and even nutty about the game, so people who share that have something powerful in common.”

A sport that began hundreds of years ago in Scotland is now catching up with 21st century technology. Whereas 10 years ago there was still a stigma attached to online dating, that has all but disappeared, especially here in the notoriously fast-paced dating scene in New York and the Hamptons. It is expected that in 2007, 24 million Americans will use online dating sites. There are 26 million adult golfers in the U.S., so it is not surprising that this largely affluent, active segment of the population would seek like-minded companions online. Golf narrows the field and can act like a screen.

The rising number of women taking up and improving in golf opens up more possibilities for such increasingly popular sites. From 1995 to 2005, the number of adult female golfers in the U.S. rose 16 percent, from 3.7 million to 4.3 million. This opens doors for women to encounter male players on a more even footing, and it is beneficial to men too. Many single men find the chances of meeting single women slim at their clubs, which tend to encourage participation by married couples. The golf dating sites offer a shortcut to finding female players.

“It has really changed in the last five years because more women are making the effort to get into golf and it seems that there are more men and women getting divorced at an age when they play golf regularly,” said Kroeger.

What about compatible golf skills? Is a relationship doomed before it begins if a scratch golfer is paired with a beginner? First of all, the sites ask for handicaps to try to avoid large discrepancies. “If you’re very good or not that good at all and want to find someone of similar ability, you can,” said Kroeger. “However, some people like to be in a position of teacher or student of the game because it adds something to the experience.”

Perhaps what most makes golf and dating a good combination is it is better than dinner and a movie in sizing up your companion. A lot of character comes out on the golf course, especially anger and patience and who follows the rules and who makes them up. Certainly it is a red flag for a potential relationship if someone cheats at golf.

“Many times you walk away from a round of golf thinking that you learned something about the person you just played with, that you got a glimpse into their psyche,” Kroeger said. “In general, golfers are at a certain integrity level. Playing golf allows you to weed out the men or women who have problems with honesty, anger, and other qualities you are not looking for in a potential romantic partner. When a woman sees a guy take a bunch of mulligans on the golf course, she has to wonder how many ‘mulligans’ he takes in his personal life.”

There you have it, all you golf-loving singles out there. Golf has become a new version of the dating game. Now it is perfectly okay when finishing a round at a course in the Hamptons to exchange phone numbers as well as scorecards.

-- Tom Clavin, Hamptons.com, April 26, 2007

• Golfmates.com: Like to golf and want to meet a partner at the 19th hole?

-- Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, Feb 14, 2007

-- Oodle.com Press Release, December 4, 2006

-- GOLF Magazine, May Issue, 2006

-- Chick Ludwig, Dayton Daily News, February 28, 2006

Even better, after a round, if the chemistry's not there, the date's over. No awkward moments after dinner, no waiting on the check. Just sign your scorecards. If there's a connection, the more important numbers on the card could be a phone number. Golf has for decades been used as a conduit for companies seeking interaction between employees and clients, and conducting business on the course is universally accepted. Now, thanks to Golfmates.com, "conducting business" takes on an all-new meaning.

For skeptics, consider that online dating services are among the Internet's fastest-growing sites. The number of U.S. citizens using online personal ads is expected to reach 24 million by 2007. The USGA figures that over 25 million people over age 18 play at least once a week. More than sixty percent of golfers in the U.S. own home computers and almost that number use the Internet regularly.

At least one couple has already been married after meeting through the site, their wedding naturally taking place on the grounds of the PGA West Stadium Course in Palm Springs, Calif.

Golf has a reputation as a conservative, staid activity, and online linkups may be viewed with disdain by traditionalists. But with the game suffering a lack of growth nationally, course operators and equipment manufacturers will probably embrace the idea.

It's free to look around, but there's a charge to send messages to other golfers/posters. But if you're searching, it's worth a look. After all, anyone who plays the game knows that golf is all about hope.

-- Dan McDonald, The Daily Advertiser, December 27, 2005

-- Golf Digest, July Issue, 2005

"What I’ve found is that golf is a way of life for people," says Kroeger, who is married and loves to play golf. "It’s a passion. It’s interesting to have these dating sites that are people’s passions. Family, religion and then some sort of hobby or activity."

Kroeger finds, from his members, that defining an online personals site with a specific interest lessens the stigma for the more conservative singles.

"In their minds, they are able to separate from traditional online dating into something more acceptable because it deals with their sole passion in life, these boutique sites," says Kroeger. "They use these sites because it’s something that’s near and dear to their hearts."

-- Jeanette Tallant, East Valley Tribune, April 5, 2005

-- Eric Gilmore, Contra Costa Times, March 27, 2005

-- Golf Digest, August Issue, 2004

"Love" is a term associated with tennis, but not golf. But Scott Kroeger is trying his best to put more romance into the game. The Omaha, Neb., entrepreneur recently launched Golfmates.com, an online dating service aimed at matching up singles who enjoy playing golf.

"Golf is a good first-date sport", he said. "There's a finite end to it, so that when the round is over, the date is too."

He said he hopes to eventually get a large enough member base in targeted areas where there are large concentrations of golfers so he can stage regular singles events at courses.

-- Golf Inc, August Issue, 2004

"The business model for Internet dating sites seems to be one that has worked," Kroeger said. "So I thought, 'Why not do this for golfers?' Because it is a good first date. It's over after nine or 18 holes. And if it doesn't go well, the end of the round is the end of the date. It's safe for women."

Participants fill out a list of personal and professional characteristics as well as some golf particulars, such as handicap. There's also space for them to write a little about themselves and what they're looking for in a "golfmate." Kroeger said the age range on the site goes from about 18 to 70.

Asked if he ever thought he'd grow up to become a matchmaker, Kroeger said, "No. I'm just a geek with a golf problem."

-- Brian Heyman, The Journal News; June 27, 2004

According to a release issued around the company's first swing back in May, its philosophy is to bring people together for "the perfect first date."

Credit the idea for golfmates.com to Omaha entrepreneur Scott Kroeger, who managed to register more than 200 single (we can only hope) golfers even before the site's official tee time. How things go from there will depend on the company's ability to attract single golfers.

Online dating is a billion-dollar industry in this country, and the service is used by millions of Americans young and old. Many of them, Kroeger is betting, also are counted among the nation's 26 million adult golfers.

According to the release, Kroeger chose golf as a connecting tool for clients because the sport is safe and soothing, offers socialization time and has a definite end.

If the date isn't going well by the 18th green, the players simply go their separate ways.

Regardless of how the dating dot-coms view golfmates, the golf industry almost surely will approve.

Courses and clubmakers have shown the tendency lately to embrace almost anything that boosts participation.

In any event, golfmates.com brings new meaning to the phrase "swing away."

-- Doug Pike, Houston Chronicle; June 16, 2004

Another one of my friends plays golf with his wife every weekend, which I believe is the ultimate test of a marriage. (So far, everything is cool, so it wouldn't be fair for me to point out he has been married four times.)

Those, of course, are the two extremes.

Another scenario: If you love golf, is it possible to find love on the golf course?

That is the premise upon which Scott Kroeger of Omaha recently founded an online dating service called GolfMates.com.

"Golf: The perfect first date." Those are the words that greet you when you access the Web site.

As Golf World magazine noted, golf is "an instant icebreaker that provides ample time between shots for conversation."

If you ask me, a round of golf always beats dinner and a movie.

But what if you realize on the first tee that there is no chemistry? Do you ask for separate carts? Do you fake a muscle pull in your back on your first swing? Do you quadruple the stakes and try to win your greens fee back?

Of course not. All you have to do is tell her how to fix her swing. That'll take care of it. Trust me.

For the record, I've played golf with a number of women, and some of them still return my calls.

Well, at least I think they would.

-- Randy Youngman, Orange County Register; May 27, 2004

-- The Arizona Republic; May 27, 2004

Ads are free to post and browse, but there is a membership fee to send messages to other posters. The site has been up for about a year, and the pickings from Oregon are slim. But love, like golf, is all about hope.

The Website’s creator, Scott Kroeger of Omaha, Neb., said he believes the golf community needed a dating service where anyone interested in the sport could find like-minded golfmates.

Looking for a get-rich quick formula, I completely abandoned brainstorming ways to profit off the lucrative golf industry.

This get-rich thing was to be my shallow attempt of improving my standing in the dating market.

But, I figured, if they have exploding golf balls, the market has been pretty much saturated with novelties, apparel and equipment.

And along comes Omaha-based entrepreneur Scott Kroeger and his brainchild - Golfmates.com, an online dating service.

A promotional e-mail I received informed me of Kroeger’s ingenious idea. The philosophy behind Golfmates.com is simple, he says. "Golf is the perfect first date. Why? It’s a sport men and women can enjoy playing together. The sport provides an instantaneous icebreaker - a common interest that two people can discuss. Golf is a relaxing, safe, outdoor activity that provides ample opportunities for socializing between shots."

And after the round, if two people are not compatible, it’s the end of the date, too.

Although Golfmates.com launched a final version of its site and software a few week ago, the service has been operational since May of 2003, during which time more than 200 people have joined.

The e-mail I received may read like a press release to you, but it sounds like a dating opportunity for me. I added my bio, for free.

If you are ready to find romance on the golf course, golfmates.com, a new online dating service for those with a mutual interest in golf, may be for you. An Omaha entrepreneur, Scott Kroeger, founded the operation, which is based on the arguable premise that golf is the perfect first date -- an instant icebreaker that provides ample time between shots for conversation. Among its selling points is that if a couple is not compatible, the end of the round is the end of the date. Skeptics note a round of golf takes four to five hours, an eternity should it become apparent on the first tee there are no sparks. This suggests lunch is a more attractive first-date alternative, especially since at the end of the date there is no scorecard on which to judge your performance.

Omaha, Neb., entrepreneur Scott Kroeger has launched his final version of Golfmates.com, an online dating service for golfers.

Find a playing partner ... find a life partner?

Kroeger says the philosophy is simple -- golf is the perfect first date, a sport when men and women can enjoy playing together in a safe, relaxing (yeah,right) outdoor activity that provides plenty of time for socializing between shots.

The sport, Golfmates.com says, provides an instantaneous ice-breaker, a common interest between the parties. And the bonus after nine or 18 holes? It's over. If the two are not compatible, they go their separate ways. If they like each other's company, there's the 19th hole.

It's just the latest online dating service. The Computer Industry Almanac estimates the online dating service was worth $1.5 billion last year in the U.S. and says the number of Americans using such services will hit 24 million by 2007.

So why not a service for golfers?

"Golfmates.com has officially launched the world's first online dating service designed specifically for golfers.

The philosophy of Golfmates.com is ostensibly simple, according to a press release:

'Golf is the perfect first date. Why? It's a sport men and women can enjoy playing together. The sport provides an instantaneous ice-breaker ... a common interest that two people can discuss. Golf is a relaxing, safe, outdoor activity that provides ample opportunities for socializing between shots. And after nine or 18 holes, a round of golf comes to an end -- if two people are not compatible, so does the date.'

The concept is the brainchild of Omaha entrepreneur Scott Kroeger, who, after setting up a handful of friends on dates, decided that the golfing community needed an online dating service where anyone interested in the sport could find like-minded golfmates."

"Golfmates.com announces the launch of the world's first online dating service designed specifically for golfers. Which raises a lot of questions about etiquette. Do you concede a 4-footer on the first date? When is it permissible to start calling penalty strokes? Is it still OK to flirt with the beverage cart girl?"

Kroeger is banking on these demographics: The National Golf Foundation estimates that 26 million people over the age of 18 play golf at least once a year, and 58 percent of them use the Internet."

The site is the brainchild of Omaha, Neb., entrepreneur Scott Kroeger, who decided the golfing community needed an online dating service where anyone interested in the sport could find like-minded golfmates."

"The latest in the online dating services is golfmates.com, which tries to match people with a first date on the golf course. This seems to be a perfectly legitimate idea, especially since the Morning Line checked dating sites on the Internet and actually found one that finds dates for dogs - as in animals. (Mating dogs for pedigree is one thing, but dating?)"

The philosophy behind Golfmates.com is simple: Golf is the perfect first date. Why?
It's a sport men and women can enjoy playing together. The sport provides an instantaneous icebreaker and a common interest that two people can discuss."