This year marks the second year in a row that a new live scoring service has been introduced for college golf tournaments. Last year, Spikemark, led by former UCLA coach Derek Freeman, was responsible for live scoring and rankings but faced technical difficulties that led to its failure on the first day of competition. This year, Clippd, a London-based company, stepped in to provide live scoring and rankings, alongside Golfstat which has been a staple in college golf for over three decades.
Clippd’s platform, Scoreboard, offers a modern leaderboard and platform for live scoring, but has faced some challenges in its debut. Coaches and other users have had to adjust to the new software and interface, leading to issues such as player names appearing multiple times on leaderboards, school names not being displayed next to players, and difficulty in conducting qualifying rounds. In addition, access to course and player stats, as well as past schedules, results, and rankings, are no longer readily available on Scoreboard’s website.
Golfweek had the opportunity to preview the Scoreboard technology this summer, which underwent extensive testing to ensure a smooth launch. Despite some initial challenges, Clippd’s team has been actively working to address errors and improve the platform’s functionality to provide a more seamless and user-friendly experience for coaches, players, and fans. It is expected that the live scoring portion of Scoreboard will continue to improve over time as the platform is refined.
One key difference between Scoreboard and Golfstat is the potential introduction of subscription fees for detailed player insights and statistics, which were previously accessible for free on Golfstat. This change may impact SIDs, fans, and media who rely on these statistics for coverage and analysis of college golf tournaments. It remains to be seen how this shift will be received by the college golf community and whether it will affect the overall user experience of the Scoreboard platform.
Despite some initial challenges, Clippd’s Scoreboard platform has shown promise in its debut year as the primary live scoring provider for college golf tournaments. With a focus on continuous improvement and user feedback, the platform is expected to evolve and enhance the experience for coaches, players, and fans alike. As the college golf season progresses, it will be interesting to see how Scoreboard continues to adapt and establish itself within the college golf community as a reliable and efficient live scoring solution.
