Golfweek’s Tech Lab crowns Wicket as big winner

• The 2nd annual Golfweek Tech Lab, presented by T-Mobile for Business, was held in Charlotte.
• 18 startups competed for awards in five categories, plus a grand prize.
• Wicket, a facial recognition ticketing system, won the grand prize.
• Other category winners included VRTL, Platform Golf, and Play Anywhere.

If the first Golfweek Tech Lab, held in 2024 at the PGA of America’s new Frisco headquarters, proved the perfect starting point for a new festival focused on golf innovation, this year’s gathering in Charlotte — just days before the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow — cemented the event as a major player in the yearly golf calendar.

With 18 startups on site, the second annual event, again presented by T-Mobile for Business and produced by Golfweek and underdog venture team, included a session with Scott Gutterman, the PGA Tour’s SVP/digital and broadcast technologies.

“If you look back across the history of the sport, the sport has always evolved, the sport has always changed,” Gutterman said. “We will always uphold the tradition of the game, but we want to be looking forward. We want to be looking forward to what does golf mean to new and developing demographics.”

That sentiment was echoed by others at the conference, one that saw a guest panel of judges, including venture capitalists and business leaders from the world of golf. That group selected the winners of a best-in-show competition with participating companies hoping to earn recognition across five categories, as well as a grand prize. The judges evaluated each startup based on set criteria, including video submissions, onsite demonstration, and presentation to judges.

The winners were announced by T-Mobile’s SVP of Systems Realization Grant Castle.

The grand prize winner was Wicket, which uses facial recognition to scan people into sporting events by linking them with their tickets. According to its mission statement, Wicket features a “biometrics platform that enhances the experience for fans, guests, and employees while providing a smooth, seamless experience for clients and teams, allowing them to leverage existing assets effectively.”

The company is based in Massachusetts.

The category winners were:

• Fan Engagement: VRTL 
• Athlete Performance: Platform Golf  
• Digital & Media: Play Anywhere 
• Business Solutions: Wicket
• 5G: Wicket

According to Nate Scott, the vice president and general manager of sports and events for Gannett, Golfweek’s Tech Lab was an unmitigated success.

“I’m delighted with our second year of Tech Lab. I’m a geek for this stuff, and seeing how entrepreneurs are imagining the future of the sport is always super exciting to see,” Scott said. “Golf has had a reputation for being set in its ways, yet I think there’s as much experimentation and innovation happening in the sport as any other.”