There are days when I feel like we’ve gotten a bit carried away with social media.  You get bombarded with Facebook requests–P&G wants me to “like” their consumer products, as if Tide is my best pal.  You can’t go to a website without getting hit with requests to do something on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, ad nauseum.  But once in a while, someone gets it right and delivers a social experience that benefits the consumer instead of companies promoting a product.  SwingBySwing (SBS) has done it.

Two million consumers have downloaded the SBS golf app that includes a rangefinder (using the GPS chip in your phone), course maps, scoring, and more.  Now SwingBySwing has offered their users the chance to share their experiences on the course in real time, and the adoption rates are rapidly increasing.

Golf is  a social sport–you play it in a foursome, surrounded by other players on the course.  It’s natural to share experiences and banter  in the clubhouse over a beer and a hamburger after the game.  But what about sharing those experiences with golfing buddies who are not on the course with you?  Wouldn’t you like to be able to show your great shot to an out of state pal?  With SwingBySwing you can.

The latest version of the SBS app lets you post to Facebook, Twitter, and their own photo repository while you play.  Your friends get realtime updates on the course, your score, pictures, and your latest great shot.  You can post items to Facebook and Twitter, or send people to SwingBySwing.com to see everything at once.

You can see an example of the information on SBS here: My Round

How do consumers like it?  Check the graph below–the functionality was just released, and consumers are adding pictures, scores, and other data at a sharply growing rate (Q4 is forecast):

No gimmicks, contests, nor crazy videos.  Golfers are sharing the information because it lets them expand the social aspect of golf beyond the course.  What’s the upside to SwingBySwing?  More users, more traffic, more content, and more data on golfers and their habits.  SBS is building the premier  platform to reach the 26 million Americans who play golf.  And they are doing it the old fashioned way–making their users happy with the product.