03
The ‘Secret’ to Gaming Success
The Client
Founded by Major Champion Steve Elkington and Tech & Media Executive Vito Palermo, Secret Golf is redefining the golf fan experience.
With a background in golf training, podcasting, and PGA golfer connections, Secret Golf is a fast-growing new entry into the realm of fantasy sports apps. With the backing and expertise of the pro golf industry, the app games, scoring, and rules uniquely represent the golf experience.
The Project
When Secret Golf was searching for an experienced team to build their iOS (iPhone) app on a tight timeline, one of the agencies they contacted referred them High Seas, due our reputation for exemplary rapid development. They needed to build their fantasy golf MVP application in time for real game play for the Players Championship 2019, less than 6 months from our initial introduction.
The app was to include cash games with variable payouts, public and private game options, and had to support various 3rd party integrations. It also, critically, had to support legal gambling regulations and validate user locations within the states where skills-based gaming is legal.
The Approach
High Seas’ highly skilled and experienced mobile dev team was a perfect fit. We jumped in right away, focusing on the most challenging aspects first while screen designs for an MVP release were mocked up in parallel. In those first months we integrated complex third-party APIs for real-time scoring, PayPal-based transactions and payouts, and location-based + geo-fencing functionality to account for variations in state gambling laws. Over a few more iterations we smoothed out the wrinkles in both the user experience and the functionality and launched to the app store in time for a successful inaugural event.
In true Agile development fashion, we are continuing to add games and features as well as iterate and enhance the appearance, workflows, and backend technology as the app’s popularity grows.
The Result
Secret Golf launched to the iOS App Store in time for the 2019 Players Championship. Since the initial launch, Secret Golf has been in use for every regular and major PGA event on the tournament schedule.
New games have been added that include tracking golfers by world rankings and prize money, daily games with players that are cut, along with the ability to create groups for ongoing events.
