– A company that has captured the global stage, selected as a CES 2025 Innovation Award and TIME's 'Invention of the Year'
Launch of the world's first intelligent golf club, 'G·GRIP', equipped with sensors and AI.
A sports tech company that expands human senses and experiences with data.
In January 2025, a startup won innovation awards in both the sports and fitness categories at CES 2025, the world's largest IT and consumer electronics show held in Las Vegas, USA. It received a T3 rating from Technology Credit Rating and was also selected as one of TIME Magazine's "The Best Inventions 2025" in October of the same year. SGLAB Co., Ltd. developed the world's first intelligent golf club, the "G·GRIP."
The golf club developed by SGLAB Co., Ltd. appears similar to a regular club on the outside, but it is intricately equipped with AI algorithms and ultra-precision sensors. Traditional measurement methods require dozens of cameras and complex equipment to obtain the same data. In contrast, G·GRIP collects the same or higher level of data with just a single swing, at a lower cost and with higher accuracy.
The global golf market is estimated to be worth approximately $20 billion (approximately KRW 27 trillion) by 2024, showing steady growth of over 1.1% annually. Within this market, the equipment sector, including golf clubs, accounts for the largest share and is experiencing the most intense technological innovation and brand competition.
At the heart of the massive golf market, we met with SGLAB CEO Joe Eddy and Business Strategy Director Kim Tae-eun, who are leading the digital transformation of the golf industry, to hear about SGLAB's growth story.
■ A startup created by a PGA professional golfer
Joedi, a former PGA professional, has personally experienced the structural limitations of golf lessons through his long experience coaching both professional and amateur players. "Until now, amateurs have not had access to the expensive equipment used by professional players. Most have received instruction in a limited environment, relying solely on their own senses and intuition." He pointed out that the current coaching approach is limited by its lack of precise data analysis.
The situation was not much different for professional athletes. While precise data analysis using expensive equipment was possible, it required dozens of cameras and motion studio equipment. However, even with such complex systems, the data quality remains low. While cameras and sensors can capture swing paths and clubhead movements, they cannot analyze hand strength (grip pressure) and release timing, which are essential to the swing. Furthermore, environmental limitations exist. Due to the structural nature of the equipment, which requires full-body wear, measurement is mostly limited to indoors. On outdoor fields, various environmental variables, such as lighting, wind, and temperature, can significantly reduce data accuracy or prevent measurement altogether.
CEO Joedi recalled, "Golfers hit the ball well on the practice range, but when they hit the field, it was completely different. I always wondered why. I thought that if we could obtain data that reflected the field environment, golf would advance to a whole new level." The answer that emerged from that contemplation was the golf club. "Let's read the data from within the grip." This simple yet fundamental idea later became the starting point for the intelligent golf club, "G·GRIP."
■ Persistence in creating 'G·GRIP'
The idea was simple, but it took a long time to translate it into technology. CEO Joedi had been contemplating a method for measuring grip data since around 2006. However, implementation was difficult with the technology available at the time. Wireless communication speeds were slow, and sensor precision and data processing capabilities were not as advanced as they are today. His idea was more of an ideal than a reality.
With the rapid development of IT, sensors, and communication infrastructure, CEO Cho's vision began to gain the possibility of becoming a reality, and in July 2021, he founded SGLAB as a prospective entrepreneur and began developing the intelligent golf club 'G·GRIP' with the vision of "next-generation motion intelligence that understands human movement."
The initial prototype began with an externally attached Force Sensitive Resistor (FSR) version. However, given the essence of the golf swing, which relies on the complete integration of the hand and the club, this approach had fundamental limitations that interfered with the user's sense of touch. CEO Joedi tested commercial pressure sensors and attempted dozens of improvements. However, to completely eliminate the subtle discomfort golfers feel at their fingertips, a new design philosophy beyond the existing sensor structure was ultimately necessary.
CEO Joedi's core philosophy was clear: "While there's plenty of sensor technology, a golfer shouldn't feel anything when they grip the club." A golf swing lasts approximately 0.9 seconds, with impact lasting a mere 0.01 seconds. In this split second, a golfer's senses are sensitive to even a 1g change in weight. Inserting a sensor or battery alters the club's center of gravity, which can lead to distortions in swing path and distance.
To address these issues, we introduced an ultra-precision micro-adjustment process that readjusts the balance down to the 1g level. The sensor is embedded in the upper center of the grip to maintain the club's torque balance, and the internal structure is designed with an ultra-lightweight aluminum housing and high-elasticity polymer filler. This achieves a balanced structure that effectively mitigates shock while also transmitting swing vibrations naturally to the fingertips.
Even after that, countless trials and errors continued to create the perfect product. Unforeseen technical issues arose one after another, such as the sensor's oversensitivity to minute vibrations, noise filtering failure, and battery overheating. To resolve these issues, SGLAB Co., Ltd. continuously improved upon them, repeating the integrated optimization loop of hardware and firmware over 100 times. As a result, the sensitivity error of pressure changes recognized by the sensor was reduced to within ±1.5%, and the temperature change response was more than three times improved compared to the previous product. Although it took a long time and a lot of trial and error, through this process, SGLAB secured its own sensor calibration and data processing core technology, and completed the G·GRIP as the world's first intelligent golf club.
The final test involved actual swings by professional players, who commented, "You can't feel the weight difference." Ultimately, after dozens of design revisions, the perfect balance was found. G·GRIP is a data device that precisely reads the subtle movements of the human hand within the club, becoming an intelligent golf club where golf sense and science seamlessly coexist. CEO Joedi, observing the finished product, said in an interview, "This isn't just a golf club. It's the next evolution of the golf club."
Team Building and Global Strategy
SGLAB's growth stemmed from a robust team. CEO Joedi, drawing on extensive field experience, accurately identified fundamental challenges in the golf industry and spearheaded the necessary technology planning. Kim Tae-eun, a director of business strategy with a background in computer engineering, oversaw AI and strategic planning, shaping the technical direction of product development. Furthermore, CTO, a former IoT project expert with expertise in drones and other projects, oversaw hardware and sensor optimization, focusing on precisely realizing the sensory realm of golf.
From its inception, SGLAB set the global market as its primary goal. It believed that first gaining validation in the highly technologically advanced and highly competitive markets of the US and Europe was essential for securing a foundation for sustainable growth. Currently, SGLAB has applied for approximately 15 patents, many of which are international.
A new era of coaching opened by AI
As AI advances, so too does G·GRIP. The ultra-small capsule-shaped sensor within G·GRIP detects changes in pressure, acceleration, and torque by sampling data 3,200 times per second. This means a single swing generates over 6,000 signal points. To analyze the data in real time, on-device AI has been implemented. The data undergoes initial filtering and outlier removal within the club, then is transmitted to a dedicated app via a latency-free Bluetooth connection. This means professional-level, precise analysis is now possible even in the middle of the field.
This is why G·GRIP is considered more than just hardware; it's an AI-based coaching platform. By accumulating user swing data, the AI learns on its own and provides personalized feedback based on each golfer's swing release timing, grip strength pattern, and torque balance. Kim Tae-eun, Director of Business Strategy, stated, "At first, we thought G·GRIP would be used as an assistive tool for professionals. However, as data accumulated and feedback became more sophisticated, the AI's coaching capabilities began to complement human intuition."
CEO Joedi also predicted, "The golf industry will soon be divided into 'coaches who know how to utilize AI' and 'coaches who don't,'" emphasizing that G·GRIP will be at the center of this shift. While some worry that AI advancements pose a threat to coaches, CEO Joe emphasized, "AI is not a replacement for coaches; rather, it is a companion that broadens coaches' perspectives and elevates the quality of coaching based on data."
SGLAB's ultimate goal is to build an integrated ecosystem that organically connects an AI analytics platform and a data cloud. This allows users to continuously accumulate and manage their swing data, and the AI automatically generates diagnostic reports, suggesting personalized growth routines. Furthermore, the academy-only version allows coaches to monitor student data in real time, and the AI automatically generates lesson summary reports. This system is expected to become an innovative tool that dramatically improves coach productivity by efficiently managing lesson data for dozens of individuals daily.
■ G·GRIP, useful for all golf club users
"G·GRIP" is attracting attention as a technology that encompasses all levels of the golf industry, from professional golfers and amateurs to coaches and manufacturers. Its primary customer base is professional golfers. Professionals are more sensitive to swing feel than anyone else, but conventional training methods have made it difficult to quantify this sensation. G·GRIP uses precision sensors embedded within the club to measure grip strength, release timing, and torque balance in real time, converting previously perceived sensations into quantitative data. This allows players to reproduce consistent swing balance across different field conditions, transforming training from a feel-based approach to a data-driven routine.
The second major customer base is amateur golfers. While they consistently invest in screen golf and the golf course, they struggle to clearly understand why they miss shots or when they lose distance. G GRIP transforms this uncertainty into AI-based analytics. It detects hand pressure, timing, and release patterns through 3,200 samples per second, and AI analyzes this data to provide personalized feedback. Users who purchase golf clubs can access a dedicated app for free, view visualized data, and enhance their learning experience through gamification features.
The third major customer base is golf club manufacturers and professional coaches. SGLAB is not simply a hardware company; it's building a data ecosystem that connects clubs, apps, and a cloud platform. Regular golfers can use the basic app provided with the clubs for free, while professional users, such as pros and academies, can access more detailed analytics through the premium version. Specifically, the company provides manufacturers with a dedicated SaaS platform, which allows them to secure real-time user data. CEO Joedi describes this as "a new credit card data model for the golf industry," explaining, "In the past, the connection with consumers was severed once the club was sold, but now, through SaaS, usage patterns, performance data, and feedback circulate in real time."
■ Next-Generation Market Expands to Education and Content
SGLAB is preparing to expand into the education market based on its motion intelligence technology. Currently developing an educational version for teenagers and beginners, it plans to enter school physical education and recreational sports centers by visualizing swing scores in a game-like manner through AI coaching. Through this, the company aims to go beyond simple exercise training and provide data-driven feedback and an immersive learning experience. SGLAB is also pursuing a sports and media content business leveraging Z-Grip's extensive swing data. The company is exploring various expansion possibilities, including linking real-time broadcast data based on swing data from professional athletes.
In a hands-on demonstration, even a single light swing was instantly displayed on screen in 3D graphics, with swing path and release timing analyzed in real time. When intentionally demonstrating an incorrect posture, the screen displayed exactly two revolutions, providing detailed feedback on why the swing was inefficient. This feature is available to all golf club purchasers. Combining AI and precision sensors, G·GRIP is creating a new golf culture called "data-driven coaching," allowing users to witness the revolutionary changes in the golf industry firsthand.
■ Business model and future plans
G·GRIP is currently available for pre-order on the website (https://www.ggrip.ai/pre-order). The most popular 7-iron model is available for purchase, and users can enjoy home training and gaming with just a smartphone, without the need for expensive equipment.
We also plan to launch products with G·GRIP modules embedded in global brand products through collaboration with renowned golf club manufacturers. We plan to provide the accumulated data to screen golf platforms and golf game companies to build a more sophisticated and realistic data-based gaming environment.
SGLAB plans to focus on the US and Japan as its key markets over the next year, actively pursuing localization strategies optimized for each country's golf culture and industry structure. In the US, it will position itself as a data-driven coaching solution, while in Japan, it will position itself as a precision technology-focused smart club, setting a new standard for the global golf industry.
CEO Joedi stated, "Zigrip is a golf innovation, but our vision extends beyond golf." Starting with golf, SGLAB is preparing to expand its technology across all tool sports, including baseball, tennis, and kendo. This technology, which precisely analyzes and learns the interaction between human hand movements and tools, has the potential to expand beyond sports into diverse industries, including rehabilitation, education, and entertainment.
"We cannot simply define ourselves as a sensor company or a manufacturing company. Our essence lies in being a 'motion intelligence group' that understands and learns human movement." These words from CEO Cho clearly reveal the technological philosophy pursued by SGLAB. Z-Grip is a startup ushering in the future of sports tech. The future of the sports industry, shaped by a company that expands human senses and experiences with data, is expected to be shaped by innovation and lead the market.
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