Golf's year-round ecosystem: from the course to the simulator

Golf is Finland’s largest sport by number of registered participants and there are no signs of growth slowing down. Yet a golfer’s everyday life is often scattered across multiple apps and websites. We want every golfer’s entire golf life, along with every other sport they enjoy, to fit under one roof.

The number of registered members in the Finnish Golf Union reached a record high in 2025, with 161,635 participants, which is nearly 5,000 more than the year before. Growth was particularly strong among juniors. Golf is currently Finland’s largest sport by number of registered participants. (golf.fi, 2026)

Growing interest is a great thing, but for both beginner and experienced golfers, finding a tee time, a course, or a practice spot can feel like an endless swamp.

Summer rounds are booked in one place, scores recorded somewhere else, winter simulator slots sourced elsewhere, memberships handled through a different system, and competition sign-ups done yet somewhere else. This fragmentation is exactly what we want to fix with Thril.

An interface agreement with the Golf Union opened the door to courses

In January 2026, Thril and the Finnish Golf Union signed an API agreement that enabled Thril to be developed into a full-scale club management system for golf courses and clubs. Development has moved quickly, and the system is now ready for golf courses to adopt.

Thril’s co-founder Martti Maaniemi commented on the agreement earlier this year: ”Golf has a strong presence in Thril, as the system is already used by numerous golf simulator centres and studios. The interface agreement with the Golf Union also enables full management of golf courses and clubs through our system.”

What Thril practically brings to the day-to-day of golf courses includes: tee times and round bookings, membership and member register management, a POS system, tournament and event organisation, member communication via email and in-app, invoicing, sales of Greencard courses and coaching, and an online store for playing rights, memberships and punch cards.

All of this in a system that is already familiar to many players and refined through sport-agnostic use.

A year-round ecosystem

Golfers are most active in summer — naturally. But the season no longer ends in autumn. Having summer rounds and winter practice sessions available in the same place makes it easier and more natural for everyone to stay active year-round.

When a player’s memberships, rounds, simulator slots, competitions and courses are all managed under one app, the hobby truly becomes easy and enjoyable.

Simulators are already part of everyday life

For golf enthusiasts, simulators are already a staple and a large share of summer players likely head indoors to keep their swing sharp during the winter months. For many, simulator golf can also be the gateway into the sport. The growing number of simulators speaks for itself.

For many golfers visiting simulator centres, Thril is already a familiar name. Dozens of simulators in Finland are now using Thril, and momentum is building in the Baltics too.

”On the simulator side, Thril is probably the most popular platform in Finland right now,” says Martti.

New players to courses and simulators

Golf is genuinely growing in popularity. Many end up trying golf with a friend, or at least get drawn into range practice after seeing beautiful sunny photos from summer courses. Enthusiastic new players are an opportunity for both courses and simulators alike.

Thril is a sports marketplace where golf is one of dozens of disciplines. At the same time, Thril offers golf communities something that individual management systems cannot. Beyond business management, Thril provides visibility. When new sports and venues can be discovered in the same place where you book your regular sessions, the barrier to trying something new gets lower.

”We have built the system to serve all sports and every type of active person. Thril is used monthly by thousands of people across different sports, which also gives businesses the opportunity to reach new customers.”
— Martti Maaniemi

As golf’s popularity continues its record-breaking growth, sport-agnostic visibility is valuable marketing for any sports venue.

Contact Information

📞 Phone: +358 44 2838863

📧 Email: info@thril.fi

📍 Address: Unioninkatu 24, 00130 Helsinki, Finland