How a Golf App Doubled Revenue with Bold Bets — Alex Prasad, V1 Sports

This week on the Sub Club podcast, we chatted with Alex Prasad, CEO of V1 Sports, a leader in video golf swing analysis software. Alex and his team recently switched from a freemium model to paid subscriptions with free trials — a process that generated some friction and negative feedback from customers. But V1 Sports rose to the challenge, embracing the opportunity to learn from their customers and provide a better user experience.

We asked Alex about how he and his team navigated this process and why their big bet on a subscription-only monetization strategy paid off.

Keeping it simple

Let’s face it: the subscription business model can be complex (although RevenueCat certainly makes in-app payments simpler). But as Alex points out, the freemium model makes things overly complicated without major benefits. “Freemium, in my opinion, is probably the most complicated monetization strategy you can have,” he said. To simplify things and boost revenue, V1 Sports ended their freemium offering and switched to exclusively paid subscriptions with free trials.

This was a big change for an app that golf fans had been using for free for years, and the V1 Sports team initially worried about receiving negative feedback and losing customers. But Alex and his team were confident that this was the right move for their business and ultimately for customers. Alex predicted that “…for every four users that complain, ten are gonna subscribe.” And that’s basically what happened. Within 12 months, V1 Sports saw a 90% increase in revenue. Of course, it wasn’t all good news.

Turning negative feedback into wins

There’s no way around it — the transition from freemium to paid subscriptions is tough. When your users are accustomed to receiving a service for free, asking them to start paying for it is a (pardon the pun) hard sell. But as Alex points out, in any other industry, you wouldn’t expect to continue to receive something for free long term. “You don’t come to a bar and get a free drink and come again next week … [and say] ‘last week you gave me a free drink, so I’m entitled to another one.’” 

While the transition to paid subscriptions increased revenue, V1 Sports also received a wave of negative reviews from users who had long enjoyed free access. Instead of seeing this as a setback, Alex and his team viewed it as an opportunity to better understand customer concerns and refine the company’s messaging. “Sometimes the best feedback comes from the hardest conversations,” he said. By cultivating a deeper understanding of their customers’ needs, V1 Sports emerged as a stronger, more customer-focused company.

Know your audience

For V1 Sports, a key part of the transition to eliminating the freemium tier was developing a clear understanding of their ideal customer and designing the app to cater to their needs. The team started asking users why they were engaging with the app, which led to a discovery: many users were looking for coaches, an opportunity the platform had not fully tapped into. According to Alex, this insight allowed the team to better segment their users and provide tailored solutions, which led to increased customer satisfaction and higher subscription rates.

Deeper customer insights also helped V1 Sports navigate the challenges of modernizing the app. With a long legacy as a trusted tool for golf instructors, the V1 Sports team had to strike a balance between preserving the core features long-time users loved while also adding new features that would attract more subscribers. Alex explained that having fake conversations with customers (set in an imaginary physical store) helped him and his team determine what users might be looking for from a golf app and think through the best ways to guide them through different features and purchase options. This approach helped V1 Sports attract new customers without alienating their existing base.

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By simplifying their monetization strategy, focusing on the needs of their most engaged users, and delivering value through tailored solutions, V1 Sports significantly increased their revenue and built a foundation for sustainable long-term growth.

Listen to our full conversation with Alex to learn more about how V1 Sports revitalized its business.