b'The 4Par app gives An App For That percentages of how often you make putts, SELF-PROFESSED ANALYTICALI started thinking we can do this,from what distance, and INTROVERTS Brennan LaBuda andLaBuda said. We did a lot of research Bryan Robinson created an apponline. How do you build an app?where you miss them. for their golf game and discoveredHow do you find a developer? How do how it has opened doors they didntyou find a marketing team? We were realize had been closed. reading blogs, articles and books and Friends since their college daysfigured out how to bootstrap it and as Finance majors, LaBuda andput together a timeline.Robinson were set to team up in aWhat emerged was 4Par, anBryan Robinson (left) and scramble golf tournament.app the duo created to helpBrennan LaBuda. Robinson, who grew up playing golfgolfers track their putting in West Linn, Ore., invited LaBuda,and chipping results. a novice to the game, to join hisLaBuda and Robinson group in the summer of 2020.had met in the summer I thought, I dont want to lookof 2018 as classmates bad in a tournament, so I need toin the Master of Science practice, LaBuda recalled.in Finance program at the University of Oregon. After So LaBuda, like Robinson a self- graduating the following year, described analytical nerd, went onlineLaBuda stayed in Eugene to work to search for golf tips and found ain banking while Robinson moved to college training schedule that listedPortland for a job in commercial real ways to improve his putting, chipping,estate. driving, and iron game.They raised enough money from Starting with putting, Labuda sawfriends and family to create 4Par in a recommendation to make 20 ofDecember 2021, and nine months later 25 putts from six feet, so he cut ait went live. cord of that length and took it toThe app includes a Versus feature that his local putting green. He beganallows friends to compete against each putting before realizing he had noother even if they are in different states. way to record how many putts heGrandparents can face off against made and missed. grandkids across the country as each So I called Bryan and told him thatputts across their living room floor. it would be helpful if there was anIf there is anything to be learned app to tell me how far I am fromfrom it, it is that only good things can the hole, how many balls I hit, andhappen when you step outside your where they all went so that I couldcomfort zone, LaBuda said. Neither track it over time, LaBuda said.of us knew about tech or apps, we just He looked online and didnt findliked golf and thought if this could anything like that. help us, it might help other people. Robinsons response? What if weThe focus was on building this app and created that app? we had no idea what other positive And LaBudas response: We arebenefits would come from it. We found finance guys. We know nothingthe value of networking, how to start about tech. and grow a company and how that But they began to research how theybleeds into other aspects of your life. could learn what they did not know. Those arent things we planned on, they just kind of happened. We spit-balled a few ideas on what Steve Mimsdirection we wanted to go, and MAR 2024|PACIFIC NORTHWEST GOLFER33'