Golf Tech is Hidden in Plain Sight!

Summary

This video explores the advanced technology behind golf broadcasting, highlighting how it enhances the viewing experience. From the Shot Tracer system using radar and cameras to track balls in flight, to real-time updates on the PGA Tour website, and the Apple Vision Pro app with detailed drone-mapped course views, the video uncovers the intricate tech that makes golf more accessible and exciting for viewers, both at home and on-site.

Takeaways

• 🏌️‍♂️ Sports technology is pervasive, with various sports utilizing tech like tennis replays, American football's digital line, and golf's shot tracer.
• 🌐 The speaker is a golf enthusiast who has been golfing for a long time and has a keen interest in the technological aspects of sports broadcasting.
• 🤖 The amount of technology used in golf broadcasting is extensive, including cameras, lasers, radar, LiDAR, optical fiber cables, and even volunteers with custom apps on Samsung phones.
• 🎥 Golf is challenging to broadcast due to its spread-out nature and the difficulty of tracking a small, fast-moving golf ball.
• 📺 The TV broadcast of golf uses shot tracer technology, which is created by strategically placed towers with cameras, TrackMan radar systems, and wireless transmitters to track the ball's trajectory.
• 📊 The TrackMan system measures the launch speed, angle, and spin rates of the golf ball, allowing computers to predict the ball's flight path with high accuracy.
• 🌐 The PGA Tour website offers a real-time play-by-play portal, where every shot is updated as it happens, facilitated by on-course cameras, volunteers with laser range finders, and tablets.
• 📲 Volunteers on the course use Samsung Galaxy XCover6 phones to keep official scores and manage real-time betting windows for online gamblers.
• 🚁 The PGA Tour's Apple Vision Pro app provides an immersive viewing experience with a detailed, real-time mini map of the course, stitched together from drone footage.
• 📱 The app combines broadcast feeds, leaderboards, and an overhead view of any hole, allowing viewers to track shots and see the course in detail.
• 🔋 The technology used in golf broadcasting, such as the TrackMan towers, is self-sufficient, with battery power and solar panels to ensure uninterrupted operation during tournaments.

Q & A

What is the primary reason for using technology in golf broadcasts?

The primary reason for using technology in golf broadcasts is to make the game easier to watch, especially because the action is spread across a large area with a small ball that is hard to follow.

What is the function of the 'shot tracer' in golf broadcasts?

The shot tracer is a technology that projects a trace of the golf ball's trajectory after it's hit, making it easier for viewers to follow the ball's flight on TV.

How is the shot tracer technology implemented on a golf course?

The shot tracer technology is implemented using strategically placed towers around the golf course, each equipped with a camera, a TrackMan radar system, and a wireless transmitter to measure the ball's launch speed, angle, and spin rates.

What is the purpose of the TrackMan radar system in the shot tracer towers?

The TrackMan radar system is used to measure the exact launch speed, angle, and spin rates of the golf ball the instant it's contacted by the club, allowing the system to predict the ball's flight path.

How do the towers that support the shot tracer technology function without external power sources?

The towers are battery-powered and can last for an entire day of a tournament. Additionally, they have solar panels around the bottom that help keep them powered throughout the day.

What is the purpose of the real-time play-by-play portal on the PGA Tour website?

The real-time play-by-play portal allows users to jump around to any hole and see exactly what's happening as it happens, keeping them updated on the tournament even when they can't watch the TV broadcast.

How do volunteers contribute to the real-time updates on the PGA Tour website?

Volunteers stationed alongside every hole use laser range finders and tablets to quickly tag a ball's exact location as soon as it lands and upload the data, which is then immediately reflected on the Tour website.

What role do the Samsung Galaxy XCover6 phones play in the tournament?

The Samsung Galaxy XCover6 phones are used by individuals following each group of golfers to keep official scores for the online scorecard and to close betting windows in real time for online gambling on specific shots.

How does the PGA Tour's Apple Vision Pro app enhance the viewing experience?

The PGA Tour's Apple Vision Pro app provides a combination of the leaderboard, broadcast feed, and an overhead view of any hole on the course with real-time updates, allowing viewers to watch the shot flying through the air and see the actual shot shapes.

What technology is used to create the detailed mini maps of the golf course in the Vision Pro app?

An entire team of drones flies over the course a couple of days before the tournament to map it out, creating detailed mini maps that are then stitched together for use in the Vision Pro app.

What logistical challenges does the PGA Tour face in setting up technology for each tournament?

The PGA Tour faces challenges such as bringing in dozens of trailers, running 10 to 20 miles of fiber over the golf course, mapping every hole with drone footage, and setting up grandstands, scoreboards, TrackMan towers, and TV towers.