The sport of golf has been massively enhanced by the latest technology around the world. Starting next year onwards, all PGA Tour events will have ShotLink 2.0, which would give the fans and players much more in-depth information about each shot, within the live time. The technology was beta-tested recently at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas.
The ShotLink system runs on Amazon Web Services(AWS) cloud. It has been in use as a system for the past two decades. However, the recent development foresaw a complete rebuild from the scratch.
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Why is PGA Tour implementing ShotLink 2.0?
In order to make a PGA Tour venue embedded with ShotLink, a lot of labor and extensive work is required. The miles of cables buried under the greens and rough need to be done with clean work. Evidently enough, the process is also labeled to be a costly affair.
The PGA Tour Is Upgrading ShotLink; How the System Run on the AWS Cloud Can Help Attract More Fans, New Players in the Long Run https://t.co/kLMaQTGyzw
— Joe Lemire (@LemireJoe) December 8, 2022
Nonetheless, with many of its latest developments, PGA Tour has decided to take the modern approach towards the legendary game. The new ShotLink 2.0 will consist of multiple data-driven feeds. Whether it’s from the Broadcast graphics, analyzed data for the golfer, or even for betting operators and many others.
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Every course will have 4k cams from tee to green, with CDW’s AI helping in enhancing it, while AWS Cloud will help in storing and processing it. It is mainly a hybrid radar- and camera-based system that uses cloud processing and multi-input course mapping that renders the course to centimeter-level accuracy.
With the implementation of ShotLink 2.0, the PGA Tour will have many cost reductions. The contribution of the Tour’s reliance on the cloud will help in the reduction of at least two production buses out of five. Moreover, the data will be quickly accessible to every golf fan using PGA Tour’s app, giving the fans an in-depth breakdown of the shot.
When will the Tour start using the ShotLink 2.0?
Recently, the final three holes at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas were tested with the latest technology. The PGA Tour has announced to start using ShotLink 2.0 from 2023 onwards.
Imago
PGA, Golf Herren The Match 7 at Pelican Dec 10, 2022, 2020 Belleair, Florida, USA Jordan Spieth of the United States, Justin Thomas of the United States, Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Tiger Woods of the United States pose for a photo prior to The Match 7 at Pelican at Pelican Golf Club. Belleair Pelican Golf Club Florida USA
According to PGA Tour’s SVP of Golf Technology, Kenny Lowell, the 92-year-old Tour will begin using new technology from Hawaii’s Sony Open in mid-January 2023. Though this is the goal of the Tour, the immediate usage of ShotLink 2.0 in every event seems quite challenging.
Despite it being a costly investment for the Tour at the moment, in the long run, the PGA Tour will flourish when it comes to attracting fans and most importantly players, who may leave them for LIV Golf. What do you think of the PGA Tour’s latest approach to technology? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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Written by
Edited by
Manaal Siddiqui