CHANGING COURSE

Technology innovations lift golfers’ games, level playing field

BY MICHAEL GALLAGHER

he sports landscape has undergone

T an analytical and data-driven revolution for the better part of the last two decades. Professional and amateur athletes alike have never had more knowledge and technology readily available at the click of a button than they do presently.

Speci cally, golf is at the forefront of the technological uprising, embracing development in data and technology with open arms as the new analytical advancements have helped bridge the gap between seasoned veteran and novice golfer.

“When I rst got on tour in 2006, golf didn’t really rely on data; it was more feel,” Nashville native and former FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker says. “Now, we know all the ways we can track every shot digitally.”

Snedeker knows all about embracing and incorporating an analytical approach to the green. e 39-year-old hired a full-time statistician during the 2011 season and won the FedEx Cup championship the following year.

“Data tells you where you rank on tour in every possible category imaginable,” Snedeker continues. “So, you’re able to kind of tailor your gameplan, the way you practice and the way you prepare for tournaments based on that. at’s not even getting into the equipment side of it with TrackMan, with FlightScope (launch monitors), with ball ttings and driver ttings and all those kinds of things that the tour has been doing for 10-12 years. Now, there’s a whole industry based on that.”

Golf is uniquely positioned to use both analytics and technology to not only appeal to but also connect with casual fans or recreational golfers in a way that other professional individual sports simply can’t, according to those interviewed for this article.

“Understanding those technologies makes a more enjoyable experience for me, for my brothers, for fathers and grandfathers and people that can continue to keep playing because the technology is there to help them,” says Nick Pietruszkiewicz, who oversees all ESPN digital and print golf coverage. “Even on a level in terms of a good amateur, the technology is comforting. Because if you have it in your mind, ‘a range nder can help me because I’m not guessing,’ or if you’ve maximized as much as you can through the use of these technologies — through understanding things you’ve never considered before like launch angles and spin rate — it brings the game to more people because they can play it a little bit better. Playing a little bit better, as we all know, will be the reason it brings us back next time.”

Real-life examples of this can be found at any local Topgolf. Each hitting bay comes equipped with Toptracer, a program that tracks the ight path of every golf shot and displays it on each bay’s HD screen, branding it as “Topgolf like a Pro.”

Also, Topgolf has virtually pre-loaded courses — such as Pebble Beach, St. Andrews and Spyglass Hill — in each bay so that guests can play against their friends at some of the world’s top golf courses, set handicaps and have a professional golf experience at their ngertips, brought to them courtesy of modern technology.

“Understanding where I hit it, distances, where I can improve, launch angles and spin rates … it’s important,” Pietruszkiewicz adds.

“Toptracer is [found] at driving ranges now.”

As such, he says, the casual golfer who might plan to go hit balls for an hour has no choice but to take notice.

“[ e technology is] right behind him,” Pietruszkiewicz says, adding that proximity and accessibility spurs golfers to be curious who might not otherwise.

Golf apps, range nders, swing simulators and analyzers, smart caddie sensors, swing maps and layout maps, vector mats and so on are just a few examples of the data-producing technology to which all golfers, and not just professionals, have access.

Other sports such as football and basketball attract fans and recreational players based on popularity; they’re the ashy sports that always get plenty of airtime on ESPN’s SportsCenter. But what golf has that those sports do not, its backers contend, is the ability to allow fans to use the same technology and the same equipment at home that the pros use on tour.

It’s worth noting that golf technology is not inexpensive. For example, a range nder can cost approximately $250. Swing simulators can command a similar price. Even the relatively lesser expensive vector mat can carry a price tag of $150.

Still, golfers seemingly are willing to pay for the opportunity to have their games improve.

“I don’t think we’ve reached our peak yet,” Snedeker says. “We’re kind of getting into the sweet spot of using all the technology we have available to us.”