Technology Revolutionises the Sport of Golf
Golf is a sport that is loved by millions of people all over the world. It was moving along at a relatively technology free pace until a new scoring and statistical gathering system was introduced for the benefit of the players
and the fans. The system is a huge innovation in the game which updates every shot and every score in real time and updates the information instantly. Basically with the rise of social media, the internet, smart phones and many other forms of technology, information
is now at people’s fingertips and they demand the latest facts and figure as soon as they happen. The new system is called the ShotLink System and it is slowly becoming a very popular piece of technology in golf.
The PGA Tour first introduced a scoring system in 1983 and it was a very basic implementation that featured 19 electronic scoreboards and 2 mini computers. The scoring system was updated in 1987 when for the first time a wireless
device was used to collect data on the event. In 1993, the huge computer company, IBM, was hired by the Tour organisers to set up a new information collecting system. This was an improved scoring system that was implemented in over 60 locations. Then in 1999
the PGA Tour organisers decided that a new information technology system was needed and the solution that was found was called ShotLink.
In 2003, ShotLink was fully implemented into the game and it became an instant hit. Before the new method was applied, scoring in golf was pretty low tech, with people entering scores manually by hand after every shot. At the time
only about 5 or 6 statistics were updated during a game but something new was needed. This was where ShotLink came into the picture; it revolutionised the statistic collating method for the game.
There is a whole network of high speed computers that are part of the system and they are connected to 36 lasers placed all around the course. Volunteers are hired to walk behind the players and enter things such as the number
of strokes played and the type of course. The lasers pick up things like wind speed, the angle the ball is travelling in and also the speed of a shot. Unlike the previous method where only 5 or 6 stats were collected, now over 600 are gathered by the system
and fed into the computers which then digest and process the raw data into usable and coherent information.
With ShotLink, it has now become much easier for fans to get up to the minute information on each player’s progress as it happens on the green. It gives diehard golfing fans information on every aspect of their favourite sport.
The usable information is also fed straight to the Tour’s website and it is continuously being updated with new stats as they take place. The system is a great form of entertainment as well for the fans because it seems people have a craving to know every
single detail about every single player and every single game being played.
This type of information gathering method has been a part of baseball for many years and fans of the sport can instantly get updates about players’ RBI scores, pitching stats, bases stolen in a game and many other facts and figures.
These same types of figures and details are now part of the game of golf and people can talk for hours about just how far a shot by Tiger Woods actually went and would it have curved more to the right if he would have used a different type of club.
The particulars that are gathered are used by commentators as well to give fans up to date information on a play by play basis. After the game is over, this very info can be used by coaches, managers, sponsors and agents to determine
the strengths and weaknesses of the player in question. Weak areas can be targeted and corrected. A player can also analyse every aspect of his or her game and use it to improve in the future.
Technology seems to update itself and get faster and more powerful every few years. Just as it was updated in the past, the ShotLink system will probably see a major change very soon. This system is a great example of how technology
can be used to benefit and enhance sports in today’s information crazy world.
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