THE VILLAGES, Florida – While watching PGA tournaments on television, have you ever noticed what looks like a square box elevated directly behind the golfer on all 18 tee boxes?
Did you also notice the word “TrackMan” placed prominently on the front of this box and wondered what’s that all about? Well I did some research and found out what this box does to enhance your viewing pleasure.
During the 2008 U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, player ball launch and trajectory data was captured during live competition with TrackMan technology capturing shot data on two tees. TrackMan’s continued presence at U.S. Opens enables the USGA to acquire the most accurate ball flight and club data for the world’s top players.
With the The Country Club in Brookline (MA) hosting the U.S. Open June 16-19 we’ll see first-hand how far this system has come since first being introduced at Torrey Pines. By combining TrackMan’s cutting-edge Doppler Radar and club and ball tracking technology, TOUR events will have tracing capabilities for every golf shot hit during the season. This will enhance how fans experience the world’s best golfers by providing more detail for television, and digital platforms.
“We’re excited to increase the volume and depth of tracking and tracing for every shot on the PGA TOUR,” said Ken Lovell, PGA TOUR Senior Vice President Golf Technologies. “TrackMan’s sensors will substantially increase content available for analysis and initiate the development of new insights, while creating the opportunity for us to develop innovative visualizations for fans to view all the incredible shots on TOUR.”
Fans will see more information this year on how and why the ball moves and arrives at a certain position. This is achieved by using TrackMan technology to capture club speed, ball speed, curve, landing spin, launch angle, spin rate, spin axis, apex, carry and more.
“We have been working closely with the PGA TOUR for more than 15 years, to accurately measure and report data on club delivery, ball launch, ball flight, and tracers for the best players in the world,” said Klaus Eldrup-Jorgensen, co-founder and CEO of TrackMan. “We are proud to be chosen to implement our new solutions with the PGA TOUR, which will ultimately include all shots for all players. The future of golf will be told in new and innovative ways, the fan experience will elevate to a new level, and the stories about how good these guys play is just beginning.”
For a typical TOUR event, around 40 units are placed around the course to track shots with advanced radar and camera units on tee boxes and greens to capture final resting position. We will see all the latest technology utilized to full capacity at The Country Club for all four rounds of the U.S. Open.
If you don’t have tickets, don’t fret. Sitting at home in the recliner with clicker in hand watching the U.S. Open on your big screen TV has its advantages. Just make sure to stock up on the snacks and beverages and ENJOY!
(Content from PGA Tour.com was used in this report.)
On the web: USOpen.com, Trackman.com
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