As a steady, intense game, golf might not be the first sport most would associate with the high-speed game of Big Data analytics. But it was, in fact, one of the early adopters.
Towards the end of the 90s, the PGA Tour team responsible for putting together the scores were relying on old tools: pen and paper. The scores would only be entirely apparent at the end of a round. Golf was still in the slow lane technologically and as a result the PGA Tour wasn’t meeting the needs of its broadcasting partners.
But when it was time to revamp its system, and as businesses across the world were starting to realise the manifold benefits of collecting and analysing all kinds of data, the PGA Tour decided not only to have volunteers funnel through round stats so scoring switched to real-time, they would also hoover up all kinds of information to see what would come of it, says Steve Evans, the architect of the Tour’s ShotLink data system.
From this point on, those volunteers would collect information on every stroke, where the shot was taken from, the ball’s lie, the player’s stance and a timestamp of their swing. Another volunteer would use laser-based technology to locate the golf balls so the Tour team could get a coordinate of every ball when it came to rest. That would allow for data on distance to the hole or the bunker. Later, in the noughties, radar would be deployed to track the spin and swerve of the ball.
Much of this is now taken for granted by viewers used to high-quality broadcasts and the concomitant in-depth analysis by whatever punditry is on offer. But from the late 90s and early 2000s, this was the start of a quiet revolution in golf, during which players would begin to exploit the reams of data they were producing out on the course. At the same time, global organisations were already reaping massive benefits from collecting more and more granular data and having analysts make use of it - the golf world would soon mirror that.
Many pros now make use of ShotLink, even if they’re not allowed to access most of the information during gameplay. On the practice course or when researching with their trainer, they can use it to analyse their round and compare themselves to others.
“There is a small group of players who use it quite a bit, that group is growing. There are ten or more who have somebody who is a data analyst who helps them build a strategy in play,” Evans notes. “Then you’ve got others who look at the data over a broader period of time to benchmark themselves.” Brandt Snedeker is the best example of a pro player employing a data analyst to helps him understand how best to attack each hole, Evans adds.
Much of the ShotLink data can be accessed on the internet or via mobile apps, including ShotTracker that gives the crowd a chance to view accurate, real-time, graphical depictions of play. Indeed, thanks to mobile and cloud technologies, much of the ShotLink data is easily accessible to the amateur player and average fan. Once it’s all funnelled through servers contained within the 50ft long ShotLink trailer at the course, it goes out to the wider world.
This is symptomatic of a separate trend: the divide between what the pro player gets and what others see is slimming. HP’s Martin Houghton, managing partner for HP Analytics and Data Management in EMEA, believes golfers will open up more and more of the data related to their game, as will the courses and competition organisers. As seen across the public sector in the UK, “open data” initiatives are likely to arise across sports and many private businesses.
“As a rubbish player, this is quite interesting,” adds Houghton. “That democratisation of data is really important.”
Of course, this can only go so far: players and businesses alike won’t want to leak too many of their trade secrets. Security and intellectual property protection becoming increasingly critical for sports teams and organisations across the world.
But it’s evident every amateur can now make their way around the course, smartphone in hand, to collect data and analyse their own game. At the same time, they can live their other lives, doing business or even carrying out work tasks between shots. With the right mobile device management on the device, this “dual persona” approach is now easy for all businessmen and women to enjoy. Whatever they love doing in their spare time, or when entertaining business partners, they can do so without anxiety about not being able to access their office data when they need to.
All of this - the widening business opportunities, the ability to do business and pleasure simultaneously - can only increase the boardroom love of golf and of the technologies that are enabling a wider enjoyment of the game. And with the Ryder Cup just around the corner, expect this to intensify in the coming weeks.
The Driving innovation hub is funded by HP. All content is editorially independent except for pieces labelled advertisement feature. Find out more here.
