Turner Sports is always in search of new ways to cover the PGA and has some new digital features that are being added to its coverage of the PGA Championship this year. Analytics are continuing to rise in the coverage of golf as fans want to understand the minds of their favorite golfers and how they approach some of the toughest holes in the world. Through the PGA Championship Live mobile app, Turner Sports is providing the full broadcast that gives fans the same opportunity to follow the PGA Championship with no difference between their phone or the TV. Gary Treater, Turner’s GM of PGA.com, dedicated some of his time to speak with myself on the enhancements to Turner Sports coverage of the PGA Championship.
Treater shared that analysts will also be able to break down a golfer’s game more thoroughly due to the capabilities of Golf Trax. With Golf Trax, there are many features that allow analysts to learn more about a player’s performance on certain holes, which gives them a better understanding of how wind and weather is impacting each hole.
Golf Trax allows fans to go on a virtual tour of the course, which entails a 360-degree view of each hole. “They create these virtual hole animations and we’re able to overlay data onto the virtual holes. This year we’re going to expand that and provide more data and show a split screen of the video as well as provide context for the fans so they can see what’s going on and how the players playing the hole and see the shot,” said Treater
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Treater shared how the driving force behind the additions of the new features to the coverage of golf is data. “We’re trying to take data and enhance the storytelling,” stated Treater. Bringing data into the fan experience allows fans to have a greater understanding of the way their favorite golfers approach each hole and its results. As part of the Golf Trax coverage of the tournament, Trackman technology is one of the intriguing features that are changing the way fans can follow the golfers. With Trackman technology, fans will be shown the exit velocity, trajectory, speed and altitude of the golf balls up to 30 seconds after being hit.
TNT Total Motion swing analysis will be a part of the coverage as well and provide a camera that in slow motion provides a special point of view to help analyze the swings and specialty shots of golfers. Turner Sports is trying to enhance the coverage of the sport and not simply take away older forms of coverage. “A lot of these new technologies are kind of enhancements and they’re not necessarily replacements,” said Treater.
Treater emphasized that the key to all of these new digital features is to enhance the fan experience and give them a different perspective and feeling of the PGA Championship. “It’s just giving fans a little different experience than what they see on television. We try to immerse the fan into that group and show them everything that’s going on,” explained Treater.
Mobile apps will also be relied upon heavily for providing coverage to fans. The PGA Championship apps will provide fans with many different features, which include instant updates, breaking news, graphics, photos and the best way to keep up with the tournament by live video. The app will also have resources available for fans that will be on site for the tournament. PGA Championship Live will provide fans with highlights, scoring and group shot displays with laser-generated data to give fans greater insight on a golfer’s performance.
Fans that will be on-site for the PGA Championship at the Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey will be able to take advantage of a large amount of content from the app. Course navigation will be available through the app and Smart Bluetooth Beacon Technology will give fans “binoculars” to find their favorite players that will be in the distance. The app will have a player locator so that fans can find and follow their favorite golfers.
The newest feature to the app is Golf Mode. Golf Mode will let fans use the app at their convenience, but not disrupt play with any noises or distractions. “We’re basically saying go ahead and use it [phones] the way you would, but use it in such a way that doesn’t disrupt the play,” stated Treater. The on-site experienced will be topped off with free wifi so that fans can have the greatest enhanced experience through their smart phones.
Social Media will give fans the opportunity to enhance the behind the scenes experience of the tournament. “It continues to evolve and just makes the product even better,” stated Treater. There will be a Snap Chat Live Story on Sunday of the tournament to go along with Facebook live and instant highlights on Twitter. Facebook will also use 360 and virtual reality technology to give fans an experience as if they are on the golf course.
The PGA Championship is set up each year for fans to have a great experience outside of simply watching the tournament. “A year of the PGA Championship doesn’t go by where we don’t have something new that didn’t exist the year before to kind of try and use to see if it helps us improve the product,” stated Treater.
As the hours are counting down until the tournament tees off, Turner Sports is preparing what seems to be a well balanced opportunity for fans to consume the action across numerous digital mediums with enhanced statistical insights.