CBS’s Predicta-Ball Is Definitely Cool, But Is It Too Much Golf Tech?

Technological innovations in sports television broadcasts are nothing new.

But for every yellow first-down line in football, there’s a FoxTrax—the red laser that turned hockey into a shoot-em-up video game in the mid-1990s.

..Remember the glowing puck travesty? 😂#FoxTrax #90sNHL pic.twitter.com/uxLI6U4blf

— Old Hockey Cards (@oldhockeycards) January 20, 2022

We’ve seen how the shot-tracker is used in golf to show the trajectory of the ball, and a couple of weeks ago, CBS began to include commentary from golfers while they played a hole.

At the WM Phoenix Open, however, CBS unveiled some new technology called Predicta-Ball.

Predicta-Ball not only tracks the ball itself, but it pinpoints where it’s going to land. It was used on two par-3 holes at TPC Scottsdale.

At the surface, it’s a cool innovation that certainly does what it’s designed to do.

Big fans of “Predicata-ball” here. Good name, great tech. pic.twitter.com/8Rpra3Ium1

— Skratch (@Skratch) February 11, 2023

The question is, do we need it?

Would we want technology to tell us if a basketball is going to go through the hoop the moment it leaves a player’s hands?

From the responses on Twitter, everyone’s favorite think tank, the results are in, and it’s a “no” for Predicta-Ball.

Sure, let’s add more stuff on the screen that distracts from the actual experience of watching the golfer and the ball. 🤦‍♂️

— Kyle Hrubes (@KyleHrubes) February 11, 2023

Because we really need to know where it might land 2 seconds before it actually lands. Just more useless clutter on the screen

— Bob Burden (@BobBurden6) February 13, 2023

If they use this at the Masters we will riot

— Teddi Berra (@BerraTeddi) February 11, 2023

Perhaps the most thoughtful response comes in the form of Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) from “Jurassic Park.”

Predicta-ball pic.twitter.com/kMUjaohX4J

— Garrett Morrison (@garrett_TFE) February 12, 2023

It remains to be seen what the future is for Predicta-Ball. There are some big tournaments before Augusta.

It’s doubtful CBS will scrap it after one week’s worth of negative feedback, but the early returns have it more along the line of shooting red lasers on a hockey rink.

Cover Image Via Twitter