The Future of Golf and Looking Ahead to 2018

Technological advancements in golf have recently made news headlines.  We’ve got CEO’s of multi-billion dollar companies complaining about how golf balls fly too far and the governing body for golf in the U.S. and Mexico changing its rules to (i) allow smartphone apps that provide golfers with distance but (ii) home viewers will no longer be allowed to call into events and complain about potential rule violations.

And the craziest part about this is that this is just the tip of the golf technology “iceberg.”  As everything from Arccos and 18Birdies to Callaway’s Jailbreak Technology and Cobra’s milled driver faces have made clear, the golf landscape is in for a few drastic changes in the coming years.

The “Smart” Golf Ball

We’re all very familiar with golf tracking apps like Arccos, Shot Scope, and Game Golf.  In sum, you screw a sensor into the bottom of your golf club grip and, in tandem with a smartphone app, the sensors will help track every shot you take, along with its distance and accuracy.  In addition, at the end of a round you’ll get a nice breakdown of all your stats (e.g., fairways-in-regulation, greens-in-regulation, total putts, average tee shot distance, average distance from the pin, which shots were strengths vs. weaknesses).

As you can tell, this has taken stat tracking to a whole different level because prior to this, golfers would’ve had to track shots on their scorecards and estimate their distances off of prior rounds.

But this is just the beginning.

Ironically enough, Arccos creator Sal Syed has stated in a few interviews that Arccos was initially considering “smart” golf balls, which would relay all the tracking information that the sensors currently provide.  However, the idea was abandoned because (i) the sensors weren’t very accurate and kept breaking and (ii) golfers lose golf balls.

Well, OnCore (one of the many smaller market golf ball manufacturers) has stepped forward and accepted the challenge.

A post shared by OnCore Golf (@oncoregolf) on Oct 10, 2017 at 10:45am PDT

With the help of crowdfunding on Indiegogo, OnCore is looking to develop the Genius ball, a multi-layered golf ball that will house a 9-axis accelerometer, high-performance GPS, and a self-charging battery.

OnCore is also making some lofty promises with the Genius, including: (1) GPS location within 1-foot accuracy; (2) shot velocity (off the tee and average); (3) carry flight within 1 foot; (4) degree of draw or fade; (5) spin rate (back, side, front); (6) angle of descent; (7) height apex; and (8) roll distance.

This sounds very Trackman-esqe and, as a result, the Genius will be an expensive golf ball.  The Genius is currently priced at $50 for a 2 pack!

And you though losing a fresh ProV1 on that Par-3 was bad…

OnCore commented back in October that they’d be debuting a fully-functional Genius at the 2018 PGA Show in January, so we won’t have to wait too long to find out if they keep their word and if the Genius is everything OnCore’s promising.

Drones

Drones have gone from being multi-billion dollar military equipment to a couple-hundred dollar toy that teenagers (adults) ask for Christmas.  One of the coolest things I’ve really enjoyed in the golf course vlogs that people like Golfholics, and of course Golficity, have posted.

A drone provides a beautiful, flyover view of a golf course and really lets you appreciate the scenery in a completely different way.  But that’s just the beginning.

As drones become more and more affordable, I think it’s only a matter of time until you seen drones replace (or hopefully work alongside) caddies.

Hear me out…

How many times have you been playing and it takes 10+ minutes to find someone’s missing tee shot?  Hint: it’s frustrating for everyone.  You’re frustrated because maybe you hit a great drive and have no idea where it rolled out to, or you hit an okay drive and know the shot is somewhere between the fairway and the trees, or maybe you just can’t find your ball with all the damn leaves on the ground.

Well, instead of walking around like an idiot or cursing from the tee box while the group in front of you decides to setup camp in the middle of the fairway and conduct a golf ball hunting expedition, the drone will help track each tee shot, its relative landing location, and help the golfer in need locate the errant shot.

But that’s just scratching the surface.  How many times have you played at an unfamiliar course and hit a shot into a spot that all the course regulars know to avoid.  While apps like Arccos and 18Birdies have helped address the issue, a quick drone flyover would easily provide a more useful and confidence-inspiring depiction of the hole than cartoon or satellite image.

Likewise, what if you’re standing over your approach shot and have no idea how far away a hazard or the pin is, but you don’t have a rangefinder.  Don’t worry, the drone can give you all that information, along with wind speed, temperature, and atmospheric pressure and whether you should play the shot longer or shorter.

And for anyone calling bullshit, I’m pretty sure if I asked you a few years ago if golf carts would have course GPS, live TV, and music, you’d probably call me a fool.  But Greg Norman and VZW have teamed up and are ready to help you put your foot in your mouth.

An Affordable Home Simulator

One of Golficity’s most popular podcasts and articles featured how you could build a home simulator for under $2,000.  However, the biggest gripe that more serious golfers have about affordable home simulator systems is that they’re not accurate “enough.”

While pros like Dustin Johnson fortunately have the money and sponsors to help secure a top of the line Trackman or Foresight system to practice in their homes, most of us can’t really justify $20,000 for just the simulator hardware.  Add a couple more grand once you add on all those extras you want, like the Test Center, Optimizer, Putting trainer and extra golf courses, and you could be spending “new car money” on what’s essentially an adult video game system.

Fortunately capitalism is helping competitors like FlightScope and SkyTrack introduce more affordably priced indoor simulator systems to the marketplace.  While SkyTrack goes for approximately $2,000, the FlightScope Mevo is only $500 (i.e., new driver money).  While the Mevo only provides you with a snapshot of data (club speed, ball speed, smash factor, launch angle, spin, carry yards, peak height, and flight time), this is just the beginning.

Know Your Game with SkyTrak

Uploaded by SkyTrak on 2017-11-28.

As whispered in the film Field of Dreams, “if you build it, they will come.”  And most serious, recreational golfers are chomping at the bit to pickup an accurate, home simulator that will allow them to practice at home, give them accurate, meaningful data, and not break the bank.

Modernization of Private Golf Clubs

If you’ve ever been to a country club to play some golf, you’ll quickly notice they’re essentially the same.  Long hallways lined with dark carpets, a big dining room, locker rooms, a pro-shop, and bag storage.

If you’re lucky, your club has a “fitness center.”

Well, that’s about to change if private clubs want to remain in business.  It’s no secret that fitness has become an industry in itself.  CrossFit, SoulCycle, Equinox, Boot Camps, etc.  And in respect to golf, it’s become very clear that people who want to play competitively need to take fitness almost as seriously as they take their swing.

So if private clubs want to keep the lights on, it’s going to become necessary for them to update their fitness facilities from bosu balls and ellipticals.  Equipment (e.g., kettlebells and resistance bands like Crossover Symmetry) and qualified, knowledgeable trainers are going to become central pieces in the private clubs that look to woo younger golfers.

And it makes sense.  With lots of the younger generation spending money on expensive gym memberships and classes, why not provide them with the same facilities at their private golf club?

In addition, private clubs that are forced to deal with true off-seasons (i.e., places where it snows) will also need to invest in those high-end indoor simulators I mentioned above (Trackman and Foresight) and make them available to members for year-round use.

Inside the Ultra-Luxe Golf Gym for Wall Street

April 14 (Bloomberg) — The Masters make you want to swing like a pro? Manhattan’s Golf & Body country club is a golf-focused fitness center that draws members from the PGA tour, Wall Street, and celebrities including Jimmy Fallon.

With average annual dues around $10,000, country clubs need to start providing modern amenities to their members that go beyond the golf course and are available for use more than 5 months of the year.  I mean, top-tier fitness and golf facilities have turned Golf & Body into the “golf mecca” of Manhattan, despite being entirely indoors.

Cover Photo via Instagram