IoT is Changing the Golfing World

There are a variety of different offerings that are specifically targeted at the golfing market, all offering solutions for different problems that potentially occur in preparation for a tournament or a round of golf on the course or whilst on the putting greens. The problems that can occur including purchasing the correct clubs suited to each individual’s swing style, poor alignments with putting, and in general, poor swing methods.

Nissan offers a “self-driving” golf ball, the ProPILOT, which features the ProPILOT 2.0 driver-assistance technology used within the Nissan Skyline. The golf ball utilizes a drone which tracks its course and corrects its route so that ball finds its way to the hole. Whilst putting capabilities are being improved by the tech infused golf ball, another offering for the golfing market is brought by Cadi. Buying golf clubs can be a difficult task for many, due to the very short return time. Cadi enables shoppers to test and try the clubs, at their own convenience. Finding the right clubs is crucial for players to succeed within the sport, and in addition to this, Arccos is a provider of smart sensors that can either be embedded into the grips of the golf club or simply attached to the grip, to collect data regarding the user’s swing.

E-commerce is innovating traditional markets. In normal circumstances when purchasing golf clubs, one would get to try it in a simulator, which is completely different to being able to experience the usage of the clubs on the different cuts of grass found on a golf course. This is why this is one of the reoccurring problems that golfers have when purchasing clubs is that they do not have a sufficient amount of time to fully test the clubs where they would wish to. Cadi enables golfers to pick and choose clubs, at least 24 hours prior to pick up, to try on a full round of golf to then know if it is the right set of clubs for them. Not only does it enable an innovative shopping experience, but it also minimizes vendor return rates, which increases profitability.

Data analytics can offer huge insights to each individual golfer such as: where on the clubface the ball is being struck, swing speed, back swing position, and the percentage of greens hit. Arccos, a vendor that supplies the club sensors and single smart grips for individual clubs, is offering a more seamless experience for the user, with smart sensors enabled within the grip. With the use of the Internet of Things (IoT) and analytics, every casual golfer who is looking to improve their ability to play and wishes to invest in their capabilities are able to do so.

IoT has offerings for a variety of different market segments, both enterprise and consumer. For those that take their golfing seriously, both professional and professional amateurs, for example, will want to know exactly what is limiting their successes in their sport. Technology such as the connected sensors attached to golf clubs enables them to gain informative insights regarding what they need to and can improve to help get them to their perfect swing, and therefore will enable them to train in an efficient manner. Another problem that many golfers find is finding that specific club that performs with the user’s natural swing motion. The buying process of golf clubs usually includes the use of the club with an interactive simulator, if the customer is paying to get that club fitted to their playing preference. This, however, doesn’t let the individual get a full feel for the club. Being able to play a round of golf or even having the opportunity for a trial session with a club at a driving range for a long enough period of time before purchasing the club can ensure that customers are truly happy with their purchase, which is why the Cadi kiosks are proving to become popular on the courses.

Many different segments use IoT solutions to create actionable insights. For example, within agriculture IoT is used to help automate irrigation systems with the use of soil moisture sensors placed out in the field. The use of sensors aims to collect data in which offers insights that form a solution for the problem that either a business or an individual has. In this instance, it can be picking the correct golf clubs or how to perfect the user’s swing. Though golf may be considered to be an unsignificant sport in some cases, since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, the uptake of golf has increased significantly. In specific countries, such as the United Kingdom for example, the number of rounds of golf played has seen incredible growth of up to 70% in post-lockdown figures. The sensors that attach to the clubs or that are embedded collect swing data which users can find on the Arccos Caddie smartphone application, which enables them to see their swing patterns, giving them the opportunity to understand where they can improve. Though there are different methods of improving a golfer’s skill and capabilities, such as hiring a teacher and taking lessons, technology enables a player to have all of the data and statistics on how well they’re hitting each swing in one place to understand fully where improvement is needed. It is highly beneficial for those of all levels. Data and analytics are proving to play a big part in many people’s lives, even without them knowing. Big data is finding its way into most aspects of life, sports included, and is therefore here to stay.