The new golf season has kicked off with a promising birdie-birdie start. The new rules of golf were introduced, and the first impression is that we are on the right track: revised rules make the game even more relaxed and faster.
We have also heard positive signals from the professional tours. Shorts are allowed in Pro-Ams, the ladies’ and men’s joint competitions will bring new flavor to the tour calendars and tour entities have successfully introduced new game modes that allow new kinds of tournaments experiences for both players as well as spectators.
At the same time, better digital services make it easier to play the game and enable a more fun golf experience both on and off the golf course. Digitalization is a fantastic opportunity to build onto the game, not take away from it. It has been great to witness how traditional golf organizations such as the R&A and USGA have begun to embrace digitalization as a cornerstone for the overall growth of the game.
Shot analyzers have made it easier for golfers and the professionals around the industry to analyze golf swings as well as assist with club fitting. More and more tee times are reserved directly via mobile devices, and golf broadcasting is evolving rapidly into a multi-screen environment where access and types of content can be dictated by end users all around the world. Golf course management and construction can be made more time and cost efficient through smart data and this in return serves as an important lifeline for the overall golf industry. The list could go on and on but what is clear, is that this digital transformation is here and it’s here to stay.
One of the finest things about golf is its profound social aspect. Relationships are forged around the game, business is made, experiences are co-created and due to the nature of the game, it can be a lifelong participation sport. Digitalization only further enhances this social aspect of the game. With every round of golf becoming a story of its own, people can embark on a true treasure hunt of collecting golfing experiences that they can not only share with their golfing community, but also re-live these moments over and over again.
Digitalization is also a statement. There are over 900 million rounds of golf being played each year. If the majority of all the rounds were recorded on a digital scorecard, the environmental impact would be staggering. This would not only save golf clubs a big amount of money each season, but also save a lot of those trees that we tend to slice our drives into.
Reforms do not stop here. At the moment the golf community is preparing for global handicap system which will huge improvement for the game. In 2020 we all will play under same handicap system. Golf GameBook’s vision that golfers can enjoy more of their game on the course as well as outside the course is closer every day.
Have a successful golf season,
Mikko Manerus
Golf GameBook, Founder
