Tech on the Range and Indoors
Rea has also turned to other technologies that extend the golf experience and streamline operations. His facility recently switched to Toast, a point-of-sale system often used in restaurants. With a 21-bay Toptracer Range, he compares it to running a restaurant with 21 six-top tables.
“We can use the software to track food & beverage sales, see who’s using the range, and then target those customers to get them back and maybe even onto the golf course,” he says.
Toptracer itself, Rea adds, is a game-changer. “Kids are playing Angry Birds and don’t even realize they’re practicing golf. For adults, Toptracer Coach lets me assign homework and check their progress.
“This generation is all about gamification. If you can gamify it, you can make golf cool.”
Technology has helped transform ranges into big business for facilities. The template of fun, food & beverage and golf created by Topgolf has reimagined what the once-humble driving range can be for golfers and operators alike. The trend toward tech-based gamification that Topgolf started has expanded to other golf entertainment range facilities, and data collection and gamification can also be found through technology from companies like Arccos and nRange.
Technology is helping ranges cater to both avid golfers who want to practice and analyze their shot data and recreational golfers who want a gamified experience to play with family and friends. Brands like Toptracer and Trackman Range are redefining what is possible on ranges, from shot data to simulator-style experiences, while companies like FlagD provide individual golf facilities the chance to upgrade the range experience with dynamic yardage markers and even RFID tracking to help keep an eye on loaner and demo clubs.
The same benefits are also continuing to drive a boom of indoor simulator use, both at existing golf facilities and at new facilities focusing on coaching or on social simulator golf.
One of those facilities is Whole Golf, a 5,000 square foot indoor studio in Bloomfield Township, Michigan, co-owned by PGA of America Golf Professional Stephanie Jennings. With five hitting bays and a short game area, the facility can host lessons, leagues and special events in any weather.
Being able to pack so many golf experiences into a single space – without needing the real estate that a range requires – means a simulator business can be housed in a strip mall or office park while reaching area golfers.
“We have coaching, TPI-certified fitness, group lessons, leagues, high school practices and more, all under the same roof,” says Jennings, the President of the Michigan PGA Section. “It’s a whole different perspective on golf training. Thanks to the technology, you get all the ball flight data you could need and you can do it indoors in any weather.”
Jennings says the number of simulator golf facilities, along with entertainment ranges like Topgolf and the large number of private clubs that have installed simulators for member use, means that PGA of America Associates planning on working in the Teaching & Coaching career path need to be comfortable in a simulator environment.
“It’s become part of the coaching business now to teach with a launch monitor or in a simulator, and a lot of students expect to get instant feedback in the form of data on a screen or video,” Jennings says. “You don’t have to use every bit of data with every student, but you need to be comfortable running lessons in that environment.
“Technology is a good thing for coaches because our students get excited about it. Not to mention that it creates year-round job opportunities in areas where the weather used to dictate seasonal jobs for PGA of America Members. It’s nice for coaches and players to know they’re able to get their work in whether it’s raining or snowing, hot or cold outside.”
The PGA of America’s new home in Frisco, Texas, showcases the latest in golf and management software in ways that are both highly visible and under the radar. For example, the PGA of America has several software engineers who help develop custom tools for use at PGA Headquarters, as well as by the 41 PGA of America Sections. PGA Coach, PGA.org and the PGA Member app were all written by in-house developers. The Association is also incorporating AI into a number of its processes.
“The PGA of America is a large organization with a lot of surface area,” says PGA of America Chief Technology Officer Kevin Scott. “We’re doing everything we can to use technology to make our staff more effective and to look at the new opportunities that are coming along. The more fluent our staff is in using AI and other technologies, the more we can supercharge the things we do for PGA of America Members and the golf industry.”
There is a plethora of hands-on technology to be found at PGA Frisco, as well. The PGA of America Headquarters building houses the PGA Education Center, which includes seven indoor aboutGolf simulator bays, four indoor/outdoor hitting bays and a large putting area with multiple types of launch monitors, putting analysis tools and other technologies to provide a learning lab for PGA Associates attending Level 2 and 3 courses on campus.
The PGA of America Coaching Center Powered by T-Mobile, located across the range from headquarters, also boasts several state of the art teaching technologies. The two-story facility integrates T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced Network Solutions to enable tools like Toptracer Range and Toptracer Coach. The PGA of America Coaching Center also uses Trackman, the Swing Catalyst analysis system and Full Swing simulators across its 10 hitting bays.
A pair of technologically advanced putting systems are also in use at the PGA of America Coaching Center Powered by T-Mobile. The Zen Green Stage putting surface moves to simulate different types of putts to create specific practice conditions, while the PuttView surface uses Augmented Reality (AR) to project putting lines on the green to show students how putts will break. The Coaching Center also includes the latest Technogym equipment to provide access to cutting edge fitness programs.
