Jon Mazanec, a 32-year-old golf fanatic who works in industrial sales near Boston, has developed a unique way to get score updates while attending professional golf tournaments.
“I camp out next to a volunteer with a walkie-talkie,” he said, “and when I hear the crowd roar on other holes, I ask the volunteer to radio someone to see what happened.”
Not exactly what you would expect in the digital age.
“It’s a challenge to get information when you’re on the golf course,” said Paul Johnson, senior vice president of new media for the PGA Tour. “The message is pretty clear from the fans: Any additional information you can give me is great.”
Given the restrictions on mobile phone use at tournaments, golf’s organizing bodies have lagged behind some other professional sports leagues in matching ticket holders with advancements in mobile technology. But a new crop of devices may narrow that gap.
WiseDV’s data device was sampled at the
PGA Tour’s Buick Invitational last month.
One such product comes from WiseDV, which makes an audio, video and data device that was used last year at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. It was sampled at the PGA Tour’s Buick Invitational last month, and WiseDV is in talks to conduct additional trials at The Players Championship, U.S. Open, PGA Championship and Ryder Cup later this year.
The handheld is similar to a Kangaroo TV model being used by some NFL teams and numerous auto racing circuits. Kangaroo is discussing a trial with the PGA Tour and this year will expand its relationship with the European Tour to a series of tournaments.
DevTek, another upstart, is in talks with the PGA Tour to supply its disposable audio earpieces at the 20 or so events where XM Satellite Radio, the tour’s official satellite radio partner, is not distributing its portable audio device.
MyLeaderboard, a data device that debuted last year, has a licensing agreement with the tour and will be used at just under 20 PGA Tour events in 2008, up from 13 last year. It also will be available at its first LPGA tournament, a series of Nationwide Tour events and, potentially, majors organized by the USGA and PGA of America.
While the business models vary, the device providers generally pay a royalty or licensing fee to the governing body for access to scoring data or an audio and video feed. The companies then sell branding on the device or digital advertising to help offset costs. Some also charge fans small fees to rent the devices.
In the short term, industry executives don’t envision tournaments or the tours developing the emerging technologies into a lucrative revenue stream.
“If tournaments are looking for them to be a moneymaker, I don’t know if that’s going to happen,” said Kym Hougham, director of the Wachovia Championship and former president of the PGA Tour Tournaments Association. “But if you use it totally for a fan experience, it’s a no-brainer.”
The big money would likely be tied to telecommunications deals that have eluded top golf properties. The category remains unsold by the PGA Tour, USGA, PGA of America and the LPGA. AT&T has spoken with Augusta National about introducing on-course devices at the Masters, but nothing is planned this year.
“In the future, everyone will be carrying a mobile device that can handle audio, data and video through their cell phone,” Johnson said. “So there’s a long-term opportunity to consider that, but in the short term, they’re not allowed on the course.”
