Do you remember the days when watching golf on television consisted of a camera capturing a player striking their shot, followed immediately by a camera further down the fairway attempting to capture the ball landing somewhere down the fairway?
It’s just the way it was, and it was great in its own way. That was then, and this is now.
Thanks to Shot Tracer, we are now able to watch golf on television in a whole new way.
For those of you who may not know what Shot Tracer is, it’s the technology that traces a players golf ball in the sky so that the viewer can see the exact pattern of the golf shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nHzFcBAv-A
It’s brilliant.
My first recollection of the impact Shot Tracer had for the television viewer was when Fox first covered the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay.
The tournament was, ultimately, won by Jordan Spieth, after Dustin Johnson three-putted from a relatively short distance on the 72nd hole.
Some of you may recall that Chambers Bay was a golf course with very little definition. Tee shots often had to be hit towards landmarks because the fairway was not visible from the tee.
For the television viewer, Shot Tracer enhanced the experience of the tournament, and made an otherwise unwatchable television broadcast seem incredibly entertaining.
Watching Spieth hit a shot that was immediately outlined in the sky allowed the viewer to truly recognize just how accurate he is with his shots. The ball literally flies on a straight line. Shot Tracer makes it possible to experience this.
To truly appreciate the power of Shot Tracer, however, you need to watch a guy who can shape his shots like Bubba Watson.
It’s one thing to outline a straight shot, but it’s entirely different to trace a ball that curves as much as the shots that Watson can hit.
The tech tracks every hook and slice perfectly, and it has made watching golf on television even a greater experience.
Some of you may consider yourselves purists and most likely do not enjoy the graphics produced by Shot Tracer. That’s fine, too. But I am among those who love what this technology has added to the wonderful game of golf.
For me, golf is a fascinating game because everybody plays it so differently. Not only do swings look different, but golf shots fly differently, as well. Thanks to Shot Tracer, we can finally watch these shots with more precision.
