In my previous post I mentioned how the PGA Tour uses data analytics to create stats the fans could easily pay attention to. As a golf fan, I can say that we love to watch different players because they all play differently. That is why keeping track of specific stats is so much fun for us. The PGA Tour uses data in other ways than raw statistics to increase followers and engagement from the fans.
The PGA Tour has a unique business model in that it is a tax-exempt member organization. Also, the location of business moves each week with different venues for each event. The PGA Tour pays some 2,000 employees but relies heavily on the tens of thousands of unpaid volunteers. To keep this money train moving smoothly, it is crucial that the interests of golf fans and corporate sponsors are aligned with each other.
It is very important to use data analyzation when it comes to broadcast ratings, attendance of tournaments, merchandise sales, and internet viewership. All of these are critical to raising the money that funds the player benefits. The PGA Tour has 15-20 IT workers across the country that keep track of all these things. Then, with this data, they PGA Tour will analyze it to find out where the next venue should be, who they would want to sponsor it, and what they need to do to get more fans involved.
Perhaps the best thing the PGA Tour has done to increase fan involvement and total viewership was introducing the Shotlink system. The Shotlink system made its debut in 2001 and revolutionized the game in the eyes of the viewer. This awesome gadget tracks every shot at every event. It tracks where a player's golf ball starts and lands and all the ground covered in-between. Shotlink data generates more than 500 statistics as well as predictive analysis on golfers' games.
By: Matt Gilreath
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