LIV Golf have signed a deal with Google Cloud and technology company PMY Group to launch an innovative Golf Companion App alongside new online features that will enable viewers to watch any golfer at any time during their events.
The new 'Any Shot, Any Time' feature is being launch on the LIV Golf Plus website this summer, which according to LIV Golf will see "fans able to select exactly which golfers, teams, or groups they want to watch at any given time, as well as searchable and customizable on-demand highlight reels from any round of any LIV tournament."
As part of a technology drive for LIV Golf, Greg Norman's tour aims to roll out new features aimed at improving the viewing experience for fans, based on Google Cloud’s Vertex AI platform.
As well as being able to watch any player playing at any given time, other features such as "real-time data and statistics streaming, course and event mapping, and customizable experiences for fans and broadcast viewers" are set to be introduced.
“This is a game changer for golf and most importantly, for the fans,” said LIV Golf Commissioner Norman.
“We are proud to have Google Cloud on board as a technology partner of LIV Golf as we accelerate our league’s digital transformation with the preeminent brand in this space.
"Working with Google Cloud and other world-class partners, our advanced approach to technology and innovation will revolutionize golf as we bring the sport into the future.”
Comprehensive shot tracking is already available at The Masters on their website, while feature group coverage has been widely available at big events and Majors for some time, but LIV Golf believes it's taking it up a notch.
While features are introduced on the website, they'll also be available on the new Golf Companion App, which is being launched this summer and will be available for free.
App features will also include 3D aerial maps of LIV Golf venues, advanced stats delivered in real-time and what LIV is calling "virtual caddy views" along with customizable highlights of tournaments.
“As a player, captain and team owner, I am constantly exploring ways for LIV to expand the horizons of our sport,” said Bryson DeChambeau.
“Our partnership with PMY and Google Cloud enables the league and teams to develop a modern approach to maximizing technology to new levels in the game of golf we have never seen before.
"We always want to be better. We want to think outside the box and explore the impossible, and with Google Cloud, the impossible becomes reality.”
LIV Golf's shorter schedule, smaller fields and shotgun start make it ideal for this kind of technology to be introduced, as their Saudi investors continue to plough money into the competition.
As well as adding players such as Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton to improve the product on the course, they're also pulling out all the stops to improve the viewer experience for fans off it.
