SkyGolf, maker of SkyCaddie, has opened its exclusive golf course database with the launch of its new SkyPins service.
SkyCaddie has made SkyPins available to all U.S., Canadian and U.K. golf clubs following a three-year trial with the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland tournament directors.
SkyPins enables golf club managers, golf course superintendents and tournament directors to produce accurate printed daily colour pin or zone sheets for their facility or event.
Golfers can also use Wi-Fi to download the day’s pin locations to their SkyCaddie, giving them exact yardages to the flag on every hole, even for blind shots or from behind trees.
SkyPins, which is powered by SkyCaddie’s TruGround on-foot course mapping and patented IntelliGreen technology, also gives exact green shapes, mapped on foot to sub-yard accuracy, as well as greenside hazards.
“A SkyCaddie gives players more information than a sole distance to the pin, and we place great value on our long-standing partnership with them,” said Chris Joyce, head of tournament operations for the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland.
“Their latest innovation, SkyPins, now creates an enhanced tournament experience for PGA GB and I professionals who participate in the association’s national schedule,” said Joyce.
“It is a fantastic service, very easy for golf clubs to use, and you can personalize the pin sheets, according to the name of the competition that day,” added Joyce.
“All players get a colour pin sheet including info about greenside penalty areas and bunkers and those with SkyCaddies can also synchronize their devices to view the tournament pin positions before each day’s play, thus getting an electronic version of the pin sheet on their SkyCaddie screen,” said Joyce.
“The PGA of GB & I already uses SkyCaddie’s ground-mapped data when setting the pin positions for national events, so by using SkyPins on their SkyCaddie, they are directly downloading the work done by our PGA tournament staff,” added Joyce.
Jacqui Surman, SkyGolf’s senior VP and COO, said that trials with the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland have been very successful.
“We have also been using SkyPins with the Legends Tour in Europe, where over 60 per cent of the field now use a SkyCaddie for their yardages and download the pins daily,” said Surman.
“The beauty of adding the tournament’s daily pin location to the SkyCaddie’s Intelligreen, is that the player now has all the green information he needs – pro front, back and pin location, all rotating to the player’s angle of attack,” added Surman.
“The pin location can then be moved or adjusted to give the player the best shot into the green. Tour players are rarely playing directly at the pin, but rather a section of the green allowing them the best chance to sink the putt. Hence, the players on the Legend Tour find the SkyCaddie so valuable in their game,” said Surman.
“We are excited that we can now make SkyPins available for all golfers and are looking forward to welcoming U.S., Canadian and U.K. golf clubs on board with this game-changing service,” said Surman.
“We have also added a feature to the Pin sheets where a golf facility could sell advertising sponsorship to the printed daily pin sheets or provide corporate golf events with a more personalized touch.”
Golf clubs interested in more information can click here.
SkyCaddie products are distributed in Canada by Jancor Agencies Inc.
