PGA Tour HD App Optimizes 2012 Coverage for iPad

Turner Sports’ PGATOUR.com extended its signature LIVE@ video-streaming franchise to the iPad last week, launching the PGA Tour HD app on the eve of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, CA. The free iPad app, now available at the Apple App Store, features a centralized dashboard that will deliver live streaming video, scoring, player statistics, and course information throughout the 2012 golf season.

PGATOUR.com’s free iPad app will deliver streaming video, scores and stats, and golf-course info from a central dashboard.

“The goal here was to create a dashboard, a live dashboard, for our fans,” says Scott Gutterman, executive producer, PGATOUR.com. “The wider screen on the tablets really gives us the opportunity to offer fans a single page and a single view of all the things they want to see in one place without having to scroll.”

The app’s live-streaming function will be available for approximately 10 selected events this season, covering two holes on each course. During last week’s Farmers Insurance Open, fans could access live streaming video from holes 13 and 16 on Torrey Pines’ South Course.

LIVE@, which runs on PGATOUR.com’s range of mobile apps and Website, will return later this month for the Accenture Match Play Championship at the Ritz-Carleton Golf Course. When live streaming is not available, the app’s video player streams highlights from the linear broadcast. Beginning in 2013, fans will be able to simulcast the linear feed through the iPad app.

“Golf is unique relative to other sports, and we are very aware of the fact that we can leverage technology to actually bring fans closer to the sport,” says Alex Vargas, senior director of business operations for PGATOUR.com, Turner Sports. “When you have an event that spans four days, eight hours a day, 18 holes, [with] a field of 150 players, even if you’re watching it on TV or even if you’re actually at the event, it’s very difficult to be able to take it all in … Whether you’re looking at the iPad app or whether you’re looking at our other digital platforms, we really try to bring all that information into one place, where it’s easy to access and fans can stay abreast of what’s going on at that given time.”

The app, a collaborative effort between the PGA Tour and Turner Sports, is based on a variable-bitrate stream that will adjust to the bandwidth of user connections. While both the PGA Tour and Turner Sports considered the potential capabilities of the iPad 3 (supposedly on the horizon), the app is optimized for the current iOS platform.

“The PGA Tour HD app brings a unique golf experience to the fans’ fingertips, providing live video coverage, stats, and scores in a vivid interface, and is a wonderful addition to the PGATOUR.com digital portfolio,” says Lenny Daniels, EVP/COO, Turner Sports. “We will continue to provide golf enthusiasts with the most comprehensive Tour coverage across a multitude of platforms.”

The PGA Tour HD app opens to a dashboard featuring the video player, scoring information, Twitter feed, and live tournament updates. Through the app, fans can access full leaderboard stats, including tee times, position, FedExCup points and standings, and player information. The app also includes live data for each course played in the PGA Tour, as well as weather conditions.

“You can see the scoring average or the shortest putt on a hole,” says Gutterman. “You can look at who’s leading in scoring average at that point in time, who’s leading in driving distance or strokes gained putting, and really get a sense of [the tournament].”

The PGA Tour HD app is sponsored by Callaway.