The PGA TOUR's Data Collection System –

How it is used; what has been learned

ShotLink:

Steve Evans

SVP Information Systems

Introduction

• ShotLink Supports:

– 3 TOURs: PGA TOUR, Champions Tour,

Nationwide Tour

– 100 tournaments

Agenda

• Collecting Data: The ShotLink System

– How ShotLink works

– Our data set

• Distributing Data: How is it used?

– Fan Enhancements

• Analyzing Data: What have we learned?

– Enhanced Broadcast Statistics

– Improving Amateur Play

– New Stats to Measure Professional Play

• ShotLink Intelligence / Prize

The Vision:

• To turn data into information,

- information into knowledge,

- knowledge into entertainment

• “Every Shot, Every Player, Real Time”

Collecting Data: The ShotLink System

Volunteers

Walking Scorers

Volunteers

Laser Operators

• Tournament Results from 1916 – present *

• 1983 – 1992: Round statistics

• 1992 – 2001: Hole by hole statistics

• 2001 – 2002: Shot-level data **

• 2003 – present: Quality shot-level data ***

* 1916 – 1980 contains results that may be incomplete

** 2001 – 2002 Shot-level data at varying levels of quality (Ramp up period for ShotLink)

*** Shot-level data available for PGA TOUR only

A Summary of our Data Set – Across 3 Tours

• 9,000 Tournaments

• 4,000 Courses

• 28,000 Players

• 741,000 Results Records (1 per player per event)

• 1,000,000 Scorecards

• 18,000,000 Hole-level entries

• 21,000,000 Shot-level entries

• Highly structured data set

• Distance data accurate to +/- 2” on the green and +/- 1 yard on the fairway (on average)

A Summary of our Data Set – Across 3 Tours

Distributing Data: How is it Used?

25%31%T5thBirdie or Better Pct -< 125 yards

-.169-.316T3rdApproach < 125 yards (RTP Score)

29' 0"16' 9"6thApproaches < 125 yards (Rough)

87%93%6thGIR Percentage -< 125 yards

-.187-.500T2ndApproach 100-125 yards (RTP Score)

21' 10"16' 3"7thApproaches from 100-125 yards

79%100%T1stGIR Percentage -100-125 yards

18%33%T4thBirdie or Better Pct -125-150 yards

28' 5"16' 0"2ndApproaches from 125-150 yards

78%100%T1stGIR Percentage -125-150 yards

Field Avg.Winner StatWinner RankStat

Geoff Ogilvy vs. The 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship Field

25%31%T5thBirdie or Better Pct -< 125 yards

-.169-.316T3rdApproach < 125 yards (RTP Score)

29' 0"16' 9"6thApproaches < 125 yards (Rough)

87%93%6thGIR Percentage -< 125 yards

-.187-.500T2ndApproach 100-125 yards (RTP Score)

21' 10"16' 3"7thApproaches from 100-125 yards

79%100%T1stGIR Percentage -100-125 yards

18%33%T4thBirdie or Better Pct -125-150 yards

28' 5"16' 0"2ndApproaches from 125-150 yards

78%100%T1stGIR Percentage -125-150 yards

Field Avg.Winner StatWinner RankStat

Geoff Ogilvy vs. The 2009 Mercedes-Benz Championship Field

Inte

rnet

• Introduction of color LED Scoreboards

Distributing Data: Fan Enhancements

• Expansion of large format video walls

Distributing Data: Fan Enhancements

• Mobile Device Policy

Distributing Data: Fan Enhancements

Analyzing Data: What Have we Learned?

• Better broadcast statistics

• Compare amateur data to the professionals

• Introduction of new stats

– Strokes Gained - Putting

Ten years of ShotLink Data -

Analyzing Data: Broadcast Statistics

•• Short : 55%

• Made : 4%

• Long : 41%

30-Handicap20-Handicap

• Short : 44%

• Made : 6%

• Long : 50%

Dave Pelz Analysis of Amateur Play at the WAHC

0-Handicap

• Short : 44%

• Made : 10%

• Long : 46%

Dave Pelz Analysis of Amateur Play at the WAHC

TOUR Pro• Short : 15%

• Made : 15%

• Long : 70%

Dave Pelz Analysis of Amateur Play at the WAHC

Stroked Gained - Putting

• A result of our ShotLink Intelligence program

which is powered by CDW

• New stat in 2011

• Based on research from Columbia University

(Broadie) extended by MIT (Graves)

• First putting stat that values the distance of

the putt

• Which is better: A 2-putt from 8' or a 2-putt

from 33'?

– At 7' 8" a 2-putt loses ½ a stroke

– At 33' a 2-putt neither gains nor loses strokes

Strokes Gained - Putting

• If you miss two 8' putts, you lose 1 stroke

• Which means…

– You have to make two additional 8' putts… OR

– You have to make a 14' putt and a 5' putt… OR

– You have to make a 100' putt…

• 70% of PGA TOUR winners finish the event ranking in

the top 15. They average 1.25 strokes per round better

than the field in those victories

– Just to get back to even!

Introducing: The ShotLink Intelligence Prize

ShotLink Intelligence Prize

• Challenges Academics to find the best use of ShotLink Data

• Available to all ShotLink Intelligence Participants

• Details available at www.pgatour.com/ShotLinkIntelligence

• Papers Due November 1, 2012

• Best paper receives $25,000 technology gift for their

university

• Winner Announced no later than March 31, 2013

• Working with The Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports

(JQAS) regarding a special golf issue

These Guys Are Good