Inflatable Dome Collapse Delays TGL’s Debut
Due to a failure in the temporary power system and backup systems used during construction at TGL’s new stadium, the launch date for Tomorrow’s Golf League originally set for January 9, 2023 will be postponed until early 2025. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, and most of the technology remained intact. Despite this setback, we at Systematic Consulting Group remain enthusiastic and committed to continuing our work on the TGL project. Our team is motivated and excited to be a part of this innovative venture in the world of golf and technology.
TGL’s Technical Challenge
How many pixels do you need to track a golf ball from 40 feet in the air? What if the ground rotates? What if the surface deforms in real time? What if you had to track that ball over four basketball courts?
Systematic Consulting Group has the answer: 100 million pixels.
Tomorrow’s Golf League or TGL greenplay takes place on a rotating turntable packed with three Full Swing virtual greens that deform its surface to match the contours of the virtual green. Once the ball lands on the virtual green, it must be placed on the physical green in precisely the same position. Then each subsequent shot on the green must be tracked with high accuracy and archived.
The Process
Tracking a golf ball in this way sounds like an off-the-wall problem, but Systematic specializes in off-the-wall. Systematic has programmed drones to track golf balls flying across a fairway. While we wouldn’t have to keep the cameras airborne this time, doing this in the TGL arena (SoFi Stadium) for a live TV show presented its own set of challenges:
- Cameras had to be mounted out of the view of broadcast cameras at steep angles to the area of interest
- Our high resolution tracking feeds would have to do double duty for use in an operator interface
- Everything had to be redundant and fault tolerant
Systematic proposed the following solution:
- 4 cameras each capturing 3-times-higher-than-4K resolution at 30 frames per second
- Software to stitch together all 4 oblique views into a single overhead view
- A web-based operator interface for zooming, panning, and marking shot locations on the overhead view
- Machine-vision-powered assists to help the operator dial in ball positions
The Results
Systematic designed, procured, built, and programmed this system from the ground up. In testing at Systematic’s lab, this system can track balls to within 1 inch on the green and within 2.5 inches over the entire 11,000 square foot Greenplay area.
Sound pretty high tech for golf? It’s just one of many state-of-the-art hardware and software systems powering TGL, and Systematic worked on many of them. Stay tuned to our blog for more technical details you won’t find anywhere else!