Protracer Partners with ESPN to Deliver Graphics from 144th Open

For the sixth consecutive year ESPN employed Protracer ball tracking technology to enhance the their coverage of the 144th Open Championship.

“We are proud of doing our sixth straight Open Championship as part of the ESPN and ESPN Visual Technology group and returning to St Andrews where we did our first ever Open Championship production makes it even more special.” says Daniel Forsgren, CEO of Protracer.

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In collaboration with ESPN Visual Technology, nine Protracer systems are used to cover a total of 16 locations on the famed Old Course at St Andrews – including the driving range, eight tee locations, six fairway positions and a new tracking system on hole 17 to trace incoming tee shots down the line.

“Protracer has become an integral part of our Open Championship coverage. It provides fast, mobile and accurate ball tracking graphics, and works seamlessly with the ESPN production cameras.” says Stephen Berntsen, Senior Technology Specialist at the ESPN Visual Technology group.

“ESPN have chosen Protracer for the fast real-time ball flight graphics overlaid over live camera footage, along with a unique portability that allows the tracking system to follow players into the fairway. Overlaying real-time traces on live video makes sure the enhancement can be used extensively, without the need to find time for a replay or a virtual segment”, Forsgren adds.

Some of the Protracer systems on The Old Course are set in permanent locations while others are used to follow featured groups around the course. Due to the vast amount of different shot shapes crafted by the world’s top players when tackling a links course, The Open Championship provides an excellent stage for Protracer.

“We employ multiple Protracer systems which allows us to track shots throughout the golf course and from varying camera angles, including rail mounted robotic cameras, mobile units and camera towers. It all works very well and integrates smoothly into the production.” says Berntsen.

A new addition to this year’s Open Championship coverage on ESPN is a neat camera angle on the famous 17th hole on The Old Course. Set next to the green the camera shows tee shots as they are hit into the fairway, over The Old Course Hotel.

“The new receive tracking system on 17 is a big value added to the broadcast, showcasing an entirely new perspective on ball flight and strategy.”