For years, golf fans have longed for more Masters coverage. Fans complain from afar that the Masters isn't broadcast from wall-to-wall, from the ceremonial first tee shots through the final putt on Sunday.
With the 2019 Masters app, however, Augusta National Golf Club and partner IBM have solved that problem. They've made the perfect Masters app.
In the 2019 Masters app, fans can see 3-D shot trails for every shot by every player in real time at Augusta National Golf Club. Fans can follow a player as they compete in each hole, seeing where each shot lands and where the next shot goes. Even more incredible, within 30 seconds of each shot being hit, a fan can watch a video clip of the player hitting that shot.
This now means golf fans can watch every Masters shot, practically live. It's incredible.
Sources say, years ago Augusta National conducted a private experiment of streaming every hole of the Masters. They had cameras on every hole with a team of commentators to cover all shots being hit. Ultimately, the club chose not to proceed with that coverage, sticking with streams of Amen Corner, holes 15 and 16, as well featured groups and the tournament practice facility.
However, with the 2019 Masters app, the club is effectively filming, broadcasting and archiving every shot for every player in the field. There's no need for commentators for players who are struggling as they play through. There's no need for a fan to have to sit through other players' shots if they don't want to watch them. A fan can follow their favorite players' rounds in real time and watch just their shots before moving on to another player and starting another journey.
What the 2019 Masters app represents is an incredible achievement in raising the standard of golf coverage. The PGA Tour has said it endeavors to eventually be able to record and broadcast every player's shot in a tournament. Now that the Masters has officially brought that to the public, the pressure will mount on the PGA Tour to improve their full-field coverage for diehard golf fans.
