The 115th U.S. Open Championship will feature technology never before seen on the golf course:
An aerial drone.
The device will fly high above the action, take video of the course, and live broadcast its high-definition footage on TV for the world to see.
HeliVideo, one of six companies that successfully received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly drones in commercial airspace, will take more than one million dollars in equipment to Chambers Bay - near Tacoma, Wash. - to film the U.S. Open for Fox Sports.
The footage should provide a new and unique point-of-view of the tournament. Previously, networks would use a blimp to get aerial views of golf courses, but blimps cannot be controlled as well as drones, a major disadvantage.
The Chambers Bay course is situated right on Puget Sound, a perfect setting for breathtaking visuals of beautiful sunsets, giant crowds, expansive sand dunes, and well-kept grass.
To put the event into perspective, the 2015 PGA Championship will be held at Whistling Straits on the Wisconsin coast of Lake Michigan. In 2010, the images taken on the sand dunes with normal photography were fantastic as players like runner-up Dustin Johnson blended into the crowd.
The use of high-definition drones should be able to capture even more spectacular images.
This year will be the first time hosting the U.S. Open on Fox Sports, after reportedly doubling the contract rights held previously by NBC Sports. Fox Sports has a history of introducing new technologies to the sporting world like the "Phantom Cam" below.
The increased use of technological advances comes at a time when golf's ratings are at an all-time high. There are plenty of reasons for its growing viewership:
Tiger Wood's comeback from an injury, a level playing field among the world's top players, and an increased emphasis on the more "normal" tournaments, not just the major championships and The Players.
NBC, while they did lose the rights to the U.S. Open - rights they had since 1995 - the network won a 12-year contract to broadcast the British Open starting in 2017. ESPN and ABC have dominiated the British Open broadcasts for the past four decades.
While many claim that golf is dying, the numbers say otherwise. The ratings are higher than ever before, record crowds are showing up for events, and technology is continuing to improve the overall experience.
Whether the addition of drones will increase viewship has yet to be seen. We will have to wait until Father's Day weekend to find out.
H/T GeekWire