Reflections on The Open for The Ages
The eighth year of NTT DATA’s partnership with The Open…
NTT DATA and The Open: A partnership that stands the test of time
NTT DATA has been a patron of The Open for a number of years now, providing technological capabilities behind the scenes as well as producing the NTT DATA Wall, an interactive area for The Open. We are passionate about giving spectators and sports fans the best digital enhancements to their experience. We are privileged to work on a first with The R&A, with all its history, especially in a year that the pandemic has caused The Open to be cancelled.
Building stronger fan engagement through technology is the future of sports and while it will never replace the enjoyment of live events, technology will play an increasingly central role to the experience.
Our Perspective
Technology that’s 160 years in the making
1860
The first Open - the method for the marking of a player’s scorecard remains the same today as it did in 1860 at Prestwick - a card and a pencil.
1864
The driving putter used by Tom Morris in his Open win of 1864
1927
The early scoreboards were handwritten, often with chalk on a board. For fans not at the event, the following day’s newspapers were the only sources to access the data.
1929
The introduction of steel shafts encouraged manufacturers such as Spalding to produce the first matching set of clubs
1946
Coverage of The Open consisted of only a few minutes each day on the radio, rising to 30 minutes on the final day.
1949
The first television pictures of The Open were broadcast on the BBC Newsreel, with an audience limited by the area covered by television broadcasting. In 1949, only London received pictures, expanding to include 95% of the population by 1955.
1969
The Open is broadcast in colour on the BBC for the first time.
1971
At Royal Birkdale, the iconic yellow leaderboard at the 18th green was first seen, with the scores updated manually. There was a simpler version used on the 18th tee at St Andrews in 1970.
1976
Japan received its first live Open transmission; yet, it was still old-fashioned, clunky cameras with only a few cameras to follow the play.
1990s
The size of club heads and, in particular, that of drivers increased. This was made possible with the use of lightweight metals such as titanium.
1995
‘Bunker Cam’ was introduced on the 17th Road Hole at St Andrews.
2000s
Rangefinders were introduced, giving a view of the exact distance for a shot and the allowance for any slope. Amateurs can use them in competition, but they can only be used by professionals in practice.
2005
‘TrackMan’ was introduced to expertly match a golfers’ swing for bespoke club production. Known as custom-fit; this technology in the modern game allowed a golfer to fine-tune personal swing stats with the perfect club model.
2010
In an era of data-rich sports, the spectator experience at The Open is one of the best. Using smart phones, apps and tablets and event Wi-Fi, fans can take photos and videos of players, access live TV and radio, live scoring, news, updates and access players’ social media accounts every second.
2014
The NTT DATA Wall was launched
2018
The NTT DATA Wall evolved further, featuring 3D visuals synchronised with the live TV broadcast, displayed on a giant LED wall with instant scoring updates. Unprecedented hole-by-hole data-analysis brought to life the scores, facts and figures behind The Open in a unique way.
2019
On the course, spectators can view over 450 TVs installed across the site, via 42kms of fibre optic cabling. Combined with the NTT DATA Wall, scoring has never been easier to view.
Golf : Innovation through the ages
In 2020, The Open was cancelled for the first time since the 1940s. In its place is The Open for The Ages, pitting the golf great from across the ages against each other.
Find out moreSince its foundation, The Open has been synonymous with innovation in golf. From its early live sports coverage on the BBC to the NTT DATA Wall.
