BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Greg Norman Unveils In-Cart 'Shark Experience' For Golfers With Music, Video And GPS

Following
This article is more than 6 years old.

A hotel television might not seem like the best source of inspiration, but it was for Greg Norman in creating the “Shark Experience.”

With a TV remote in hand, Norman was scrolling through the deep menu of options in his hotel room some years ago when he first came up with the idea of bringing connectivity and customized content to golf carts. The concept took more than four years to deliver, but Norman – together with partners Verizon, GPSi and Club Car – is now set to roll out the technology at courses throughout the U.S. in 2018.

Greg Norman Company

I recently had the opportunity to get an early look at the innovative Shark Experience, which features music and video on a high-definition 10-inch touchscreen display in the cart in addition to GPS technology that gives in-depth hole and yardage information with the touch of a finger. The connected carts – from Club Car, of course – allow golfers to enjoy curated content from Verizon, most notably streaming music via Slacker Radio that can be easily searched by artist or genre.

The carts feature built-in speakers (with Bluetooth connectivity) that produce terrific sound without being intrusive to other golfers; I noticed that even with the volume turned up pretty high, the music wasn’t audible once we were about 20-25 feet away from the cart.

There’s also a wealth of video options, from live sports and highlights to news and entertainment, if you’re inclined to stay that connected during your round. On Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the football season, that option could prove to be hugely popular if licensing hurdles are out of the way. And golfers in need of some in-round tips will find those too; a swipe of a finger can pull up Norman demonstrating the best way to hit a tricky long bunker shot.

“At the end of the day we truly believe we have an innovative, game-changing opportunity for the game of golf that’s going to be accretive to everybody,” says Norman.

Greg Norman Company

“We completely understand some golf courses are not going to like this, there’s no question about it,” he adds. “But that’s their choice. That’s why I say, ‘Your game, your way.’ I’m extremely proud of this.”

The idea is as much connectivity as a user would want. As such, there are different price points that would tack $5, $7 or $10 onto the standard cart fee, with course operators getting a share of the revenue. In a competitive golf market, the Shark Experience just might be the technological platform that helps one course stand out from its competition.

Some golfers might just want to hook up their phone to the system and use the Bluetooth connectivity to listen to music that sounds far better coming out of the speakers than the weak amplification you get when your phone is sitting in the cart cup-holder.

“At the end of the day what we have here is not a product. What we have here is a platform – a forever evolving platform. Just like your device,” says Norman. “It’s a work in progress. It’s just going to keep developing. Just like your device, it’s going to get better and better. The ultimate goal for us is to enhance the golfer’s experience on the golf course.”

Another way the platform can do that is through a seamless, cashless experience, from the course to the clubhouse. Users won’t have to dig into their wallet for cash, instead using a card (with a shark on it, naturally) that can be used to order anything beers from the beverage cart, burgers at the turn, and post-round drinks back at the clubhouse bar. The idea is like being a “member for a day.”

Greg Norman Company

Norman’s partners in this project are noteworthy. Verizon is pretty comfortable delivering subscription services, with 130 million consumers on its network consuming data and a network that covers about 97% of the population. It was actually Verizon that connected the first car – a 1997 Cadillac – and today the company has more than 6 million automobiles tied into its network. With its acquisitions of AOL and Yahoo, Verizon has even more content to deliver to users, even in the golf cart.

Club Car is one of the three big names in the golf cart market while GPSi is the leading provider of GPS systems on the golf course, tracking more than 75,000 connected vehicles in over 50 countries.

Norman says he sees this new customizable platform as a way to keep golfers even more entertained and connected, no matter whether they’re a Baby Boomer, Millennial or Gen Z. It’s all about how much technology you want, which is why the tagline for Shark Experience is “Your Game. Your Way.”

For me, I loved the wealth of music options, the cashless pay system and, from a play perspective, particularly the course flyovers and instant yardage details to see how to approach a particular hole at a course you don’t know and help pick which club to hit. The video options, whether it was watching news clips or sports highlights, wasn’t for me but I could envision its appeal, whether it’s newcomers to the game or during a wait on the tee box of a par-3 on a busy Saturday morning.

So will this speed up or slow down play? The feedback from the two golf courses that have done more than 3,000 trial rounds is that it has no real impact on pace of play, good or bad. The other response – from users, course operators and managers – has been largely positive.

“That feedback we’re getting is fueling our excitement,” says Norman. The program will pilot at the 2018 PGA Show in January and roll out gradually next year. How popular it will be with golfers remains to be seen, but the platform will only continue to evolve, with features such as hole-in-one technology, remote food and beverage ordering, and Shot Tracer in the plans.

“I always get asked, ‘Would I have enjoyed this if I was 30 years younger?’” says the 62-year-old Norman. “I would have embraced this. I can do as much as I want or as little as I want.”

RELATED CONTENT:

Forget A Smart Ball You Can't Lose; OnCore Golf Has A 'Genius Ball' For $50 Per Sleeve

Jordan Spieth's Coach, Cameron McCormick, Ventures Into TV With Golf Channel Series

 

Follow me on Twitter