Pin Positioning Technology Operational on All Three PGA WEST® Private Courses

The Green Committee along with the Agronomy Staff have been working on a Pin Positioning project to improve the consistency of pin locations, insure they are in acceptable positions and utilize all available locations to increase the variety of hole placements.  We are pleased to announce that we are now operational on all three PGA WEST private courses: Nicklaus, Palmer and Weiskopf.

Our partner in this program is ezLocator, a company whose technology is being used at over 300 courses in the U.S. as well as at many international clubs. We interviewed general managers, superintendents and golf professionals at a dozen of these sites confirming their satisfaction and the overwhelming appreciation of their members with this capability. Here’s how it works:

·      3D imagery is used to create a map showing quantifiable slope, contours, and the outline of all green surfaces.

·      This data is analyzed to identify every playable hole location on each green based on the slope and contour unique to each green.

·      The green maps and identified hole locations are used by the ezLocator software (S/W) to generate daily pin locations that are randomly selected for all 18 holes of the course selected. The PGA WEST team can also select a mode that allows them to identify specific hole locations for special events like tournaments, team play matches, etc.

·      Superintendents can also adjust the S/W to protect specific areas from being selected if they notice exceptional wear on a specific green area. This feature will, over time, provide better green performance.

·      The S/W keeps track of hole placement history as it randomly selects locations to help protect greens from overusing certain locations. It also creates a radius around each selected hole location that directs the selection algorithm to avoid locations within this area for a defined period of time; thus, further protecting green wear.

·      The pin locating S/W generates a hole-by-hole recipe that is used by the cup cutters to insure accurate positioning of the identified locations. Because the hole locations are randomly selected by the algorithm there will no longer be the typical sequence of front, middle and back locations that was previously used.

·      The Golf Shop will then take the days locations and create a Pin Sheet that is printed and made available daily to Members at the starter podium.

There is also a phone app for iPhones and Androids that Members can download and have the same Pin Sheet format in the palm of their hand. 

Simply go to the appropriate App Store and search for “ezLocator” and download the free app, or use your smartphone camera to capture QR codes below.

We hope you find this technology useful and functional at “The Western Home of Golf in America™”!