On RFID technology and golf balls
The 2008 US Open Golf Championship held at Torrey Pines this year was one of the most memorable championships in the tournament’s history. We were fortunate to watch, walk the course and capture the action this year which eventually culminated in the “sudden death” playoff of Tiger Woods and Rocco Mediate on the 16th of June.
Professional golfers like Tiger and Rocco, for ill or good, have caddies, TV crews and spectators watching their every shot, locating its exact spot and lie. Unfortunately, the common golfing experience is somewhat different for the rest of us “non-pros.” Oftentimes, we are in the rough and weeds looking for our golf ball. And many times we are pressed to drop or take a stroke on our card either because we have lost our ball, or are pressed for time due to the subsequent flight of players behind us on the course.
Introducing RadarGolf Inc., a subsidiary of Radar Corp., a San Ramon, California-based company specializing in the use of RFID technology for the location of missing golf balls. RadarGolf Inc. claims that its “radar” golf balls performed equal to or better than competitive balls from Titleist, Callaway, Nike and Maxfli and adhere to United States Golf Association (USGA) standards.
RadarGolf, launched in 2003, provides a golf ball tag and handheld transmitter solution. The company’s Ball Positioning System (BPS) technology allows a golfer to find a “lost” golf ball via a RadarGolf handheld transmitter device. When within range, the handheld device “beeps” when pointed toward the ball.
The RadarGolf handheld transmits a specific radio frequency signal that is received and reflected back by the RadarGolf microchip. The handheld provides a visual LCD signal strength display and pulsed audio tone feedback to the golfer looking for his ball. At last glance, the system with a dozen balls retailed for less then $200. This included a dozen RadarGolf balls, handheld transmitter, batteries, and tutorial DVD system.
Indeed, the RadarGolf solution has been featured in many articles from Business Week to Golf Illustrated and has won many awards for innovation. It should also be noted that RadarGolf has a Philippine connection. Integrated Microelectronics Inc. (IMI), run by CEO Arthur Tan, a subsidiary of Ayala Corp., develops the handheld transmitter for the BPS system. IMI has worked with RadarGolf since 2003.
In General IDtechEx, an independent RFID market forecasting and consulting company, has predicted the RFID market to reach $5.8 billion in 2008 and climb to $27 billion by 2018. The US and
The adoption of RFID technologies is driven by the drop in the cost of RFID hardware and the managed inventory cost efficiencies from the use of this technology. In the future, RFID technology may be imbedded in many scenarios from your walking shoes to your passport, to the products you may one day be able to locate and scan with your handheld cellphone, and yes, even the golf balls we use on the course.
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The author is currently an advanced technology director engaged in the development and design of IP and technologies for the cellular and mobile market.
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