The United States Golf Association today released the 2019 U.S. Open App, powered by Cisco, to provide sports fans around the world with an engaging and innovative digital experience for the 119th U.S. Open Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Links, from June 10-16. The app is available through the Apple App Store and Google Play.
Those not able to attend the championship will have the opportunity to experience the iconic course in new and enhanced ways. Through 360-degree virtual reality, cameras will go inside the ropes, giving fans a close-up view of the historic course and golf’s greatest players, as well as behind-the-scenes access.
The Virtual Photo Booth is another new app feature that enables fans around the world to share the Pebble Beach experience no matter where they are. Utilizing 3D modeling technologies, fans can use their phone to bring the U.S. Open Trophy to life via augmented reality. Another photo op within the Virtual Photo Booth allows fans to take a scenic selfie with iconic Pebble Beach as the backdrop. This innovative concept known as the parallax experience takes a static photo and adds subtle movement to it, creating a near 3D effect.
For the first time, the on-site map will include a wayfinding feature powered by Cisco. The new navigation will provide fans with step-by-step directions to easily navigate to their favorite players, iconic locations, concessions and amenities around the course.
“Building on the success of the 2018 U.S. Open App and other USGA digital platforms, we set out to create truly unique experiences for today’s sports enthusiasts,” said Navin Singh, chief commercial officer of the USGA. “With our partner Cisco, we have built a first-of-its-kind, course-wide Wi-Fi network that gives us the speed and confidence to dynamically deliver content and new experiences to our fans through the 2019 U.S. Open App. We’ve been able to stretch our imagination, creating innovative features that help fans everywhere to consume, share and engage with the championship like never before.”
Additional features of the U.S. Open App include:
- Live streaming video
- On-site player tracking
- Real-time scores, stats, news and highlights
- Advanced analytics
- Push notifications for scoring updates and special on-site fan events