OUR MISSION IS TO...
David Taylor meets Ben Sharpe, president of Toptracer and a man with a clear vision for the future of the game
he last few months have seen something of a mini-boom in golf. Courses and ranges up and down the land have been full to bursting as the country emerged from lockdown with limited leisure options available. But with the shackles being loosened every few weeks, how does the sport capitalise on the current situation and turn some of the new recruits into full-time golfers?
Ben Sharpe, president of Toptracer, thinks he has the answer. You may be familiar with the brand from seeing its ball tracking on TV or visiting a driving range which utilises its technology. Either way, it is a growing presence in golf and Sharpe believes it can help introduce a new generation to the game.
“Golf is faring really well since coming back,” Sharpe says. “It’s a great game to play and it’s a socially distanced sport, but as the world gets back to normal again and we have more competition, the mistake to make is to think what we’ve got today is going to carry us through. We need to innovate.
“We believe the technological gamification of the range experience will be the singlebiggest contributor to the growth of the game over the next decade. Now’s the time when we have a bigger audience to show we’re forward-thinking, to show we’re embracing technology, to show we’re a game for everyone and not just an exclusive group.”
Sharpe has been working in the golf industry for nearly two decades in a career that saw him start at Lyle & Scott before moving to Taylormade, where he eventually ended up in America as CEO. During this time, the 47-yearold has developed into a pretty handy player with a handicap of 4, but it was on the hockey pitch where he truly excelled, earning 148 caps for England and representing Team GB at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
“I grew up seeing Seb Coe and Steve Ovett running in the Moscow Olympics and I thought one day that would be nice to do,” says Sharpe. “When you get the opportunity to do it through your own sport, it’s a great thing. All the lessons you learn about the application required to get there – the ups and downs, the teamwork, the camaraderie – you bring all that into the business world. I just have very, very fond memories and I still have friends for life.”
After returning to England in 2015, Sharpe spent a couple of years away from golf, but the chance to get involved again with Toptracer, which is part of the Topgolf Entertainment Group, proved too tempting to turn down.
“I remember going to a conference in 2002 at Wentworth about how to get more people to play,” Sharpe continues. “The focus was about getting a golfer to play a few more times and that would add up to the growth that was needed.
Topgolf took a different view and said ‘you guys have never played before, come and enjoy some music, enjoy some drinks, enjoy some food and if you go and hit a golf ball and have some fun then that’s great’.”
Tracing the history
The Toptracer story began back in 2004, when Swedish entrepreneur Daniel Forsgren got frustrated seeing white balls sail up and disappear into the clouds on TV. He used his background in computer games to come up with a system which helped viewers get a better idea of how the pros flight their golf shots.
The original company was called Protracer and the technology made its tour debut at the 2008 Spanish Open. Topgolf saw its potential and acquired the brand back in 2016, hence the name change. It is now tracing 250 events a year on all the major tours around the world, as well as being installed at over 300 golf facilities worldwide, including 100 in Europe.
“Pretty much everyone who has this is seeing huge increases in footfall, huge increases in the diversity of people coming,” Sharpe says. “It’s not just good for the golfer, because they’re coming back and playing more often, but the facilities themselves are making a lot more money. Not only is Toptracer good for fans and golfers, it’s great for the business of golf.”
Sharpe believes they are just beginning to see the potential the technology can offer, and it's not just covered driving ranges that can profit. There is also an outdoor system available where shots can be tracked on players’ phones or tablets, meaning as many as 45,000 facilities worldwide could benefit.
“It’s moved the needle in all parts of the world,” he says. “In Japan, which has a really big driving range community, the demographic of the golfer
“We genuinely believe that we’re only scratching the surface of the potential of this thing”
is a lot older than it is here. Where we’ve installed Toptracer ranges, you’re starting to see teenagers playing as a group in one bay, rather than it being a singular pursuit.”
The range technology allows players to compete in various game modes suited to all ages and skill levels, including long-drive competitions, closest to the pin and teeing it up virtually on one of the world’s best courses – Royal St George’s and Bethpage Black are the latest to be added. It can even link ranges at different locations, as showcased in last year’s Global Nine-shot Challenge, which ranked 29,000 games played across 19 countries.
The most recent innovation is a game aimed at complete beginners and children called Go Fish, where you hit a ball into a virtual ocean, catching various sea creatures in the process.
“If you just go on social media and put in Toptracer, you’ll get lots of videos posted of kids playing Go Fish or hitting a ball for the first time. It’s great to see the joy on their faces,” Sharpe says. “Technology is inevitable, the digital world is inevitable, screens are inevitable and people want more information. If you can use technology so you don’t have to play for four hours, you can cut it up into 20 minutes or two hours or half an hour – that’s what we do. You can go and play Pebble Beach on here in 45 minutes.”
The revolution starts here
As well as looking to get Toptracer into as many facilities as possible, Topgolf is expanding its hugely successful driving range business in the UK. It currently has sites in Chigwell, Watford and Weybridge, to go with 55 in America and one in Australia.
“We’ve agreed a site in Glasgow and we’re continuing to look at a number more,” Sharpe says. “We’re completing sites in Mexico and Dubai. I think we’ll have several more here in the UK because the three we have are doing really well.”
Sharpe is a man used to succeeding, whether that be in the golf industry or on the hockey pitch, and you get the feeling he’s on to another winner here. With the current interest in our sport, this interactive technology can only add to its appeal and help find the next generation of golfers.
“We genuinely believe we’re only scratching the surface of the potential of this thing,” Sharpe concludes. “I think that technology where you hit golf balls is going to be ubiquitous and that’s the sort of revolution that we’re trying to lead.”
LOFT DOWN
As you stare out at a huge expanse of targets, it can be easy to forget there’s a roof above your head. You’ll be reminded of this fact if you decide to use your lob wedge. Smashing a ball into the roof (or the bay dividers) creates a near sonic boom that will reverberate through the range.