PGA TOUR hits a hole-in-one with IBM e-business on demand services

The PGA TOUR wanted to leverage its rich tournament information by making it available to fans over the internet. It had previously worked with IBM to develop 'ShotLink,' a data management system that provides realtime, contextual scoring information for PGA TOUR events. The system includes laser devices that record the precise position of players' balls and handheld devices that scorers use to record and transmit shot data right from the course as it happens. IBM had also helped the PGA TOUR develop 'Tournament Tracker,' a front-end application that delivers realtime ShotLink content to broadcasters and spectators. Now, the PGA TOUR wanted to make its ShotLink data available directly to fans online.

The PGA TOUR had a great opportunity, by delivering its tournament information online, to get more fans worldwide "into the game." However, in doing so, it faced significant challenges. The TOUR needed a Web solution with a variable cost structure, so it could scale to meet visitor volume during peak periods but pay for only a minimum capacity during the remainder of the year. It was also looking to minimise the upfront and ongoing costs typically associated with developing, deploying and maintaining the infrastructure required for a heavily trafficked Web application.

The PGA TOUR decided to take advantage of its long-standing relationship with IBM to develop a stable, high-performance web application dubbed TOURCast. The subscription-based service was launched in January 2003 at www.pgatour.com.

Instead of deploying and operating physical web, database and application servers, the PGA TOUR uses 'virtual servers' running Linux from IBM Managed Hosting. This Linux virtual services solution allows the TOUR to take advantage of variable, utility-based pricing; it pays only for the power and capacity required to meet actual consumer demand for TOURCast. Outsourcing also allows the TOUR to focus on what it does best: running golf tournaments. The system is fully managed by IBM and provides resilient backup features and virtually unlimited capacity, so it's always available -- regardless of traffic peaks.

Spectators who log on to TOURCast to track live tournament play can follow more than 100 players, on 450 acres of courses as they make 25,000 shots per tournament. It provides a graphical view of players, holes and shot information not available from any other source. Fans can customise their experiences by following favorite players or holes, comparing players on holes played or retrieving additional information on a shot, hole or player.

"Working with IBM enabled us to take the extensive knowledge gained during the deployment of ShotLink and Tournament Tracker and funnel it towards TOURCast," says Steve Evans, vice president of PGA TOUR, Inc. "It gave us confidence that we were aligned with one of the strongest hosting companies in the world. IBM e-business on demand enabled us to determine the minimum capacity we wanted to invest in, and then pay for more capacity as the demand becomes a reality."