Will Scorecards For Comps Soon Be Redundant?

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I don't see any technical issues preventing its implementation but I also don't see any benefits, except environmental perhaps i.e. less trees giving up their lives to become scorecards.

As someone who helps with the cards at my golf club, many golfers have enough trouble filling in a scorecard with a pencil and inputting that into a PSI terminal, I don't see using a phone app being any better, could potentially cause more issues instead of trying to solve ones that don't exist in my opinion.

Yup - 100% - seems to me like a solution looking for a problem. And as others have identified - the sort of problems we'd have in such a future would be ones created by the solution.

 

[IanG]

Playing in the deluge we've had this weekend not sure my fancy smart phone would have survived the wet finger stabbing necessary to input scores during the round. Card survived just fine.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Pretty much everyone nowadays has a smart phone, not entirely sure what could go wrong that you refer to.

I have one but I have to ask the Mrs or Grandkids how to use it most of the time.

 

[jmf1488]

During our proffesionals day a year or two ago we had this app set up where everyone recordered their scores in it. Everyone else was able to see a live leader board and you could view anyone else's card. I think this will be the future once we get rid of the generation who do know how to use phones.

 

[Jacko_G]

Dundonald used to get you to download an app for all "big" competitions and it was uploaded in live time back to the clubhouse. I never carry a phone on the course and used to cause problems.

 

[patricks148]

not for me, hardly if ever take my phone on the course, not to forget i get zero coverage at Nairn, plus you phone would get soaked when its raining

 

[chrisd]

99% of the time I leave my phone in the car by choice.

How would we act as a marker, we'd have no idea what scores a pp is inputting

 

[clubchamp98]

It's a great idea and would like to see it happen , it would technically be easy to achieve.

What about during the recent power cuts.
All the players would have gone home.
Technology is great but not infallible, you need some sort of manual back up when this happens.
Say you shot 65 and won a major then the club says it’s cancelled the comp because of a power cut!

 

[Orikoru]

Sounds lovely in an ideal world, I think there are plenty of drawbacks though.

• If we're to use our own phones that's heavily reliant on people having good quality phones that have space to the run the app, and good enough battery life. If you're running an old phone you've forgotten to charge it up and it dies on the 14th hole, what's the fall back plan? If it's raining, people who's phones aren't waterproof wouldn't be keen to get them out either.
• If as an alternative to the above, the club is provide devices for each player or even each group, that could be quite a large expense.
• It's reliant on the more technophobic and/or older generation managing to use the score entry app without too much user error.
• I don't think you can have two systems where some use it and some don't as some suggested, because you obviously mark the score for a FC rather than your own, so surely everyone has to be logged into this system online for that to take place, and for people to digitally sign their cards that someone else has marked?

For the reasons above, I suspect we're a good 8-10 years away from this happening really.

 

[Slab]

I don’t think there’s a pressing need to go electronic but it’s not the harbinger of doom some are making it out to be. At the right time (cost) then a rudimentary weather proof pocket sized tablet will be produced that can be given to each group

It will;

• Record scores for each player
• Act as a GPS device & course/hole map
• List rules of golf, local rules and other info
• Have hole information/par/length SI etc
• Also be a basic messaging device with the starter, marshal, or pro shop

And probably a few other things too

These devices & the tech already exist and they’re fitted to buggy’s and when the price gets low enough clubs will have 30-40 of a hand held variant rather than 30-40k of scorecards per year. It'll be fine

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Eh?
Amazingly my phone has a battery and isn't directly connected to the national grid.

I love all these reasons from the naysayers, keep them coming.

What about the PSI and local computer which is relying on the power ?

Your phone may have good battery what about people with older phones that don’t and an app on all the time could drain the power


How does you WiFi in the clubhouse work without power ? How about if it’s the local mast that is also affected which happened this weekend

And also tell me what problems it overcomes that a scorecard doesn’t

 

[Ross61]

On a sunny day I struggle to see anything on my phone screen. Chubby fingers doesn’t help either.
I take my phone with me to golf and have it in my bag, but there is the odd occasion I’ve forgotten it.
You may say there are ways around this, but I always get given a card, I can always see what I’m writing and even If my pencil breaks I can borrow one. so what is the point of creating possible problems when there is not one to solve.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

You make no sense , we already enter our scores into a computer at the end of the round. This just moves it 1 step away.
A phone based system would be less likely to have a problem as the scores will upload on the fly over the cellular networks, which should be able to survive a power cut.

I saw a Godzilla film the other day where one of the monsters sent out an electro magnetic pulse that knocked out all communications. How are you going to record your scores then? .

I've yet to see any reason so far which can not be overcome. These types of questions have been raised in all areas of life and people have just adapted and got on with it. This change is pretty inevitable, it is just a matter of when.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

What about the PSI and local computer which is relying on the power ?

Your phone may have good battery what about people with older phones that don’t and an app on all the time could drain the power


How does you WiFi in the clubhouse work without power ? How about if it’s the local mast that is also affected which happened this weekend

And also tell me what problems it overcomes that a scorecard doesn’t

100% agree. Too many issues to really see this happening in the next decade and while it will happen in time I think there will always be card and pencil going hand and hand with electronic technology. People won't embrace change

 

[Grant85]

What about the PSI and local computer which is relying on the power ?

Your phone may have good battery what about people with older phones that don’t and an app on all the time could drain the power


How does you WiFi in the clubhouse work without power ? How about if it’s the local mast that is also affected which happened this weekend

And also tell me what problems it overcomes that a scorecard doesn’t

This is ridiculous.

The number of people who can afford to play golf at a members club and don't have a smartphone is probably tiny (a fraction of 1%) and reducing every year.
Even the coffin dodgers all have Samsungs or iphones. My mum actually has a better iphone than me, which I personally feel ashamed about when she asks me how to 'download music onto my phone' for her. And I then have to explain to her what streaming is.

And if they don't have one - sell or rent them a handheld device that has a single use for returning scores during competition.

All the old coffin dodgers manage to remember and charge their battery for their trolley.
Although most weeks I struggle to get round the course because a few dozen people's batteries have run out and the course is just strewn with discarded clubs and trolleys due to technology completely failing them.
Oh wait - I've actually NEVER seen a battery run out or a trolley break during the round because people do this thing called 'forward planning' where they charge their battery before they go and play golf.

A good robust, easy to use app would have fewer problems than people losing their card during the round, or forgetting it all together or making such a mess of filling it in that a secretary could barely decipher the scores anyway, without seeing them on the terminal.

 

[Slab]

I saw a Godzilla film the other day where one of the monsters sent out an electro magnetic pulse that knocked out all communications. How are you going to record your scores then? .

I've yet to see any reason so far which can not be overcome. These types of questions have been raised in all areas of life and people have just adapted and got on with it. This change is pretty inevitable, it is just a matter of when.

Yup, So many posts about why it can’t work rather than how it might work… No wonder clubs still have sock rules

 

[Grant85]

What about the PSI and local computer which is relying on the power ?

Your phone may have good battery what about people with older phones that don’t and an app on all the time could drain the power


How does you WiFi in the clubhouse work without power ? How about if it’s the local mast that is also affected which happened this weekend

And also tell me what problems it overcomes that a scorecard doesn’t

What if you are filling out your paper scorecard and a bolt of lightning strikes it and sets it on fire?

You would then have no way of recording and returning a score!

 

[Orikoru]

What about the PSI and local computer which is relying on the power ?

Your phone may have good battery what about people with older phones that don’t and an app on all the time could drain the power


How does you WiFi in the clubhouse work without power ? How about if it’s the local mast that is also affected which happened this weekend

And also tell me what problems it overcomes that a scorecard doesn’t

I do think the only way this will work is if the club has a number of handheld devices specifically for the purpose of score entry, and they give one to each group. To rely on people's own phones is unreasonable and inconsistent I think. If it's on devices held by the club, then they can be charged in good time, and in the event of a system failure, power cut or whatever, the scores can simply be left active on the devices and compiled at a later stage. Rather than everyone taking their scores home with them on their phones.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

You make no sense , we already enter our scores into a computer at the end of the round. This just moves it 1 step away.
A phone based system would be less likely to have a problem as the scores will upload on the fly over the cellular networks, which should be able to survive a power cut.

What do you do at the moment if there is no power in the clubhouse ? Do you have a ups for your terminal ?
I'm guessing you just wait...

It doesn’t “move” one step away it’s just a different step and just because it’s technical doesn’t make that step “better”

And as been said if your Club has lost power how do they get the scores off your phone ?

With a paper scorecard it’s all there and doesn’t rely on power or cellular masts etc all which went down this weekend due to the power cut

 

[Imurg]

As I've admitted, I can see it coming but what are the advantages.?
The point of change is to improve
I can't see how this is going to be any easier than the current system.
Let's assume that we have taken on this tech.
On the course you record your score on an app.
Get in after the round - has your score automatically been entered? Who checks it?
If you've put a wrong score down you have the ability to amend your card before it's signed - if your score has already been uploaded can you still do this?
Great as the tech may be, as forward thinking as it may be it's just easier writing a number on a piece of card.
In theory it's great but just because you can doesn't mean you should.