Maleny Golf Club in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland has collaborated with a local specialist in Outback cattle-station security to develop a new high-tech warning system to improve player safety on two holes with blind tee shots.
Smart cameras strategically placed on the 3rd and 4th holes transmit a signal back to a warning light which flashes red on a post adjacent to the teeing grounds if golfers are standing within the designated tee-shot landing zones.
The innovative “Blind Shot” system created by Land Watch Australia (LWA) has also delivered valuable productivity and course security bonuses at Maleny and since been installed on a hole at Headland Golf Club on the Sunshine Coast.
The system combines solar power, smart motion cameras, LED lighting and dual-band wireless technology which also enables course activity to be monitored remotely from the maintenance shed or on a mobile phone.
Maleny Superintendent Mick McCombe said the club had been seeking a minimalist and bullet-proof safety-solution which did not rely on players climbing up viewing platforms or signalling the all-clear by ringing bells or pushing alarm buzzer buttons.
“The location of the cameras also enables us to remotely check on the progress of play and make workflow decisions on when to water greens and undertake other tasks without having to physically go out and check,” Mick explained.
The cameras are programed to pivot at night and will be linked with others to be installed by LWA as part of an upgraded CCTV security system covering the golf course and surrounding Maleny community precinct.
Palmwoods-based LWA is an Ag-tech company specialising in the provision of wireless security systems to monitor and prevent theft of livestock, machinery and equipment far from homesteads on large remote cattle stations.
LWA Director and Sales Manager John Hill said development of “Blind Shot” over the past 12 months had evolved by chance after a Maleny Golf Club member had asked if their security systems could be adapted to resolve a course safety issue.
“They told us about their safety problem and we advised that we could certainly solve it using the same technology we use to monitor cattle movement in the Outback, to monitor player movements on the course instead,” John said.
“These smart cameras can distinguish between a human and a kangaroo or a bird and we’re now developing more advanced analytics which can distinguish between a golf cart and a person holding a club.”
Maleny Golf Club provided LWA with an unexpected opportunity to develop, test and refine “Blind Shot” until the product was ready to be offered for sale into a national market involving more than 1500 golf clubs around Australia.
LWA is launching “Blind Shot” nationally this month (EDS IN JUNE 2023] at the 2023 Australian Sports Turfgrass Management Conference in Adelaide and will have a promotional booth there to field sales enquiries.
For more information about Maleny Golf Club, the course and membership options visit the website:
www.golfmaleny.com
