Ever wondered what it is like to stand on the tee with Masters Champion Danny Willett during the BMW PGA Championship, or take a 360 degree tour around exclusive areas such as the locker room and players’ lounge and play a hole with Tommy Fleetwood?
Well wonder no more as the European Tour continues to drive innovation with BMW by giving fans an entirely new digital experience through Virtual Reality and enhanced 360 VR with augmented graphics during this week’s BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club.
For the first time, fans with Virtual Reality headsets can find themselves right in the heart of the action to experience and not just watch the event through a range of initiatives to complement the tournament coverage.
Joining forces with creative agencyBrandwidth, the European Tour takes fans on a ground-breaking Virtual Reality behind-the-scenes Tour of the clubhouse, players’ lounge, practice range before playing the opening hole with Tommy Fleetwood in practice.
And throughout the tournament, the European Tour is working with partnersAnimation Research Ltdto provide fans with an enhanced 360 VR experience with augmentedVirtual Eyeshot tracers and club and distance graphics, adding key information to the entertaining experience.
The two initiatives are being piloted with fans and guests on site as well as being available in the Samsung Gear VR store for the fully immersive experience as well as through the European Tour’s Facebook and YouTube channels for a 360 experience.
Even the players have had a go…
Rufus Hack, Head of Media, Digital and Strategy, said: “We are always looking to push the boundaries and explore new innovations to engage fans and enhance their viewing experience. Through Virtual Reality and 360 video we are able to take our global fan-base closer to the action than ever before with an immersive, multi-sensory experience.”
The Virtual Reality experience was filmed and produced byBrandwidthusing the Nokia OZO VR camera, with the 360 VR video with augmented graphics captured and produced byAnimation Research’s 360 rig using GoPros and, seen for the first time, adding shot details from theirVirtual Eyeaugmented graphics.
