I’ve heard your comments and promise to be more positive. Consider me Bart Simpson writing “I will be more positive in MyGolfSpy articles” on the chalkboard (but not too positive because certain things just need to be said).
Let’s start here: golf on TV has been getting better in 2026.
I’m hard on golf coverage because I feel like it’s generally lagged behind other sports. Earlier this year, I wrote about all my grievances with golf coverage. I’m happy to report that some of those grievances have started to be rectified already.
There are some aspects—such as the egregious commercial load and constant game of Whac-A-Mole between which streaming services fans need—that continue to be frustrating.
We’re not here to talk about that, though!
Here are five ways golf coverage has improved in 2026.
1. Tee shot tracing with multiple drones
A theme throughout this list will be the creative use of drones.
Drones are being used to give new perspectives on shots beyond the typical shot tracer we have become accustomed to over the past decade.
Golf is an outdoor game, often played at beautiful places. That’s an advantage golf has on other sports that are confined to a stadium or arena. Drones can help show off gorgeous places like Pebble Beach and Riviera.
PGA Tour broadcasts have started using multiple drones to trace shots, allowing fans to watch tee shots from polar-opposite perspectives. The first drone shows the down-the-line angle and the second drone picks up the tracer mid-flight to show where the ball is landing.
While this does have a little bit of a video game feel and it’s not necessary for every tee shot, I think it’s a cool option that provides better context for elevation changes.
It also just draws your eyes into the screen.
2. Smart tracing with Drone AR technology
While this technology was introduced in 2024, there have been additions made this year.
CBS started using Drone AR smart tracing featuring a live, color-changing ball trail that predicts where the ball will land in real time.
It’s super cool and interactive. You kind of hold your breath when the circle shows that a ball is heading toward a hazard.
Now there has been the addition of Smart Trace, a drone shot tracer where the line of the tracer changes from green (fairway) to red (offline) while the ball is in the air.
I’m highly in favor of any tool providing a better grasp of how good the shot is as it’s in the air.
3. Real-time weather applied metrics
Golf broadcasts have toyed with real-time wind application in recent years but not like this.
Now fans can see 3D modeling of the wind direction and severity, even showing how it swirls.
The Tour is using Weather Applied Metrics, a sports tech company that utilizes advanced 3D modeling to quantify the impact of elements like wind, temperature and humidity. Additionally, Virtual Eye, a New Zealand-based company specializing in 3D sports graphics, has been providing the visualization of the Weather Metrics along with the Drone AR technology.
This is not an “every shot” kind of tool but it really comes in handy for certain moments.
When Collin Morikawa was on the 17th tee on the final day of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the wind metric offered some valuable insight into what he was facing.
4. The introduction of shot shape data
Are you ever watching a golfer and wonder how often they hit a fade or a draw?
That info is now being incorporated into the broadcast.
The Tour has soft launched “Shot Shapes,” which uses data to dig into players’ preferred left-to-right or right-to-left shot patterns and allows broadcasters to tell stories around it.
This is something broadcasters mention all the time but seeing the numbers really makes it more concrete.
5. More interactive graphics packages
Other sports seem to have plenty of packages where live graphics are set directly on the field of play. We see this in football all the time when they do a QB comparison or something like that.
It feels like golf has always been ripe for interactive graphics packages and now we are seeing that happen more frequently through the Drone AR technology.
It’s just one of those little details that adds gravity to the broadcast.
So, these are a few of the innovations golf fans have been enjoying.
Golf broadcasts, while still struggling in some areas, are feeling more modern and interesting to watch. These are some advantages professional golf has on YouTube—the drone tracing technology is clearly superior.
I’ve also heard the Tour has more putt path graphics/analytics on the way for future broadcasts so that will be something to watch out for.
Have you enjoyed these new features? Let me know below in the comments.
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