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HPE News. Tech Insights. World-Class Innovations. We take you straight to the source — interviewing tech's foremost thought leaders and change-makers that are propelling businesses and industries forward.
Michael Bird (00:09):
Hello, hello, and welcome back to Technology Now, a weekly show from Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where we take what's happening in the world and explore how it's changing the way organizations are using technology. We are your hosts, Michael Bird...
Aubrey Lovell (00:23):
And, Aubrey Lovell. And in this episode, we've really hit it out of the park, or a slightly more golf appropriate metaphor, we're teeing off. Let's go with that one. We're talking smart sports arenas on a vast scale, with a look at how golf is embracing technology to provide lightning fast insight, better customer experiences, live mapping, and even predictive results across huge areas of open land and all weather conditions.
Michael Bird (00:50):
Absolutely. Now, a couple of weeks ago, I was invited down to Wentworth Golf Course, just outside London, to meet with Michael Cole, chief technology officer for the European Tour Group and Ryder Cup Europe to talk about pushing connectivity to the limits.
Aubrey Lovell (01:03):
Oh, that's awesome, Michael.
Michael Bird (01:05):
Yeah, absolutely. And as always, if you are the person who needs to know why and what's going on in the world matters to your organization, then this podcast is for you. And, if you haven't yet, do make sure you subscribe on your podcast app of choice, so you don't miss out. Right. Let's go. So, golf is a pretty challenging sport for any number of reasons. On the playing side, being out in the elements means that the way a swing or ball behaves can vary hugely from one moment to the next. Something we touched on in our technology untangled episode on the technology of sport last season.
Aubrey Lovell (01:41):
But it's no easier from the side of the organizers, broadcasters, and ecosystem of suppliers that surround them. Golf courses are huge areas, several kilometers square, right? So, they have dozens of acres of maintained grass, often among dozens more of forest or more land. And in the case of big events, they can host thousands of connected devices, from point of sale, to cameras, to sensors, and simply smartphones and watches. So, in short, providing connectivity is a huge logistical challenge.
Michael Bird (02:10):
Yeah, it is. And, for organizers and suppliers of connectivity equipment, like HPE Aruba Network, it is a unique challenge. And it's the challenge that chief technology officer for the European Tour Group and Ryder Cup Europe, Michael Cole, spends his days solving. Talk us through some of the stats when it comes to the tech side of putting on a major golfing event.
Michael Cole (02:33):
Well, the stats really evolve from the fact that staging a golf event is a Greenfield site. So you are literally building that infrastructure from scratch. So, you could literally be deploying hundreds of kilometers of copper cabling, tens of kilometers of fiber, hundreds of access points and switches. Something like a Ryder Cup is obviously one of the biggest events, or if not the biggest event, that we do. And it could be anything from over 700 access points in terms of that core infrastructure, right away through to 120 cameras for the TV product, and everything that is required to support those environments.
Michael Bird (03:13):
What are the major challenges of holding a major golfing event like the Ryder Cup?
Michael Cole (03:19):
Well, you are literally building a town from scratch. In fact, I no longer call them towns, I call them smart cities. So, to create a smart city probably over the course of about six weeks for a four-day duration for a major tour tournament, or in the case of a Ryder Cup, a three-day tournament is probably the biggest challenge. And, across our regular schedule, we are hosting 44 tournaments in 29 different countries across five different continents. But the scale of the Ryder Cup is far bigger than anything else in golf, and certainly, is testimony to the huge amounts of work that go into it.
Michael Bird (03:57):
You've got hundreds or even thousands of connected devices and a huge amount of bandwidth. How do you keep that running outdoors over large distances? Are we talking lots and lots of fiber?
Michael Cole (04:09):
We have to build the stage in order for the show to take place. And, building that stage across a 250-acre site can be a challenge. And we have to use a combination of technologies. We may not have power accessible in every part of the course. So, we have to be creative, use solar where we can. In fact, for the Ryder Cup this year, we will be deploying our first ever solar-powered access point. How is that first for our wifi? We'll use a satellite connectivity where we need to, everything is fully redundant. Everything has to be diversely rooted. We cannot have any single point of vulnerability. It is a big challenge, but I have a great team behind me. We work with great partners, and we know what we need to do.
Michael Bird (04:58):
Well, what are the unique challenges that you face being a CTO in your particular field?
Michael Cole (05:05):
I have often said, that golf is probably the most complicated sport in the industry. In our regular tournaments, were 156 players. We're not a stadium. We're actually 18 fields to play. We don't play for 80 or 90 minutes, we actually play for four days, or again, three days for the Ryder Cup. And we have a mix of formats. Sometimes, we play stroke play. For Ryder Cup, it's match play. And that is a complex environment in which to manage. Our job in technology is to try and simplify some of that complexity, not within the field or play itself, because golf is golf, but some of the nuances that emanate from that complexity.
Michael Bird (05:44):
Yeah. So, where do you go from here? What's the plan for the next three to five years? I suppose, you've got the next couple of months for the Ryder Cup. What happens after that?
Michael Cole (05:55):
Well, I get really excited around the period of a Ryder Cup, and part of the reason is, we make a significant investment in technology. And, this year for the Ryder Cup, we are investing heavily in HPE's Aruba's new inventory, around access switches, around GreenLake, and around access points. And, that's going to bring a whole new raft of capabilities. Now, for us, this isn't just a one-off event. That investment will actually service the European Tour Group for the next four years. So, I get to enjoy, both the pioneering nature of these new capabilities that we will have at our disposal for Ryder Cup this year, but equally, how we then further leverage and exploit those capabilities over the next four years.
Michael Bird (06:40):
If there's one thing that tech leaders in other fields can learn and take away from how you and your team do things, what would that be?
Michael Cole (06:48):
Well, we've recognized that connectivity was king, but people expect more than that now. We recognize that data championed everything. But actually, you have to go beyond that. And one of the things that we are bringing out, particularly for this Ryder Cup, is intelligence. Think about data in, intelligence out. This is all about generating valuable insights from that data, and importantly, creating actionable outputs and outcomes. And that is something that we're working really hard to deliver strong capability for Ryder Cup, both in terms of what it means for spectators, some wonderful new features, in terms of shot commentary and probability outcomes, spectator tracking, and monitoring, through to, what it means for journalists and media around weather stations on every hole. And the fact that we are recording up to 15 measurements of weather every three seconds on every hole, right away through to our operational delivery.
(07:58):
And, again, through the incredible help of HPE Aruba inventory and GreenLake capabilities, we're bringing all of that together, in terms of what we're calling the intelligence wall. And this is a wonderful showcasing of bringing it all together in a floor to ceiling visualization of multiple data sources, multiple aspects of intelligence that will allow us for the Ryder Cup to showcase new innovation and capabilities, but equally, beyond the Ryder Cup, we will use this for remote management, giving us the ability to be able to manage and track our technology on any tournament that we're staging anywhere in the world. But from here in Wentworth.
Michael Bird (08:43):
How collaboratively are you able to work with partners, such as broadcasters and sports analytics groups, as their demands on data grow?
Michael Cole (08:53):
We have to work hand in glove with our key stakeholders and the broadcasters are fundamental to the success of our product. They are literally, literally taking the product from the course, creating that TV broadcast, and distributing that broadcast to over 150 countries worldwide. That's an addressable market of 600 million households. So, they're key to us. And we work really closely with them. One of the aspects that we're looking at at the moment is remote production. We typically have between 3 to 600 personnel on site just for TV production alone, anywhere from 30 camera crews, up to 120 camera crews for the Ryder Cup.
(09:37):
And what we're looking at is how technology can enable us to be far more efficient. That efficiency is hugely beneficial to us as a business. It'll enables us to put more cash enterprise fund for the players. It's usually beneficial for the personnel, because they're not having to go on the road so often, and so much, for so long. And equally, it's the right thing to do for the planet as well, reducing our carbon footprint. So, it's a key example of how technology will greatly enhance the operational efficiency of our key broadcasters around the globe.
Aubrey Lovell (10:11):
That's fantastic. Thanks so much, Michael Cole and Michael Bird for traveling over to interview him. We'll come back to the interview in a moment to talk more about the specifics of golf and his view for the future of the connected tournament. So, don't go anywhere. So, next up, it's down to you, our audience. We open the floor for you to give your recommendations on books which have changed the way you look at the world, life, and business in the last 12 months. They could be technology-based, have changed the way you work, or they could have just made you look at the world in a different way.
Michael Bird (10:43):
And if you want to share your recommendations, there's a link in the podcast description. Just record a voice note on your phone and send it over.
Tony Ricketts (10:50):
My name is Tony Ricketts. And, a book that I've read which I suppose really shaped me was Bill Bryson, A Short History of Everything. It was my introduction to Popular Science. And it's a very introductory text for popular science, because of the way that Bill writes. But he manages to really encapsulate things, which I've always found interesting about science, particularly, astronomy and physics, and put them in everyday language, which was just really simple to grasp, but also at the same time, just things which blow your mind and make you ponder new questions. And his writing style, apart from the humor, which is great, I really adore the way that he's able to get to something which is complex quite simply. And, I think the biggest thing that I took away from that is, all the writing I do now is been slightly shaped by it. Trying to take things which are complex and making them simple. So, even emails, if you look at my emails, you'll probably see the thumbprint, the DNA of Bill Bryson.
Aubrey Lovell (11:53):
All right, thanks for that. Now it's time to return to our interview with chief technology officer for the European Tour Group and Ryder Cup Europe, Michael Cole. And in this half, we're going to be talking more about how to use connectivity to create next generation experiences for spectators, and keep the sport at the cutting edge.
Michael Bird (12:12):
Do you see the way in which we consume golf changing?
Michael Cole (12:17):
It's a really interesting question. And, absolutely, for sure. I can talk about what it means to the armchair fan, and I can talk about what it means to the on-call spectator. And that for me, right now, is too far apart. And, technology and the evolution of engagement will start to address that gap. It isn't about shifting where the TV product is at right now. Because I believe it's in a really, really good place. It's actually about bringing the experience of the on-call spectator closer to the experience of the armchair fan. And technology is helping us to do that. I could talk about what I will call three E's, keep it really simple. One is about the engagement in how we're communicating to that spectator while still on the course, helping them to understand what has happened across 18 fields of play.
(13:14):
Another E will be about the excitement. And, a couple of nice features that we're launching at the Ryder Cup this year is probability outcomes. So the consequence of every shot, what it means in terms of winning that hole, winning that match, winning that session, or even the competition. And equally, whole commentary. So, for the first time, on the big screen, spectators will be able to see exactly the distance of the drive, distance of the pin, live the ball, what that player is putting full. We've got a great player locator feature, not only showing this interactive map, and for fans to be able to follow their favorite players, but actually, clicking through and actually having a through score of that player. These are all aspects of insight that previously haven't been available.
(14:04):
And these are all the features that typically the TV fan has had access to on their second screen device, but they've never had access to actually on the course. And if you like, the last E is about the experience. And this is really the afterthought. I want every fan to go away thinking, "That was the best sporting experience I've had in a long time, if not, ever." So, if we can get those three E's correct, that's a big tick in the box.
Michael Bird (14:35):
What do you think the next breakthrough will be from a fan perspective?
Michael Cole (14:40):
Well, there's a lot of talk about augmented reality. I've never necessarily been a big fan of the big goggle boxes, the big headsets. And I think if there is a way that we can create that immersive environment, but without the overhead associated with the hardware, I think that's where we need to get to. And why is that important? Because, every golfer out there, amateur golfer, wants to know how they would fare against playing with Roy Mcllroy on the sixth hole of the Marcus Simone. And even better, beat the pro.
Michael Bird (15:17):
Yeah.
Michael Cole (15:18):
And, doing that in that immersive augmented environment, I think, is absolutely the solution. But right now, I don't think the industry is quite there, with being able to create that. And that's important. People talk about wearing these headsets. Live sport. Live sport should be about the moment. Technology should be quite frictionless. And that is one of the underlying principles that we work towards, in terms of creating a frictionless environment, onboarding people onto the wifi without them even realizing it, or ticking a box, giving them that immersive environment. And that is critical. So, technology shouldn't be the barrier to that environment. It should be the enabler, and it should be as frictionless as possible.
Michael Bird (16:01):
Amazing.
Aubrey Lovell (16:02):
All right, thanks Michael. And to Michael Cole, and the team at Ryder Cup Europe for their work pulling the interview together. And again, we'll drop a couple of links in the podcast description for more on these topics.
Michael Bird (16:14):
All right then. We are getting towards the end of the show, which means, it is time for weekend history.
Aubrey Lovell (16:20):
Weekend history.
Michael Bird (16:24):
Which is a look at monumental events in the world of business and technology, which has changed our lives. Top marks [inaudible 00:16:32] top marks.
Aubrey Lovell (16:32):
Absolutely. And the clue last week was, it's 1993, and I'm searching for answers. It is, of course, the arrival of the search engine. Michael, we were right.
Michael Bird (16:42):
Yes. I got it right.
Aubrey Lovell (16:44):
It's hard to believe that it was 30 years ago this week that searching the internet became a possibility with the launch of the W3 or CUI www catalog. Launched by a team at the University of Geneva, the search engine didn't crawl the entire web. Instead, it identified existing collections and registries of links kept by organizations and individuals, and then broke them down and reformatted them into individual entries. So, it was a pretty inaccurate and time-consuming way of doing things, because every single link was manually checked. And by 1996, the engine was out of date, and had to be replaced by the more modern web crawler type.
Michael Bird (17:23):
Now, the clue for next week is, the first computer to have six legs.
Aubrey Lovell (17:29):
Oh.
Michael Bird (17:30):
I have no idea what that is. Anyway, if you know what that is, don't tell. It'll be revealed next week. All right. Well, that brings us to the end of Technology Now of this week. Do keep those suggestions for life-changing books coming in, using the link in the podcast description.
Aubrey Lovell (17:45):
And, in the meantime, thank you so much to our guest, Michael Cole, chief technology officer for the European Tour Group and Ryder Cup Europe. And to our listeners, thank you all so much for joining us. Technology Now is hosted by myself, Aubrey Lovell, and Michael Bird. This episode was produced by Sam Datta Pollen and Zoe Anderson. With production support from Harry Morton, Alicia Kempson, Alison Paisley, Alyssa Mitri, Camilla Patel, and Alex Podmore. Technology Now is a lower street production for Hewlett Packard Enterprise. We'll see you next week. Cheers.