Topgolf

In order to offer guests the ultimate sports and entertainment experience across all venues, Topgolf Entertainment Group sought to enhance its technology platform by transitioning from consumer televisions to immersive and durable commercial displays. The goal was to create a customizable display solution with a longer shelf life and an exceptional warranty.

With a growing number of venues, Topgolf wanted to identify digital signage and software solutions that would be durable, reliable and allow simultaneous control of content delivery and display management in an innovative fashion. The displays would need to accurately and clearly present the rich colors and vivid details, while splitting the screen into three sections to accommodate varying content needs. More importantly, the displays would need to seamlessly connect to one another for quick, easy use from a central location. Upgrading from consumer TVs to industry-leading commercial displays and software would solve the end-of-life problem and improve the longevity of the units themselves.

Since the Fall of 2017, more than 10,000 LG webOS commercial displays have been deployed in more than 50 Topgolf venues. All partners agree the collaboration is a game-changing, win-win scenario for the Topgolf organization. Customers continue to enjoy the ability to keep up with sports and other TV programs, while at the same time having a fantastic, unique entertainment experience, and Topgolf enjoys a platform that helps the company to achieve its business goals and high standards of performance and aesthetics.

Each display runs SAVI Canvas, a software solution crafted exclusively for LG by SAVI Controls — the fastest-growing AV control software brand in North America. With it, Topgolf has the flexibility to display broadcast programs, Topgolf TV, marketing messaging, and custom content from its gaming systems, including Toptracer, within the tri-pane solution; all of which further elevates the guest experience.

Combined with SAVI Canvas, LG’s webOS technology enables Topgolf to control, manage and deliver content to displays at each venue – all over a single network cable. This provided the required nucleus to build a one-of-a-kind solution with a significant amount of flexibility for Topgolf. This solution also met Topgolf’s need for a tri-pane display feature that can simultaneously show DIRECTV programming, digital signage content and the Topgolf game on a single portrait display. It is essentially like having a miniature PC or media player built into the display.

Since deploying the solution at locations throughout the US, Topgolf has seen significant benefits, heard positive feedback and achieved unprecedented innovation.

The implementation of the LG webOS commercial displays and SAVI Canvas solution not only enabled Topgolf to manage displays remotely, but also significantly reduced the failure rate and replacement labor overhead of previous consumer displays. What’s more, expenditure on replacement units decreased and reliability increased.

Another specific benefit of this groundbreaking collaboration is that Topgolf is now able to introduce new virtual games, Ball Flight Track and Jewel Jam, with its Toptracer ball flight tracing technology that appears in one of the three panes within the LG display. Enhancements like this support Topgolf’s overall goal of enhancing the customer experience with the best entertainment options. Topgolf continues to add new games that are currently in beta testing and development, thanks to the innovation developed by LG and SAVI Controls.

Submitting Organization
LG Business Solutions
Year
2020
Awards
2020 AV Enhancement or Experience*
Category Entered
AV Enhancement or Experience
Category
Emerging Technology Innovation