# TV Golf Coverage & Lenth of Putts **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-golf-coverage-lenth-of-putts/539593 "2010-05-16T00:09:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-golf-coverage-lenth-of-putts/539593/1 "2010-05-16T00:09:17Z")
On TV now they frequently give the length of a putt being attempted; often to the nearest inch even when many 10’s of feet away. How do the do that? I can think of several reasons why GPS probably wouldn’t work. Do they have surveyor’s instruments perched around the greens? Some hi-techy laser thing?They even do it when the golfer is putting or chipping fron off the fringe. And part 2 - how about the 1-yard accuracy of shots to te green? Maybe GPS would work for that? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-golf-coverage-lenth-of-putts/539593/2 "2010-05-16T00:51:13Z")
They did it for years before GPS (I remember it from watching golf in the 1960s), and if you look, you can’t see surveyor’s instruments anywhere. For a putt, the number is an estimate, not an accurate number. But the spotters have checked out the greens beforehand and, since they’ve estimated thousands of shots, they know roughly how long a putt is. Pro golfers and caddies learn this skill as part of their learning the sport. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-golf-coverage-lenth-of-putts/539593/3 "2010-05-16T01:44:44Z")
I don’t know, man. I’m no expert on electronics or anything, but would it be too much trouble to simply send the digitized vid through a computer, place markers on the ball and hole and have it calculate a pretty precise distance? ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-golf-coverage-lenth-of-putts/539593/4 "2010-05-16T03:28:09Z")
There are those surveyors instruments on every green and I believe every fairway at all the PGA tournaments I’ve been to. Sight the ball, zap a laser, and the computer spits out the length of the drive or the distance to the hole. When you hear an announcer say the putt is 13 feet 8 inches, you can guarantee that the distance is from one of those measurements. ---
**Author:** ![UncleFred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f0a364/32.png) [@UncleFred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleFred)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-golf-coverage-lenth-of-putts/539593/5 "2010-05-16T10:40:03Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > There are those surveyors instruments on every green and I believe every fairway at all the PGA tournaments I’ve been to. Yes, I was thinking it had to be something like this, rather than just people eye-balling it. For years the commentors would say “about four feet” or other approximations, now in the last coupl;e years they’re calling it to the inch. I don’t recall noticing any such equipment but will try looking for it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-golf-coverage-lenth-of-putts/539593/6 "2010-05-16T17:31:44Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > There are those surveyors instruments on every green and I believe every fairway at all the PGA tournaments I’ve been to. Sight the ball, zap a laser, and the computer spits out the length of the drive or the distance to the hole. > > When you hear an announcer say the putt is 13 feet 8 inches, you can guarantee that the distance is from one of those measurements. They have a specific term for that system, and I can’t for the life of me remember what it is. I want to say “skycam”, but that’s not it… ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-golf-coverage-lenth-of-putts/539593/7 "2010-05-16T17:39:17Z")
Shot Link. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-golf-coverage-lenth-of-putts/539593/8 "2010-05-16T17:46:55Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > Shot Link. Yes. I knew it was two syllables! ---
**Author:** ![sevenwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@sevenwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sevenwood)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tv-golf-coverage-lenth-of-putts/539593/9 "2010-05-16T22:18:07Z")
You can find all of the details you want at Shotlink’s [website.](http://www.shotlink.com)