The Loop
New partners TaylorMade and Microsoft collaborate to produce new wearable golf tracker
The reasoning behind the new partnership announced Thursday between TaylorMade Golf and Microsoft is intuitive according to TaylorMade CEO David Abeles.
"Digital technology is playing a bigger part in people's lives today," Abeles said. "This is no different in the golf space, so it was a natural fit to partner with Microsoft in developing this innovative platform, aimed at enhancing the golfers experience."
The two companies unveiled the first product of their collaborative efforts: the Microsoft Golf Tile. This upgrade to the Microsoft Band, introduced last October, will provide shot-tracking capability on the course as well as offer GPS yardages and a digital scorecard. Additionally, it will measure standard fitness stats such as heart rate, steps walked and calories burned. All the data can be monitored while you play, and you can also look at a summary of your round on the Microsoft Health app when you're done.
The Microsoft Band is priced at $200; adding the Golf Tile comes at no cost.
Next up for TaylorMade and Microsoft is the coming launch of myRoundPro. The companies say it will be a standalone analytics platform that can be used in conjunction with the Golf Tile that will track next-level stats similar to thoes used on the PGA Tour (strokes gained, proximity to the hole, etc.) to provide a deeper analysis of individual players' games.