Tournament Leaderboard Enhancements

For golf fans both die-hard and casual, the Leaderboard is steeped with tradition and is THE way to follow the leaders at PGA TOUR tournaments — and now PGA TOUR Digital has enhanced that tradition, by adding new features and functionality to its Leaderboards on PGATOUR.COM.

The Leaderboards on PGATOUR.COM have experienced tremendous evolution over the years: From the website’s early days where it was a simple grid, which provided scores only; to adding more data-rich experiences like Shot Tracker to further enhance the live scoring experience.

And over the past year, PGA TOUR Digital researched metrics on Leaderboard performance, engaging with golf fans and PGATOUR.COM users on features they’d like to see added to the Leaderboard. After numerous discovery sessions, continued feedback and multiple design iterations, a brand-new Leaderboard experience will debut at the Safeway Open (Oct. 13–16, 2016), which is the first tournament in the PGA TOUR’s 2016–2017 season.

WHAT’S NEW?

More players visible on the first screen: By redesigning the top section of the page, more players display on the initial load of the Leaderboard when viewing the Leaderboard via a laptop, tablet or phone.

Shot Tracker: Larger graphics: Fans now have the ability to go big with a “modal view” which reveals a larger version of the entire hole and green, as well as easy navigation between Shot Tracker and Video views when watching via the larger screen.

Modal View — Entire hole, single player selected

Modal View — Entire hole, group (i.e. — multiple players) selected

Shot trails & scorecards for all available rounds: Until now, the Leaderboard focused on the current round’s action. This update enables fans to view shot trails, scorecards and stats from any previous round. Fans will also be able to select the “Group View” for any previous round, to see how player partners changed from round-to-round.

Know when video or audio is streaming live: Red “live now” buttons display when “PGA TOUR LIVE” video or “PGA TOUR Radio” coverage goes on the air — the launch buttons will be located next to other broadcast listings.

THE FULL EXPERIENCE

Player Expansion Rows

Click on a player’s name to expand the row to reveal all the live shot trails, play-by-play, stats and video:

1. Shot Tracker: Hole graphics + shot trails for every shot
2. Play-By-Play: Detailed location data (e.g. — “Shot 2–230 yards to left rough. 120 yards to green.”)
3. Statistics: Charts the player’s performance
4. Videos, Articles: More updates for the player throughout the tournament

Multiple Views

Golf fans have multiple viewing options to choose:

1. “Player View” and “Group View” — When the expansion drawer is first opened, it displays the “Player View” (i.e. — it shows the player whose name was clicked from the Leaderboard). When the “Group View” is selected, the display switches to show all players in that group for that round.
2. “Entire Hole” and “Green View” — The default view is the “Entire Hole” to give golf fans a bird’s-eye view from tee to green. When the “Green View” is selected, the display zooms-in to the green for greater detail.
3. Expanded “Modal View” for Shot Tracker: This was the most common feedback from golf fans — to provide an option to view larger images for the entire hole and green. The same options to select other views (i.e. — “Player or Group,” “Entire Hole or Green” are still available). Plus — if there is video available for a player, golf fans can switch over to the “Video View” to watch highlights and interviews.
4. Previous Rounds: Follow live or go back and review player performance from every round.

Mobile Web

With an increasing percentage of usage occurring on smartphones, PGA TOUR Digital also implemented additional enhancements to the Leaderboard’s responsive design for this breakpoint:

• In the main Leaderboard view, clicking on a player whose name is displaying near the bottom of the screen would result in his expansion drawer opening “below the scroll” and therefore not completely visible. We have implemented a new feature, which “snaps” the expansion drawer to the top of the screen, ensuring full visibility of the player’s shot trails and scorecard.

• The “Modal View” for Shot Tracker is also available on smartphones. Just like with the larger screen on other devices, golf fans can follow the action live or go back and review previous rounds.

While the enhancements signal a giant leap forward for the Leaderboards on PGATOUR.COM, the evolution will not end here. PGA TOUR Digital will continue to look for new and exciting ways to engage golf fans from the first tee to the final putt.

Originally published at labs.pgatour.com on October 12, 2016.