The Sprint Accuracy Challenge

Sport. Spectacle. Sales.

The Challenge Proposed.

On every Thursday and Friday for a full season: One hole within the tournament shall be designated The Sprint Accuracy Challenge Hole The hole location, tee box, and any other man-made aspect of the game shall be the same on both days Whoever scores lowest, relative to par on day 2, after the season, shall be deemed winner.
2

These Guys are Good.

But how good?
Current statistics de-emphasize overall performance Highly specific information is onerous for the fans and fails to measure the players ability to convert knowledge into scoring Current numbers are muddled by inclusive extraneous factors over the sample size:
Course, weather conditions Hole locations
3

Golf: A Statisticians Dream

Golfs accuracy statistics are narrow
Approach 50-75 yards (relative to par) Approaches > 100 yards-Rough (RTP) GIR Percentage 100+ yards Rough Proximity
also Left and Right Rough Proximity

Birdie or Better Percentage 200+ yards There are over 95 Approach Stats at pgatour.com
4

Changes to Golf over time.

1400s Golf clubs made by the players from wood 1618 Featherie introduced 1850 (c.) Gutty ball introduced 1858 St. Andrews mandates the 18 hole round 1882 Prestwick expands to 18 holes 1929 Steel shafted clubs officially recognized 1970s Graphite shafts, cavity-back irons 1980s Metal woods
5

Standardization & Performance

Standardization underpins change for much of golfs storied history
Featherie = 1 tophat full of fine feathers 18 holes to evenly weight matches 14 clubs in the bag Coefficient of Restitution and Head Volume

Standards eliminate obstacles to measuring statistical performance in competition

6

The Accuracy Challenge.

One Hole, One Hole Location, Two Days A measure of course knowledge, adjustment A fan spectacle on Thursdays and Fridays Further eliminates statistical noise
Course conditions, layout, and hole location Leaving only weather (mitigated by layout)

Everyone Wins.
The Game Creates another layer of interest The Analysts Plentiful conversation points The Casual Fan An interesting, trackable stat The Player Fan Emphasis on control, iron play The Aficionado Statistical approach to the mental aspect of the game The Players Prize money and recognition The Sponsor Visibility, sales with a prized demographic
8

Objectives Golf
Raise fan interest on Thursday and Friday Create additional sponsorship revenue Advance competition at the highest levels Create broad interest, dialogue

Approaching The Challenge - Golf

Float the idea (rumor?) at festive events like The Byron Nelson and The Phoenix Open Gauge tenability of launching the idea with the players Use the Par 3 that is not the Hole-in-One Challenge Experiment with the Nationwide Tour

10

Objective - Sprint
Advance the brand
By associating with new thinking, excellence By being the name associated with a focal point

Maximize advertising coverage Convert an important sales demographic into selling opportunity Erode others consolidated market share to show corporate growth
11

Approaching The Challenge - Sprint

The Sprint Accuracy Challenge Hole, Flag The Sprint Accuracy Challenge Leaderboard Donate a nominal amount to charity for each player who scores better than par on Day 2
Allstate Good Hands Field Goal

Advertising campaign that focuses on accuracy or applied learning Advertising punch line idea: When is your contract up?
12

These Guys are Good

And by creating an environment that almost exactly replicates a hole from one day to the next, we can measure with close accuracy just how good.

13