Checking Into Your Club and Finding Lost Golf Balls

A golf club near London allows busy members to walk on and walk off the green without signing in at the clubhouse. To track usage of the course, the club issued RFID-based cards that members hang on their golf bags. The interrogator inside a golf hut picks up the unique ID number on the RFID membership tag as golfers approach the first tee. No signing in, and no hassles for golfers. 

Enjoying your game

Now that you have saved so much time checking in, what will you do if your ball goes astray? Even the best golfers occasionally have to search for their balls off the fairway or in the rough.

A California company has designed a system to help golfers find their balls that go astray. By using RFID, golfers can avoid hiking through knee-high grass and speed the game for everyone.

The so-called ball positioning system features golf balls that contain RFID tags. If an owner wants to locate a lost ball, she uses a handheld device (an RFID reader) that communicates with the tag at distances up to 30 metres. An audio signal tells her that the device is pointing in the direction of the lost ball, and the signal becomes louder as she moves in closer to the ball.

Golfers can clip the battery-operated handheld device to their belts or golf bags and switch off the handheld when the game is going well.

With RFID-enabled golf balls, the focus can remain on the game and not on the rough.