Real-Time Golf Ball Trajectory Rendering System Balancing Cost and Accuracy

viztrick AiDi’s real-time golf ball trajectory rendering system is now being implemented, not only within Nippon TV, but also across broadcasting organizations beyond company boundaries. In this article, we introduce its achievements in actual deployment settings and its technical features.

In golf broadcasts—which take place across vast outdoor fields—various technologies have been used to clearly convey the trajectory of a small ball only a few centimeters in diameter. However, pursuing higher accuracy inevitably increases equipment costs, while keeping costs low limits the precision of visual representation. This trade-off between cost and accuracy has long been a major challenge.

The new system built with AiDi provides a solution to this issue. By combining a uniquely specialized camera with image recognition technology, we succeeded in visualizing golf ball trajectories in real time and with high accuracy, without having to rely on conventional, expensive dedicated equipment.

Recognized for its innovation and practicality, the system has received several prestigious honors, including an award at the 2025 Japan Commercial Broadcasters Association (JBA) Awards.

Real-time Tracking Enabled by Specialized Cameras and Image Recognition Technology

The greatest strengths of this system are its low latency—ideal for live broadcasts—and its high recognition accuracy. The AI analyzes footage captured by a specialized camera, instantly detects the golf ball the moment it is struck and draws its trajectory. It can recognize the ball consistently and accurately regardless of weather conditions, enabling highly precise rendering. As a result, viewers can intuitively follow and enjoy the ball’s flight path without ever losing sight of it.

A System Design That Eliminates the Cost vs. Accuracy Trade-Off

Before AiDi, achieving highly accurate trajectory visualization required expensive radar equipment, creating the long-standing challenge that “greater accuracy comes with higher cost.” 

To address this issue, we applied AiDi’s image recognition technology to develop a new solution. With a minimal equipment setup—simply mounting a small, specialized camera onto a broadcast camera—we dramatically reduced costs while still delivering high-precision rendering that meets broadcast-quality standards.

Proven Operational Track Record and High Industry Recognition

This system has already been put into practical use in Nippon TV’s golf broadcast programs and live streams, greatly contributing to improved content quality. Building on its ease of implementation, it has also been used in golf broadcasts by Sapporo TV, one of our network stations.

Its strong performance in real-world production environments and its technical excellence have been highly praised, leading to the system receiving the following awards in fiscal year 2025:

• 2025 JBA Excellence Award in the Technical Category
• 2024 Technology Promotion Award—Advancement and Development Prize (Field Operation Division), presented by the Institute of Image Information and Television Engineers (ITE)

The Future Potential of This System

This system has also been recognized for its strong future potential. Going forward, we are considering expanding the technology not only within golf but across a wide range of sports, and even into non-sports fields. By broadening the possibilities of “specialized cameras × image recognition,” we aim to help solve challenges in a variety of environments.

For inquiries about implementing this system or utilizing the technology, please feel free to contact us using the information below.