
The 125th U.S. Open: NBC Sports Rolls Out Massive Production-Tech Arsenal To Cover Overhauled Oakmont Course More than 100 cameras, fleet of trucks will cover every part of the legendary venue By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, June 12, 2025 - 3:13 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
There are plenty of great storylines heading into this week's U.S. Open golf tournament, but the course itself will likely be the focus of NBC Sports' coverage over the next four days. Long ranked as one of America's most fearsome tests for golfers, Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania has completely revamped the course in an effort not only to restore the original design from 1903 but to make it even more challenging for players seeking the 2025 U.S. Open Championship Trophy.
Besides putting 156 players through the wringer this week, the renovated Oakmont course presents a litany of challenges for NBC Sports' technical and operations teams. In addition to the overhauled course layout and bad weather, the large team has faced several significant logistical hurdles, including having to cross the Pennsylvania Turnpike (which runs literally through the course itself) and active railroad tracks.
There's no underground fiber in place, which definitely adds to the complexity, but that's part of what makes covering events like this so rewarding, says Allison McAllister, VP, golf operations, NBC Sports. We enjoy the challenge of finding creative solutions when obstacles come up. It has pushed us to be innovative, and the team has done a great job making it all work.
Onslaught of Tech: 100+ Cameras Include Drones, Ditch Cam, and 1080p HDR Bunker Cams With more than 100 cameras strewn across Oakmont - including an additional pair of drone cameras this year - NBC Sports will have every nook and cranny of the legendary course covered.
New this year, a ditch cam has been placed at the 15th hole, where tee shots are expected to roll toward the ditch alongside the fairway. The Robovision robotic system, McCallister says, has an angle that delivers an immersive look from the point of view of 24-in.-high grass.
The new production compound at Oakmont is not only capacious but on flat ground.
Also new this year, NBC will deploy four 1080p HDR RF bunker cameras from NEP Specialty Capture, which will offer unique perspectives from the sand near the 8th green and surrounding the green at the potentially drivable 17th hole.
In addition, the role of NBC's Emmy Award-winning drone tracing continues to grow, as does the sophistication of the technology. NBC will be using ARL graphics and 3D course modeling, which continue to be a hit with viewers, and will once again rely on Trackman as its tracing partner (as it did for U.S. Women's Open).
Drone tracing has quickly become a fan favorite, says McCallister, and we're excited to bring it to the U.S. Open - especially on a course like Oakmont, which has undergone significant renovation, opening up some stunning aerial views.
Additional production elements include techno cranes on Holes 3, 16 (a Krypto crane positioned on the fairway), and 17. Also deployed: a RoboVision Tracer on the 6th tee with a reverse follow shot with ARL graphics; Pinpoint green animations showing the projected breaks of putts; a jib camera providing coverage of the first tee and 9th and 18th greens; a shallow-depth-of-field Steadicam; and a robo bridge camera following the players as they walk across the bridge over the Pennsylvania Turnpike between Hole 1 and Hole 2.
NBC has also deployed an ENG unit equipped with LiveU systems to capture live scenic shots from around the Oakmont area to enhance the overall broadcast.
A Proper' Compound: Trucks Find a Suitable Home at Oakmont All onsite content is being acquired and produced in 1080p HDR. From an engineering standpoint, all facilities in the compound - NEP ND2, Supershooter 4, and Super Shooter 8, along with NBC's Neubert remote and TX Kits - are connected via ST 2110, with NEP TFC software managing all the signal flows. This setup has streamlined NBC's workflow and offers more-efficient and flexible signal transport across the entire compound.
Although NBC is no stranger to Oakmont, this year's Open will be the first in which the Peacock's onsite team will be working out of a proper truck compound. In the past, broadcasters were forced to create makeshift compounds using existing space, but, as part of the recent renovations, the course created a true production -compound area.
NBC Sports is operating out of a suite of Sunday Night Football trucks.
It's definitely nice to have a proper compound at Oakmont this year, especially with the renovated course, says McCallister. That said, part of producing a major event like the U.S. Open is being flexible and finding solutions that work for all our partners. Working closely with the USGA, we had to make a few adjustments to the compound layout thanks to Mother Nature, but we're in a great spot now and are well-positioned to deliver a top-tier product.
NBC also has the added benefit of having the headquarters of NEP Group, its primary facilities provider, nearby in Pittsburgh. That proximity allows quick access to backup equipment and support.
Having NEP just down the road is a huge advantage, says McCallister, especially when unexpected needs, or OBTWs,' pop up. We're even utilizing their local facilities as a sort of boneyard for overflow and additional trucks, which has been incredibly helpful in keeping everything running smoothly.
Although NBC has a sizable presence onsite, several key productions are being handled remotely from NBC Sports' broadcast center in Stamford, CT, including Live From, Feature Group 2, Feature Group 3, and All Access. In addition, NBC i
More from Sports Video Group
30/07/2025
NHL Strikes Deal With DAZN to Distribute NHL.TV to Nearly 200 Countries NHL.TV on DAZN will include distribution of the Stanley Cup Playoffs and Stanley Cup Fin...
30/07/2025
SVG Content Management Forum 2025: All Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PL...
29/07/2025
NBA Summer League Tests Out, Refines Audio Workflows New mic arrays and ways of mixing them are a focus By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 - 7...
29/07/2025
Athlete Audio Builds Fan Engagement, Player Branding at WNBA All-Star Specialist A2 Ron Thompson has helped the technology evolve for decades By Dan Daley, Aud...
29/07/2025
Dante, Dell Technologies, Google, SMT, and Wave Central Renew Corporate Sponsors...
29/07/2025
Ross Video Case Study: How to Draw Fans Deeper into the Game By SVG Staff
Tuesday, July 29, 2025 - 11:36 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlight...
29/07/2025
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Sounding off with HBS at the largest production for a ...
28/07/2025
New classic: EMG / Gravity Media France on overlapping schedules and athlete acc...
28/07/2025
Indiana Pacers Sports & Entertainment's Emily Wright on the IP-based Tech Tr...
28/07/2025
Live From National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction: Cooperstown Is at the Heart ...
28/07/2025
SVG Attendees Get Shared Reality' Treatment at Cosm Experience & Tech Tour ...
25/07/2025
PMY Group s Logan Meier on the Unique Pop Up' Nassau County International C...
25/07/2025
Live from UEFA Women's Euro 2025: RTVE executive producer of sport Moira Gar...
25/07/2025
Live from UEFA Women's Euro 2025: RTVE executive producer of sport Moira Gar...
25/07/2025
Live from UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Inside the production nuts and bolts at IT...
25/07/2025
Live from UEFA Women's Euro 2025: Broadcast facts and camera plan for the En...
25/07/2025
PMY Group's Logan Meier on the Unique Pop Up Nassau County International C...
24/07/2025
2025 SVG Venues & Teams Summit Delves Into the Future of Game-Day Production Tec...
24/07/2025
Imagine Communications' Steve Reynolds on Future-Proofing Sports Venues in a...
24/07/2025
Lawo Improves HOME IP-Native Management Platform with 4.0 Release By SVG Staff
Thursday, July 24, 2025 - 10:15 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Hig...
23/07/2025
The right foundations: Arsenal FC invests in data and network infrastructure to ...
23/07/2025
Snapchat's Sports Value Prop: A Fireside Chat with Snap's Head of Intern...
23/07/2025
Tour de France 2025: France T l visions on the host broadcast for this year'...
23/07/2025
Built for speed: Greenlight on how the King of the Roads Live streaming platform...
23/07/2025
How NBC Sports Tells the Story of Logistically Complex' Tour de France The broadcaster upgrades transmission tech, deploys hybrid production and compelling...
23/07/2025
Mobile TV Group's Latest Mobile Unit, 56FLEX, Serving Chicago Sports Network...
22/07/2025
Is Cloud a Cure-All? Tech Vendors Weigh In On The Future of Cloud-Based Producti...
22/07/2025
SVG Rewind: Major League Baseball Honors Hank Aaron's Record-Breaking Home R...
22/07/2025
Dawn of the Choice Era : A State of the Regional Sports Industry with Patrick C...
22/07/2025
Report: 40% of Sports Fans ONLY Watch Sports on Streaming Services By SVG Staff
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 - 9:05 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story High...
21/07/2025
A Different Direction: Norby Williamson on a New Production Era for FanDuel Spor...
21/07/2025
Philadephia Eagles' Stacy Kelleher on the Club's Newly Renovated Media A...
21/07/2025
Save the Date: Join Us for SVG LIVE!, a Sports & Entertainment Production Summit...
18/07/2025
Live from the 153rd Open Championship: SMT Enhances Video Board Experience; Enab...
18/07/2025
ShotTracker's Davyeon Ross on Revolutionizing Basketball On the Court and ...
18/07/2025
Home Pitch: How the Danish League Brought Its Live Match Production In-House Matchday Production produced 800+ matches across Denmark in its first year By Geor...
18/07/2025
Live From the 153rd Open Championship: EMG Debuts Spidercam for Golf, Expands Su...
18/07/2025
Usyk vs Dubois II: Bringing the fight to life with state of the art cameras and ...
18/07/2025
Usyk vs Dubois II: DAZN's head of boxing Chris Glanville talks helicopters, ...
18/07/2025
Live From the 153rd Open Championship: NBC Expands Unilateral Effort; Shared Stu...
18/07/2025
Warner Bros. Discovery's Anne Graham on Training New Professionals to Ensure...
18/07/2025
Live From the 153rd Open Championship: How R&A Spidercam Became a Reality for Go...
18/07/2025
ESPN Bulks Up Onsite Studios, Cameras, Player Mics for WNBA All-Star Weekend Besides the game, four studio shows will be produced onsite By Jason Dachman, Edit...
17/07/2025
SVG Sit-Down: OpenDrives' Sean Lee, Michael Wilsker, and Jason Matousek on E...
17/07/2025
Oracle's Geoff Tognetti on Staying Ahead of the AI Curve Through Further Ado...
17/07/2025
NBA's Summer League Is a Hot Bed of AI, Immersive Innovation Testing Audio mixing, intelligent camera framing are among AI-driven efforts By Ken Kerschbaum...
17/07/2025
SVG's TranSPORT Conference Returns to NYC on Oct. 21; Register Today! By SVG Staff
Thursday, July 17, 2025 - 8:29 am
Print This Story | Subscribe
St...
17/07/2025
Gravity Media chosen as group name for merged OB business By George Bevir
Wednesday, July 16, 2025 - 11:30
Print This Story
Gravity Media executive chairm...
17/07/2025
SES Closes Deal to Acquire Intelsat, Creating New Giant in Satellite Connectivit...
17/07/2025
How MLB Pulled Off That Unforgettable Hank Aaron Tribute at the All-Star Game Vintage content, state-of-the-art projection/processing combine in marvelous mile...