PGA Championship: CBS Sports Rolls Out 5G-Powered AR, FlyCams, RailCam, 4K BunkerCams, Live Drones, and More at Quail Hollow The team aims to take golf production to a new level By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Thursday, May 15, 2025 - 11:45 am
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CBS Sports is no stranger to Quail Hollow Club, having visited the golf course for the Truist Championship each May since 2003. However, the Tiffany Network's production and operations teams are taking their footprint in Charlotte, NC, to a whole new level for the PGA Championship this week, rolling out one of the industry's largest golf productions of the year for the second major of 2025.
Obviously, with majors, it's more robust, says CBS Sports Coordinating Producer Sellers Shy. While we feel like we know Quail Hollow as well as anyone involved, having covered it since 2003, knowing that it's a major championship allows us to add cameras, add equipment to certain places where you normally can't. That's why I think it will look slightly different in a good way. We'll be able to give the fan angles that they've never seen.
CBS Sports is deploying 125 cameras for this week's PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.
CBS Sport' coverage will deploy cutting-edge technology - notably a new augmented-reality feature powered by T-Mobile's 5G Advanced Network on the 14th tee with real-time analytics and immersive visuals.
Its 125-camera complement features three FlyCam wired systems, two 4K BunkerCams, a RailCam, several Sony cine-style Steadicams (offering a shallow-depth-of-field look), Sony HDC-5500 4K HDR high-speed RF camera systems, two live drones, the Goodyear blimp for aerial shots, and a Falcon360 panoramic camera.
We obviously know the course well, but a [production] the size of the PGA Championship is a very different story, says Adam Stouter, senior director, remote technical operations, CBS Sports. Throughout our multiple surveys and visits to the course with our production team and Karry Haigh [chief championships officer, PGA of America], we were always looking to add technology to find new looks to show the viewers at home.
Covering the Green Mile': An Arsenal of Specialty Cameras Any discussion about covering Quail Hollow has to start with the course's infamous Green Mile finish. To cover one of the toughest three-hole stretches in all of professional golf - along with other pivotal holes 10, 14, and 15 - CBS has deployed a wide range of specialty cameras.
One of the three FlyCams that CBS Sports has installed at Quail Hollow Club
One FlyCam covers Holes 14-17, spanning 300+ yards across a lake; another is on the driving range. A third, smaller FlyCam system runs along the right side of the 18th green, with a camera crane capturing tee shots at Hole 18.
It's very exciting to think that we have a FlyCam that runs all the way over behind the 14th and about 300 yards across the lake, says Shy. We'll be able to see numerous holes: Hole 16, [which] is always very difficult and starts the Green Mile, and 17 and 14.
A pair of 4K BunkerCams, each outfitted with the new 4K Proton camera, are on at the 15th green, capturing the action from the hole's center bunker just off the green.
We're excited to see these new [Proton cameras]; this is the first time they'll be used in a bunker, says Stouter. We're always trying to get the best image quality we can with the smallest form factor possible. This has worked great for us because it gives us what we need for the production in terms of quality but also is small enough that the course allows us to install them in the ground, which can be challenging at times.
A RailCam has been installed behind the par-5 10th tee with full ARL tracing capability.
Kaze Aerial Production will be flying two drones throughout the grounds: the primary drone will capture live shots of play, and the second, a smaller Raptor system, will focus on AR and shot-tracing.
Drone tracing is something that we have established this year [dating to] Rory [McIlroy] at Pebble Beach, says Shy. We've been on a ride with this technology, and it has given the viewer a different perspective. We're excited to take that drone tracing technology to another level at this year's PGA.
Roaming the course will be four cine-style SteadiCams - one Sony PXW-FX9 and three PXW-FX6's - to provide dramatic shallow-depth-of-field shots of the action. In addition, two wireless RF rigs with Sony HDC-5000 4K HDR high-speed cameras will provide super-slo-mo coverage of key shots throughout the day.
On the audio side, more than 150 microphones will be distributed throughout Quail Hollow Club, and CBS Sports on-course reporters will have full walk-and-talk capabilities.
T5G on 14': Combining 5G, AR, and AI-Generated Data at the 14th Tee A camera crane captures tee shots at Hole 18.
This week, CBS Sports and ESPN have teamed up with T-Mobile to debut T5G on 14, a dynamic AR visualization of tee shots at the 14th hole. For the first time ever, an immersive virtual map will overlay performance data processed in near real time to provide analytics like each player's performance on the hole, shot data like club speed, and more. The AI-enabled features, combined with real-time AR visuals, will give fans unprecedented insights into the action. T-Mobile's 5G on Demand, a portable private network, will help deliver full HDR footage at the 14th tee.
We're going to immerse ourselves in a virtual world, says Shy. The 14th hole should be a pivotal hole, knowing that [players are] just holding on for the Green Mile. This is one of the last holes with extreme risk-reward.
In terms of virtual elements, CBS also has Toptracer shot-tracking technology on all 18 hol
