When I ended the last post I was ready for Augusta. Now, being that it is only a few days away, the excitement in Atlanta, Augusta, the golf world, heck, the work world is reaching a tipping point. The Masters in the South is a cultural event. Most schools have their spring break this week (especially the ones in Augusta), and many people will miss work to attend the tournament. Before the economy turned sour, companies would rent houses for the week and host events, dinners, and cocktail hours. I remember in my college years at UGA, even the sorority girls cared about golf this week. It is more than just a tournament. So, I begin to harness my enthusiasm by writing about the tournament and one very important way the Masters has engaged its audience.
The Masters iPhone Application
The Masters nails it on the home page with a very simple, minimalistic design. Priority is placed on each different feature starting with the most important which is watching the tournament live. My review on the 2009 PGA App showed that the live feature is the most important. I remember watching Tiger finish his Saturday round while at the Braves game last August. The video was phenomenal and there was only about a 6 second delay from real time. I look forward to seeing how real time the app will stream. From the most prominent “Watch Live” button follows the Leaderboard, News, Course, Radio, and Photos. All will be explored below:
The Masters’ iPhone App home page
What video will we be watching? Some beautiful things are going on here. There are four different “channels” one can view: Amen Corner, the Featured Group of the day, Holes 15 and 16, and finally the Masters Extra. The approximate time of being able to view the live video is Thursday at 10:00 a.m.
LIVE scoring, you want scoring? Come back on….
They couldn’t have picked at better background photo for this landing page.
This is good, for a moment I thought it was great.
Just as I was beginning to write this section of the post, I looked back at the News section and there is a new update titled “Sleepy Time Down South,” written by John Steinbreder and all of a sudden this section has turned back to great. Why? Because I went and then checked the new Masters.com site and the article was not up yet. This is I love because receiving better, more in depth information through different mediums is what its all about. Why would someone download the iPhone app if they could watch it live on the web or T.V. Yes, the convenience factor is huge, but to really get the most out of the app and maximize its utility, The Masters nails it again by providing unique content more quickly to their audience. I love it! By the way, the Sleepy Time Down South article was awesome and they’ll likely post it on the site, but until then, mobile only. Other writers include South Carolina’s Bob Gillespie and Clemson Tiger Ben Martin. I’ll be viewing this frequently to get the inside stories that may not be broadcasted on CBS or talked about on The Golf Channel.
The preliminary coverage of the course this year is one of the more weaker areas of this app.
Initial screen for the Course Section of the app
The reason I found this to be the weakest section of the app are a few. First, the description of each hole is very basic. I would have liked to of known specific facts from each hole or maybe past videos from the hole. Secondly, the fly-by helicopter tours have no music or voice over explaining what the hole. For example, which tree on 17 is the Eisenhower Tree, or where do most players leave their approach to 15?
Screen capture of the video fly-by on 13.
The radio feature seems like a good one, but it will likely not be used as much as the LIVE video.
The radio section of the Masters iPhone app.
For me, I envision using this when I’m not actually watching it on the iPhone. You know, pretty much replacing Pandora for the week with portable audio coverage of the Masters.
And of course it wouldn’t be complete without a robust photo gallery.
The current photo gallery of the Masters iPhone App.
I look forward to seeing how much they update the photo gallery and what type of photos they include.
Overall, the Masters app is fantastic. There are still many questions that will be answered throughout the week, but for FREE.99, the Masters iPhone Application is a must for any person who has an iPhone and desires to watch, listen, or get a more in depth experience to the the Game’s greatest tournament.
