In 2016, when voice assistants were still a novelty, the PGA Tour partnered with TribalScale to take a bold leap: make live golf scores and tournament updates accessible through Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The result was one of the first-ever voice apps in professional sports—giving fans hands-free, real-time access to leaderboards and player updates, and positioning the PGA Tour as a digital innovator.
Impact Delivered
Challenge
The PGA Tour faced a unique challenge:
Fan expectations: Golf fans wanted instant, real-time scoring across multiple tournaments and formats.
Uncharted territory: Voice was an emerging platform, with few established design patterns or technical standards.
Complex data: Translating constantly changing leaderboards into natural, conversational experiences—without screens—required innovation.
Brand risk: Launching on new, unproven platforms carried reputational stakes for a global sports brand.
Solution
TribalScale collaborated closely with PGA Tour stakeholders, Amazon, and Google to design and launch voice apps that could handle the complexity of live sports.
Discovery & Design: Researched fan behaviours and designed conversational flows that felt natural and intuitive.
Agile Delivery: Used weekly sprints and pair programming to build, test, and refine the apps in real time.
Collaboration: Worked directly with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant teams to meet certification standards and push platform capabilities.
Voice-First Apps: Developed and launched Alexa Skills and Google Actions delivering live tournament data, player stats, and real-time standings.
Scalable Platform: Architected the backend to support weekly updates across multiple events and gameplay formats.
Future Enhancements: Expanded beyond scoring to include podcasts and live audio streams, extending fan engagement beyond tournaments.
Tools and Technologies Used:
Adobe Analytics
Diagflow
Perfecto
AWS
Outcome
This pioneering initiative elevated the PGA Tour’s digital brand and deepened TribalScale’s reputation as a global leader in voice technology. Our success led to recognition from both Amazon and Google, and cemented TribalScale as a Premier Consulting Partner trusted for emerging technology delivery.
Why It Matters
The PGA Tour’s venture into voice proved that even in industries steeped in tradition, embracing emerging platforms can unlock entirely new forms of fan engagement. By translating live sports into conversational experiences, the PGA set the stage for the next generation of immersive sports media.