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PGA Tour Extends Golf Course Drone Detection Partnership

Partner SkySafe last year spotted 12 rogue drones flying over golf courses hosting the PGA Tour’s Farmers Insurance Open.

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Key Takeaways:

  • Professional sports leagues, including the PGA Tour, are experiencing a significant rise in unauthorized drone incursions during events, posing safety risks and disrupting play.
  • The PGA Tour is proactively combating this by partnering with drone detection firm SkySafe for events like the Farmers Insurance Open, which uses technology to identify rogue drones and their launch locations, leading to pilot arrests.
  • While drone detection helps locate pilots, current federal laws restrict local authorities from jamming or taking down airborne drones, prompting professional sports leagues like the NFL to lobby Congress for expanded enforcement powers.
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As American professional sports leagues contend with rising numbers of drone incursions during events, the PGA Tour is being proactive.

The low-flying, buzzing aircraft can throw off a golfer’s swing by shattering the silence of the course, ruin the viewing experience for fans, and even pose a threat if they are carrying a payload. So, for its sole event played on a public municipal course—the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California—the world’s premier golf series is enlisting the help of drone detection firm SkySafe.

Jack Daleo

Jack is a staff writer covering advanced air mobility, including everything from drones to unmanned aircraft systems to space travel—and a whole lot more. He spent close to two years reporting on drone delivery for FreightWaves, covering the biggest news and developments in the space and connecting with industry executives and experts. Jack is also a basketball aficionado, a frequent traveler and a lover of all things logistics.

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