Drone Golf Championship Takes Place in Turkey

Usually when a drone is involved, hitting a birdie is the last thing you want to do. But at the Turkish Drone Golf Championship it’s par for the course. Turkish Airlines has put on an event mixing the latest technology and one of the world’s oldest sports.

The video below is from Turkish Airlines, who sponsored this weird drone event for the second year running:

This is the second year that professional golfers have taken part in the bizarre ‘Championship’ at the Regnum Carya golf course in Turkey. The 16th tee, which is situated on the roof of a villa, is the point from which players attempt a nearest-the-pin challenge of the kind we’re not used to seeing.

For the title, Henrik Stenson and Ian Poulter took on Martin Kaymer and Shane Lowry, as both pairs used a DJI Inspire drone to fly and drop the golf ball as close to the pin as possible.

In an unusual twist, the pairs were split between pilot and spotter. The pilot had to fly the drone while being directed from the green by his teammate. The two teams went head to head in a best-of-three contest, with one managing to end up in the water.

We’re not convinced that drone golf is a sport ready to take off anytime soon. For one thing, it removes driving from the game – probably the best part, right? But on the plus side, a recent report suggested that men nearing retirement age were the most likely to own a drone, so at least it would bring together two similar demographics. Two birdies with one stone, if you like.