The challenge
Delivering fast, accurate notifications across tour events
Location is at the core of fan engagement for the PGA TOUR's app. A single tour event can span 200 acres, so knowing where a fan is on a course allows the PGA TOUR to guide them through vast spaces and ensure they have the information they need for an incredible experience.
As their app user base grew, managing their previous geolocation product became increasingly challenging. The legacy solution lacked consistent product innovation and user-friendly design, making it difficult to update the geofences that powered notifications. Since delivering location-based push notifications to fans as they navigate a course was key to their success, the PGA TOUR needed a provider that could ensure accurate and fast delivery.
The PGA TOUR considered other providers, but Radar stood out for its key integrations, advanced location analytics, and clear, easy-to-understand documentation that supported rapid internal enablement.
The solution
One SDK powering ticket sales, pre-event messaging, and on-site experiences
The PGA TOUR uses the Radar SDK to power location-based push notifications triggered through geofence entries and exits on courses and in surrounding regions. With an out-of-the-box Airship integration, Radar supports rapid notification delivery across three key use cases:
- Targeted ticket sales: Using Radar's Regions and DMAs (designated market areas), the app reaches fans within a local tournament's radius to promote activations through specific in-app CTAs.
- Location-based push notifications: Fans in regions surrounding courses receive contextually relevant notifications before and after events, including upgraded-experience offers and feedback questionnaires.
- Curated on-site experiences: When fans arrive at a tournament, precise geofence entries trigger notifications for specific areas like hospitality tents or food stands, and Radar surfaces an event guide based on the course they're exploring.
The results
18,000 geofences live, and notifications fans actually open
In 16 days, the PGA TOUR completed development of the Radar SDK while implementing 18,000 geofences across courses, tournaments, DMAs, retail stores, and other points of interest.
Since working with Radar, the PGA TOUR has met fans with tailored messaging at the right place and time. Geo-targeted notifications helped drive a 71% increase in location-based app notification open rates and an 8% open rate for ticket upgrade notifications. Looking ahead, the PGA TOUR plans to further personalize on-site experiences — from notifications about a favorite player's location to event-specific information — with Radar's capabilities helping achieve their vision.
