Dell Play Through took golf out of the country club and transformed downtown Austin, Texas into a 9-hole golf course—designed with the help of GPS technology, social data and other innovations.

This was the first game to incorporate real-time Foursquare venue data. Along the course, the city’s most popular restaurants, bars and landmarks became tee boxes, hazards and greens. Players could drive, chip and putt their way through Austin’s most popular sights in 360º street view. Players adjusted shots based on current wind conditions.

Using the phone’s GPS, players could blast drives from their current location, anywhere in the U.S.—and then see where they ranked on a global leaderboard.

The smartphone’s accelerometer and gyroscope allowed these urban golfers swung their phones like?golf clubs. Players could log in with Facebook Connect and challenge friends to a round. Using these location-based platforms, Dell Play Through is scalable to cities worldwide.

The Dell Play Through app was designed for dedicated golfers and non-golfers alike. It allowed players to explore the city through a blend of golf, social data, and GPS technology.

Golf Channel host Matt Ginella designed the 9-hole downtown course. We partnered with Foursquare to show members’ favorite restaurants, bars and landmarks on every hole.

A GPS-based, long-drive contest created a grassy tee area at the user’s nearest cross street, inviting them to hit a monster drive through their neighborhood. The smartphone’s gyroscope and accelerometer let them physically swing their phone to play.

A rich media and social media campaign promoted the app with the #DellPlayThrough hashtag,

Dell Play Through launched at South by Southwest, where tech influencers premiered the urban golf experience. The app was featured at the Dell Match Play Championships. Tennis champion Andy Roddick, actor Adrian Grenier and Dell founder Michael Dell each hit virtual drives.

In the days after launch, thousands of people had downloaded Dell Play Through for iPhone or Android. In just a few weeks these mobile golfers had hit 114,000 virtual tee shots, in the Austin Open course or from their current GPS location. They played 13,049 holes. The campaign generated 9 million media impressions. The teaser video generated 2 million views across golf sites and social media, with a .24 click-through-rate.

Dell Play Through’s launch generated plenty of buzz at South by Southwest, the Dell Match Play tournament, and in the media. More than a dozen articles appeared during launch week, including features in Golf Digest, Ad Age, and several tech and golf magazines and blogs. Dell Play Through’s unique blend of data-driven experience boosted word of mouth for Dell among golf, travel, entertainment and technology enthusiasts.

As part of its Future Ready platform, Dell looked to leverage golf as a shared passion to connect emotionally with business decision makers. By illustrating the future of golf for players and viewers, Dell gained credibility as a technology partner.

There is a deep relationship between golf and data. The game is one of precision, with outcomes defined by fractions of inches. A slight shift in wind direction or a degrees-deeper bend of the knee can change the ball’s trajectory. Sinking a putt requires the calculation of many variables. Technology brings the data to life in a way that lets people interact with it—because the future of golf is powered by data.

To connect this insight with Dell’s expertise, we created content to engage business leaders in our view of the future of golf. Dell Play Through shows how technology and data transform the way we appreciate the sport.

In the first year of Dell’s sponsorship of the World Match Play Golf Championships in Austin, Texas, Dell wanted to gain credibility with business decision makers, by showcasing the deep connection between golf and data. Our insight: The future of golf is powered by data.

Objectives:

-Use Dell technology and location-based data to offer a glimpse of the future of golf.

-Deliver a transformative golf experience that would inspire and engage business decision makers, golfers, golf fans, and technology innovators.

-Combine golf and location data in a completely new way, creating a unique gaming experience that can be extended to additional markets.