ROGERS, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — At the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship presented by P&G, artificial intelligence is shaping the future on the fairway.
A task that was once manned by humans, picking up golf balls, is now being taken on by a robot called the “Pik’r.” The bot was created by a Rogers-based company called Automation Hub.
According to its website, Automation Hub drives “innovation in the golf industry with cutting-edge robotic solutions… designed to elevate the game, from state-of-the-art golf simulators that provide an immersive experience to automated golf range pickers that enhance efficiency.”
Justin Wilson, the CEO of Automation Hub, says the robot provides a way to bring customer service back to the clubhouse.
“It’s really the dull, dirty and dangerous jobs that we’re replacing,” Wilson said. “What happened to people that used to clean your clubs, get you a beverage, greet you in a round? This is a job that is easy, replaceable, and honestly hard to hire for.”
This week, the Pik’r is roaming the driving range at Pinnacle Country Club. Wilson says the Pik’r has the ability to retrieve more than 90,000 golf balls per day, with little maintenance or human interference.
“We’re kind of showing off technology and how technology is intersecting with golf,” Wilson said. “We come on site. We map a range. We tell it where not to go, like in sand bunkers, or to hit flagsticks, or in the field of play. Otherwise, it kind of acts like a Roomba and picks up golf balls.”
According to the Automation Hub website, the Pik’r starts at $38,000.
During this week’s tournament, Wilson says the robot has been a hit with players and caddies.
“We’ve had the pros taking pictures, caddies talking about it. I mean, it’s really that’s why we’re here. It’s really a centerpiece of conversation,” Wilson said.
However, the Pik’r is just one piece of technology being used to automate operations.
“We have autonomous mowers, fairway mowers, rough mowers. We’re automating kitchens with automated fryers. AI ovens and so forth. We do a lot for country clubs and golf courses,” Wilson said. “It makes their jobs easier. It’s the dull and the monotonous tasks that now they can get back to customer service while showing them return on investment.”