Hey everyone,
I’m part of a small team at SmartLinks (smartlinksgolf.com). We’re a golf tech company currently working on something a little different: using drone flyovers for local golf courses that don’t have any.
We’re doing everything 100% free right now as a way to get our name out there, improve our drone workflow, and connect with other drone operators across the country. Our goal is to film every golf course in Minnesota and then expand to other states, building partnerships with local pilots along the way.
We’re currently pre-revenue, but once we establish relationships with a few clubs, the plan is to start hiring operators in other states to do the same thing. The idea is simple: operators will be paid by us to capture free flyovers for courses in their area, while we handle the website delivery, editing, and marketing side.
A bit about me:
I’m Part 107 certified and hold a Minnesota commercial operator license. We’re a fully insured, legitimate business. I’ve been flying drones since college, where I also worked on a NASA Space Grant drone program.
Recently, I picked up a DJI Mini 4K (Fly More pack plus two extra batteries for a total of five). I shoot in manual mode with a white balance of 5600K, ISO 100, and shutter at 1/60–1/120, using UV filters when it’s bright out. I also carry a portable power unit to charge batteries and the controller on-site.
Now, I know some people might say the Mini 4K is underpowered for this kind of work, and that’s fair. But these are small-town, low-tech courses that have no existing drone footage at all, and the response has been great. The four courses we’ve done so far have all loved the videos we delivered. For what we’re trying to do, build awareness, relationships, and learn, it’s been more than enough to get the job done.
So far, we’ve completed four courses: three nine-hole and one eighteen-hole. We can cover a nine-hole course in about 1.5 hours and an eighteen-hole course in about 3–4 hours, depending on traffic. We’re careful to stay out of players’ way and always coordinate with staff beforehand.
When we’re done, we deliver the drone footage, a fully developed course website, and a social media marketing proposal to the club.
One course recently asked about 3D mapping and photogrammetry, which got us thinking about expanding into that as well. I’ve done mapping in the past during college (back when we strapped a GoPro to a custom drone), but I’d love to connect with anyone who’s done mapping or golf flyovers recently, especially with smaller drones like the Mini 4K.
Would love to:
• Get feedback on our approach
• Hear from operators who’ve done similar work
• Connect with pilots who might want to work with us in the future as we expand beyond Minnesota
If you’ve done course mapping, photogrammetry, or golf flyovers, I’d really appreciate any advice, workflow tips, or examples.
Thanks,
Josh
SmartLinks (smartlinksgolf.com)
We do hole flyovers and orbits of each green along with random shots along the way. Short promo example below so feel free to tell me everything I did wrong
Also gimbal has never been perfectly level out of the box so if you guys know how to fix that let me know!
www.dropbox.com
I’m part of a small team at SmartLinks (smartlinksgolf.com). We’re a golf tech company currently working on something a little different: using drone flyovers for local golf courses that don’t have any.
We’re doing everything 100% free right now as a way to get our name out there, improve our drone workflow, and connect with other drone operators across the country. Our goal is to film every golf course in Minnesota and then expand to other states, building partnerships with local pilots along the way.
We’re currently pre-revenue, but once we establish relationships with a few clubs, the plan is to start hiring operators in other states to do the same thing. The idea is simple: operators will be paid by us to capture free flyovers for courses in their area, while we handle the website delivery, editing, and marketing side.
A bit about me:
I’m Part 107 certified and hold a Minnesota commercial operator license. We’re a fully insured, legitimate business. I’ve been flying drones since college, where I also worked on a NASA Space Grant drone program.
Recently, I picked up a DJI Mini 4K (Fly More pack plus two extra batteries for a total of five). I shoot in manual mode with a white balance of 5600K, ISO 100, and shutter at 1/60–1/120, using UV filters when it’s bright out. I also carry a portable power unit to charge batteries and the controller on-site.
Now, I know some people might say the Mini 4K is underpowered for this kind of work, and that’s fair. But these are small-town, low-tech courses that have no existing drone footage at all, and the response has been great. The four courses we’ve done so far have all loved the videos we delivered. For what we’re trying to do, build awareness, relationships, and learn, it’s been more than enough to get the job done.
So far, we’ve completed four courses: three nine-hole and one eighteen-hole. We can cover a nine-hole course in about 1.5 hours and an eighteen-hole course in about 3–4 hours, depending on traffic. We’re careful to stay out of players’ way and always coordinate with staff beforehand.
When we’re done, we deliver the drone footage, a fully developed course website, and a social media marketing proposal to the club.
One course recently asked about 3D mapping and photogrammetry, which got us thinking about expanding into that as well. I’ve done mapping in the past during college (back when we strapped a GoPro to a custom drone), but I’d love to connect with anyone who’s done mapping or golf flyovers recently, especially with smaller drones like the Mini 4K.
Would love to:
• Get feedback on our approach
• Hear from operators who’ve done similar work
• Connect with pilots who might want to work with us in the future as we expand beyond Minnesota
If you’ve done course mapping, photogrammetry, or golf flyovers, I’d really appreciate any advice, workflow tips, or examples.
Thanks,
Josh
SmartLinks (smartlinksgolf.com)
We do hole flyovers and orbits of each green along with random shots along the way. Short promo example below so feel free to tell me everything I did wrong
Also gimbal has never been perfectly level out of the box so if you guys know how to fix that let me know!
Dropbox
www.dropbox.com
