Year

2017 to present

Client

Frontbyte AS

BirdieEyes

Innovative AR golf app

BirdieEyes is a passion project that embodies my love for digital technologies and golf. It's a personal journey into the world of 3D design, innovation, and long-term commitment.


Step 1: Miklagard

The project began when I met Robert Kristiansen from Frontbyte AS. He approached me to develop a digital solution for Miklagard, a Norwegian golf course. I assembled a team of skilled UX/UI specialists and created a concept that incorporated augmented reality to enhance the golfing experience. Using their smartphones, players could visualize course markings, distances to the hole, sand bunker boundaries, and other relevant information to aid in club selection and strategy. Investors were impressed by the concept and approved the project. Within two months, I assembled the core team, established processes, and initiated development.

From one course to the whole country

The potential of the Miklagard project quickly extended beyond a single golf course. Arild Karlsen, the main investor, suggested creating a nationwide solution. This led to the birth of BirdieEyes, a comprehensive app for all Norwegian golf courses. With BirdieEyes, players could seamlessly transition between clubs, book tee times, create games with various formats, invite friends, track real-time scores, and update their handicaps. Additionally, the app enabled players to purchase practice balls from vending machines and make other purchases at golf courses throughout Norway.

Augmented Reality and 3D Technologies

One of the most significant challenges was developing an augmented reality system that could accurately depict the markings on the golf course terrain. The two-dimensional nature of the marker layer and the lack of elevation data presented obstacles. To overcome these challenges, we utilized drones and 3D technologies. By employing these methods, we successfully digitized the course and created a highly accurate 3D model. However, we encountered another issue, as the model's size was too large for mobile devices. A single course's data amounted to approximately 500 MB. Our development team addressed this issue by writing a specialized algorithm that optimized the 3D models, reducing their size while preserving the required accuracy.

Achievements and Plans

BirdieEyes was launched in 2019 and quickly climbed the top 10 apps in the Norwegian app store. The project continues to evolve, with the introduction of new features.

BirdieEyes is more than just a golf app. It represents a groundbreaking effort to digitize a traditionally conservative sport. This project embodies the synergy between technology and sports, and I am proud to have played a role in its development.