One of the world’s oldest sporting events takes place next week as the 145th Open Championship tees off at Royal Troon.

It will, as always, be beamed around the world to a huge global audience of golf fans, casual observers and to those who will only be fans for the weekend to take in the sort of feel that only The Open can provide.

But the logistics of putting on a show like R&A does every year are huge.

Firstly, there’s the venue. It moves every year and each venue will provide a different set of challenges; every golf course is different, after all. Moving your banquet every year also means you can’t set up a permanent home, making it the sporting event equivalent of living out of a suitcase.

And then there’s the question of actually beaming the coverage to everyone who wants to watch it. Royal Troon is over 7,000 yards of grass, sand and water, and that’s just from tee to pin. The entire course is a matter of square miles, and it’s not an exaggeration to say that nearly every blade of grass will need to be covered. Just catching every (wayward) shot, then, seems like a feat, let alone being able to broadcast it in real time.

This year, the R&A be provided with the solutions for these problems through a collaboration between Exterity, a leading provider of enterprise IP video technologies, and C3i Group, an expert in temporary event installation. Together, they will provide The Open’s audiences – both those present at Royal Troon and around the world – with IP-based live streaming of the event.

What is easy to overlook when it comes to broadcasting sporting events is the spectators who are actually at the event. Innovation, for the most part, will follow the money and end up innovating for those watching at home on TV. Broadcast coverage brings you live footage, but also expert analysis, live statistics and a host of other added-extras.

It’s easy to forget that it’s not just those watching at home that require some sort of enhancement in order to feel closer to the action on the course. The spectators who attend the event live are only able to see what’s happening on one hole at a time.

Exterity’s video solution for this year’s open will involve a solution to the problem of access to the whole event for those paying for tickets to actually be present at Troon next week. The video streaming will be available in the media rooms and hospitality tents around the course, so those in attendance will be able to see everything that those at home will be able to see, too.

Colin Farquhar, CEO at Exterity, added: “Video coverage has become an integral part of the fan experience during live events, and we’re proud to be working with C3i Group to ensure high quality video streaming at events of the calibre of The Open. We are already extending our collaboration by providing an on-site managed service alongside the C3i Group team to ensure that the delivery of the solution remains seamless and to the utmost standard. This way, fans will feel even more immersed in the golfing action.”

Golf, as a sport, is embracing technology to bring spectators closer to the action, as this year’s US Open’s use of virtual reality and drone footage shows. And at The Open next week, even those who are present on the course will be able to benefit from the video that everyone else will see in yet another example of the golf industry embracing video-streaming to enhance the experience of those in attendance at the event as well as those watching from home.