OnCore Unveils ‘i-Roll’ Smart Golf Ball As First Step To Its Genius Ball

Just over five years ago, OnCore Golf announced plans for its Genius Ball – a GPS-microchipped golf ball that that could capture shot-tracking and performance data, and transmit it to a mobile device in real time. While the Genius Ball remains in development, the Buffalo, New York-based, direct-to-consumer company has unveiled a first iteration: the i-Roll ball.

The i-Roll is designed for putting and wedge play, wirelessly tracking performance data such as ball velocity, spin rate, trajectory, distance and location (via Bluetooth triangulation).

OnCore was previously issued a patent covering new core construction for its Smart ball that protects embedded high-performance electronics and the i-Roll is the first significant step for a ball that can be used in actual play while collecting and transmitting real-time data. The i-Roll isn’t designed for full driver impact, but is suitable for putting and most par 3 courses.

“It’s been a three-year game of whack-a-mole that actually involved rocket science,” said OnCore Golf CEO and Chairman Keith Blakely. “But it’s now a success.”

OnCore is looking to develop partnerships with golf courses to use the i-Roll on Par 3 courses, allowing for automatic scoring in tournaments, real-time leaderboards, no-cheat wagering and other competitions, including the potential of rolling hole-in-one payouts to golfers who make a tracked ace while using the Smart balls.

The data capture, which will be archived on cloud-based servers and available for post-round analysis, can also be used for club fitting, instruction, entertainment and gamification.

OnCore has already had success in the DTC space with its Elixr and Vero lines of golf balls. But the Genius Ball harkens back to the company’s roots, having been originally known for its hollow metal core ball. The company later leveraged its proprietary core technology and unique materials experience to embed high-performance electronics within the golf ball, creating a high-strength and high-stiffness core that could house sensitive electronics that would withstand the high-speed impact of a golf club.

While the process has taken longer than expected, a version that can stand up to the impact of a driver might be ready for introduction at the end of this year. And it would be much more than a GPS-tracked golf ball that can be easily found.