If you’re a keen golfer for whom the nineteenth hole always seems just a bit too far away, then how about having a drone deliver some tasty snacks as you make your way around the course?
Thanks to drone startup Flytrex, such a service is about to become a reality for golfers at the King’s Walk Golf Course in North Dakota. For a $3 delivery fee, members can use an app to place their order, take their shot, and then wait for their goodies to fly in.
Touted as “the first drone delivery service for golf courses in the U.S.,” the remotely controlled flying machine — a modified DJI Matrice 600 Pro hexacopter — will take to the skies above the course’s fairways on September 15.
King’s Walk already has a special buggy taking refreshments to golfers, but during busy times delivery can take as long as an hour. The drone service, on the other hand, aims to reach a hungry or parched golfer within 10 minutes, CNN reported.
Strict safety regulations prevent most drone delivery services from getting off the ground in the U.S. The machines aren’t allowed over crowds of people and must stay within sight of the operator at all times. Golf courses, then, could prove to be an ideal location for drone deliveries as they’re rarely crowded and usually offer long-range visibility. Indeed, Flytrex sees golf courses as a gap in the market for drone delivery.
But the tough regulations still mean it has to proceed cautiously, with the six-week trial delivering only to a single location on the course. If all goes well, Israel-based Flytrex hopes to receive permission to broaden its service so it can add more delivery stations along the course.
This isn’t the first drone delivery service set up by Flytrex. In Iceland last year, it partnered with an ecommerce company to fly ordered items over one of Reykjavik’s wide waterways, allowing it to significantly reduce the usual delivery time by road transport.
It’s not clear how many of the King’s Walk golfers will actually welcome the drone delivery service. After all, surely one of the joys of golf is the peace and tranquility as you make your way around the course. With that in mind, the arrival of the buzzing hexacopters may prompt some irate golfers to partake in a spot of aerial target practice. But let’s hope not.
