Swinging smarter with Rakuten GORA’s AI powered analysis
Imagine having a personal golf coach that tirelessly analyzes every nuance of your swing – without costing a fortune. Rakuten GORA, a leading golf course reservation site in Japan, is now making that dream a reality for golfers across the country with its innovative AI-powered swing analysis feature. This cutting-edge beta feature is a collaboration between Rakuten GORA, the Rakuten Institute of Technology (RIT) and Keio University’s Aoki Laboratory, underscoring Rakuten’s commitment to innovation in the Japanese golf market.
Tee to tech: A collaborative success story
The result of successful collaboration between industry and academia, the feature combines Rakuten GORA’s industry insights, Rakuten Institute of Technology (RIT)’s AI development expertise and Keio University’s expertise in sports video recognition and vast repository of golf swing data. The collaboration with Keio University’s Aoki Laboratory was initiated by Mitsuru Nakazawa, a Principal Research Scientist from RIT who spearheaded this project. As Nakazawa explains, “I introduced Professor Aoki of Keio University because he is one of the most well-known researchers in computer vision for sports. With RIT’s AI-tech knowledge and Keio’s sports analysis expertise, it was a great match.”
“We’re giving every golfer, from beginner to pro, the power to truly understand their swing,” explains a Rakuten GORA spokesperson. “This allows them to identify areas for improvement and become more motivated to refine their technique. The synergy between our teams was essential to making this vision a reality.”
Addressing the swing analysis challenge
Objectively identifying flaws in one’s golf swing is a challenge as old as the game itself. GORA’s AI-powered feature addresses this “blind spot” by providing data-driven, actionable insights that were previously unavailable.
The feature analyzes 41 checkpoints across nine distinct swing phases, meticulously assessing your posture, hand position, shaft angle and club position to help you identify areas for improvement. Whether it’s detecting a slight bend in your arm at impact or an improper body position, the feature provides personalized insights to bring you closer to your ideal swing and can even diagnose swing paths like ‘inside-out’ or ‘inside-in’. Users simply record their swing with a smartphone and upload it to the Rakuten Golf Score Management App.
The AI then provides a comprehensive score, a detailed swing path analysis and a balance evaluation visualized through an easy-to-understand radar chart. Users can also compare their swings to professional model examples for comparison.
Inside the algorithm: Robust and adaptable AI
The AI feature is designed to be robust and adaptable, providing accurate analysis regardless of lighting conditions or individual variations in swing style. This ensures consistent and reliable feedback for every user.
Professor Yoshimitsu Aoki of Keio University explains, “we focused on developing an AI model that is resilient to environmental changes and individual differences. Our lab’s expertise in sports video recognition, combined with a large dataset of thousands of golf swings, allowed us to translate the knowledge of professional golf instructors into an algorithm that reliably detects swing phases and extracts key information.”
Nakazawa adds, “this project began as an academic mission in 2022, building everything from the ground up. Seeing the models we developed now being used in a real-world application is incredibly rewarding and a testament to our team’s dedication.”
Positive user feedback: Accuracy and actionable insights
User feedback has been positive, with golfers praising the feature’s accuracy, ease of use and ability to provide actionable insights for improving their swing.
“Users have told us that the scoring feature helps them identify their own issues,” says a Rakuten GORA spokesperson. “They also appreciate being able to compare their swings to model examples, which makes it easier to understand where they stand and what they need to work on. The detailed phase-by-phase evaluation has also been a hit with our users.”
Rakuten GORA, RIT and Keio University are committed to continuous improvement based on user feedback, ensuring the feature remains a valuable tool for golfers of all skill levels.
Driving the future of golf with AI technology
The development of the swing analysis feature aligns perfectly with Rakuten’s broader innovation strategy, which focuses on leveraging technology to improve people’s lives. In the context of the Japanese market, where golf is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, this technology offers a valuable tool for both seasoned players and newcomers to the sport.
“This project demonstrates the power of AI to transform traditional industries,” says Nakazawa. “We envision a future where AI-powered features like this are commonplace, helping people learn and improve in all aspects of their lives.”
The Rakuten Golf Score Management App, already downloaded over 3.2 million times, now offers even greater utility with the addition of this AI-powered swing analysis feature. In addition to swing analysis, the app provides comprehensive support for golf rounds, including GPS course maps and communication among players.
Rakuten GORA, RIT and Keio University are committed to continuous improvement based on user feedback and are working towards the official release of the feature.
