Niemann’s Record Win, TrackMan’s Solheim Cup Role, and What Both Mean for NYC Indoor Golf
Two Headlines, One Week, One Technology
On August 6, TrackMan was named the Official Ball Tracking and Simulator Supplier of the 2026 Solheim Cup. Three days later, Joaquin Niemann completed a wire-to-wire performance at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster to claim his record ninth career LIV Golf individual title at a venue roughly 35 miles west of Midtown Manhattan.
Both stories run through the same tracking hardware. The radar and camera system broadcasting Niemann’s ball flight data on FOX is built on the same platform running inside NYC’s TrackMan simulator bays.
What Happened at Bedminster
Niemann was dominant from round one. He shot 5-under 30 on the front nine in each of the first two rounds, built a lead no one threatened, and finished at 16-under 268 — three shots clear of Harold Varner III, who closed at 13-under after a scorching third-round 65.
Jon Rahm clinched his third consecutive LIV Golf season-long Individual Championship despite a difficult week at a course that punished nearly the entire 57-man field. He shot a closing 5-over 76, tied for 41st, but carried a points cushion no one could close. Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers GC won the team title with a cumulative 6-over total — the highest winning team score in LIV Golf history, a number that reflects how brutally Trump National Bedminster played at 7,651 yards and par 71.
The season wraps at LIV Golf Indianapolis in two weeks.
TrackMan at the Solheim Cup
The announcement came on August 6, opening day at Bedminster. TrackMan, which now operates more than 100,000 installations across more than 70 countries, will serve as the official ball tracking and simulator provider at women’s golf’s most prestigious international team competition. The 2026 Solheim Cup runs September 7-13 at Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt, Netherlands, with match play September 11-13.
Klaus Eldrup-Jorgensen, TrackMan’s co-founder and CEO, put it plainly: “Trackman has always been about helping the game move forward, from the practice tee to the biggest stages in golf. Partnering with the Solheim Cup is a privilege.”
The Solheim Cup role adds to an already substantial championship footprint. TrackMan is the official tracking provider for the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf. Over four billion shots were tracked by TrackMan globally in the past year. The iO, TrackMan’s ceiling-mounted indoor launch monitor built for permanent bay installs, uses dual radar and camera fusion to capture over 40 data parameters per shot — the same measurement depth used in professional broadcast analysis.
The Market Behind the Momentum
Neither headline is happening in isolation. The global golf simulator market is projected to grow from $2.11 billion in 2026 to $4.7 billion by 2034, driven by demand for indoor and year-round play, AI-assisted coaching, and immersive course software. North America holds the largest regional share at roughly 40 to 47 percent of global volume depending on the reporting methodology.
Simulator participation in the U.S. has moved sharply upward. According to the National Golf Foundation, the number of simulator golfers in the country surged from 3.6 million five years ago to 8.1 million in 2024. In dense urban markets, the growth driver is access. Multi-bay urban golf lounges now hold 43 percent of the golf simulator lounge segment by facility format, with recreational groups accounting for the leading customer category at 37 percent share — casual players booking hourly bay time rather than chasing weekend tee times an hour outside the city.
What It Looks Like for NYC Golfers Right Now
A professional golf event finished this weekend 35 miles from Midtown. The technology behind that event’s shot data is available at Hack Shack in NYC today. No LIRR ticket. No weekend blocked out. No weather dependency required.
The TrackMan iO captures club path, face angle, spin rate, launch angle, smash factor, and carry distance in real time on every swing. The same data categories broadcast on FOX during LIV Golf New York. Recreational players get that feedback without needing a 7,651-yard course to walk or a field of 57 professionals to compete against.
Pro golf passed through the metro area this week. The technology stayed.
Sources:
- Trackman Announced as Partner to the 2026 Solheim Cup
- Rd. 4 recap: Niemann wins record 9th; Rahm threepeats as Individual Champion; Crushers claim team title
- 2026 LIV Golf New York final results: Prize money payout, leaderboard
- GOLFZON to Become Official Indoor Golf Simulator of the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open
- Golf Simulator Market Size, Share and Forecast Report 2034