The United States Golf Association is letting attendees stay connected to the upcoming U.S. Open Championship with a slew of digital initiatives, including a mobile site and applications.

The USGA has rolled out a revamped mobile and Web site in addition to apps for iPhone and Android devices. Although mobile devices are not allowed on the grounds of the event, the goal behind the new campaign is to connect with sports fans who want to access content on every screen.

?Golf is an interesting sport with mobile devices ? at this point we don?t allow mobile personal devices on the ground,? said Sarah Hirshland, senior managing director of business affairs for the USGA, Far Hills, NJ.

?Our goal and challenge is to figure out how to provide the best experience for fans that are not on site.?

The USGA runs the U.S. Open, U.S. Women?s Open and U.S. Senior Open in addition to national amateur, state team and international tournaments and championships.

The U.S. Open will take place from June 14 ? 17 in San Francisco.

Mobile swing
Users can visit the new U.S. Open mobile site by typing http://www.usopen.com into their mobile browser.

From 2010 to 2011, the USGA saw a 42 percent growth in mobile page views with desktop accounting for less than 70 percent of page views, showing how consumers are swapping out their desktop experiences for mobile.

Via the new mobile site, users can view news articles, check the leaderboard during the event and follow the event?s schedule.

Additionally, the mobile site also lets users view directions to the event.

The USGA is also relaunching a new iOS app this year and expanding to the Android operating system. Users can stream videos, photos and connect to the company?s social media platforms from the app.

The USGA is working with IBM as the organization?s technology partner for the event.

Multiple screens
With multiple screens available to watch content on, fans are always plugged into their favorite sports.

Therefore, the USGA?s focus on mobile streaming is a particularly important feature to include.

However, for a sport such as golf that does not allow mobile devices on the grounds for events, finding ways to connect with fans can be tricky.

At the event, the USGA uses other mediums, such as radio, to help connect with consumers.

Going forward, the organization is also looking at how tablets could be used and how the devices differ from smartphones.

?As demand continues to grow we will continue to grow along with it,? Ms. Hirshland said.

?The reality is that we say there are many screens out there and we want to be open to as many as possible,? she said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York