How Prodrive Golf Uses Automated Ball Collection to Free Up Staff Time

Prodrive Golf in Hamilton, New Zealand, uses Wayrobo’s WayPick 2 robotic golf ball picker to automate routine ball collection and unloading. Duncan, the site’s operator, says the robot golf ball picker keeps ball collection running in the background. From 8 to 11 October 2026, it collected more than 48,000 balls, helping free up his team for customer service and bay maintenance.

Prodrive Golf in Hamilton, New Zealand.

WayPick 2 robotic golf ball picker collecting balls on the range.

Keeping Balls Available at Peak Times

Prodrive’s Hamilton driving range is open seven days a week. According to the team, daily ball use ranges from 8,000 to 15,000, with around 20,000 range balls in circulation. Keeping those balls moving from the outfield back to the hitting bays is essential to serving golfers, particularly at peak times.

Golfers using the covered hitting bays at Prodrive Golf in Hamilton.

Before WayPick 2, staff drove a conventional golf ball collector across the driving range several times a day, then collected balls by hand along edges the range picker could not reach. Each run tied up a member of the team, while fuel and vehicle maintenance added to operating costs. Fuel costs were also becoming harder to ignore. At the time of the interview, diesel prices in some parts of Queensland, Australia, had boosted to around AUD 3 per litre, which was AUD 1.5 in half year ago.

A view from the conventional collection vehicle.

Wet weather made the job harder. Duncan recalls the heavier vehicle leaving ruts or getting bogged down after heavy rain. When collection fell behind at peak times, ball shortages could interrupt practice. Sending staff out near active hitting bays was another concern.

Choosing a Picker That Could Handle the Workload

Prodrive was introduced to Wayrobo through industry recommendations and demonstrations. The team was looking for more than a machine that could collect golf balls. It needed a solution that could handle a busy range, operate in changeable weather, reduce the need for repeated vehicle runs and fit around the team’s existing collection, washing and reloading process.

Seeing WayPick 2 navigate the range and operate without a driver helped address those concerns. The team also valued its quiet operation and its ability to continue collecting without tying up a staff member to drive a vehicle. For Prodrive, these were important practical advantages over the conventional collector.

Automatic Collection and Unloading During Play

WayPick 2 now follows a programmed collection schedule, working through the main target areas while golfers continue to practise. This robotic golf ball picker is designed to withstand impacts from golf balls while collecting on the range. Staff no longer need to drive a picker back and forth throughout the day, making ball recovery less dependent on who is available to operate a vehicle.

WayPick 2 on the approach to the unloading area.

When its collection baskets are full, the robot returns to the unloading point and unloads automatically. Washing and reloading continue through Prodrive’s existing process. This gives the team a regular collection and drop-off cycle that fits the range’s daily routine.

WayPick 2 at Prodrive’s unloading platform.

Collection Continues after Closing

The mobile app was another practical part of the solution. Staff can start WayPick 2 from their phones after the range closes and let it collect and unload into the evening, without scheduling someone to drive a picker after closing.

“Best of all, with the mobile app, we can even run it at night after closing,” says Duncan.

WayPick 2 is rated for up to 10 hours of operation on a single charge, giving operators flexibility to schedule collection around the range’s opening hours.

Gentler on the Turf

The impact on the ground was also part of Prodrive’s experience with the new system.Duncan reports that WayPick 2 is gentler on the turf than the heavier vehicle it replaced, including in the wet conditions experienced at Prodrive. He also highlights its consistent collection coverage across the range, helping the team recover balls with less disturbance to the turf.

Attention and Labor：Operational Benefits for Prodrive

Duncan puts the labor saving at the equivalent of one full-time role. Staff can devote more attention to customer service and bay maintenance, instead of spending those hours driving around the range.

The app records provided with the interview show the workload WayPick 2 handled. From 8 to 11 October 2026, it collected 48,366 balls, averaging approximately 12,092 balls a day. Daily totals ranged from 10,534 to 13,723 balls, with 5.3–9.1 recorded picking hours per day.

Original app records for 8–11 October 2026 supplied with the site interview.

A full-time role paid at an illustrative NZ$27 per hour represents around NZ$56,000 in annual base wages.* That gives a illustrative comparison of the labor capacity Prodrive reports freeing up for customer service and other range duties.

*Illustrative base-wage comparison based on 40 hours per week for 52 weeks, excluding additional employer costs. This is not a verified Prodrive payroll saving.

Confidence to Equip Another Venue

At the time of the interview, Duncan said the group was preparing to order another WayPick 2 autonomous golf ball collector for a different golf venue. The Hamilton experience had given the team confidence to extend automated ball collection to another site.

“I wish we had made the switch to autonomous picking sooner!” says Duncan.