Wayrobo Wraps Up Impactful Week at ASTMA 2026
By Wayrobo Editorial
June 29, 2026
2 min read
The ASTMA National Conference 2026 has officially concluded in Australia. For Wayrobo, the event was a definitive milestone, providing the perfect platform to introduce our autonomous solutions to the Australian golf industry. Throughout the exhibition, our booth became a hub for real conversations about the severe labor pressures modern driving ranges face today.
The Australian Driving Range Crisis: A Labor Deadlock
While golf participation and floodlit night ranges are booming across Australia, venues are grappling with a critical operational crisis. Industry feedback from general managers and superintendents at the show highlighted two unyielding factors:
The Job Nobody Wants: Manual ball collecting is repetitive and entirely weather-dependent. In Australia's current employment market, finding staff willing to undertake this manual work has become nearly impossible.
High Wages & Penalty Rates: Australia maintains some of the highest award wages globally. For facilities operating late into the evening or over weekends, mandatory nighttime penalty rates mean the cost of manual picking is eating directly into profit margins.
WayPick 2: Built for Practical Automation
To address these exact challenges, Wayrobo showcased the WayPick 2 Robotic Golf Ball Picker as an immediate, practical solution:
Solving Understaffing: Operating completely autonomously, the WayPick 2 eliminates a venue's dependence on a volatile manual labor market, ensuring the range is cleared without shift-coverage worries.
Tackling the Wage Burden: Because the robot works 24/7, it handles the heavy lifting during late-night and weekend peak hours—replacing high-cost night-shift wages with a predictable, low-cost utility expense.
The Necessary Operational Pivot
The consensus at ASTMA 2026 was clear: automation is no longer a luxury for Australian golf—it is essential infrastructure. By replacing a persistent labor bottleneck with reliable, autonomous technology, Wayrobo is helping driving ranges protect their profit margins and keep facilities viable for the future.
01
Industry Challenge
Australian driving ranges are facing severe labor shortages while rising wages and penalty rates continue to increase operational costs.
03
Business Value
By replacing repetitive manual work with autonomous operation, WayPick 2 helps driving ranges lower labor costs, improve efficiency, and maintain profitability.
02
Wayrobo Solution
WayPick 2 automates golf ball collection, reducing dependence on manual labor while operating reliably throughout the day and night.
How Top Ranges Prepare Staff for an Autonomous Launch
Staff onboarding, launch communication, and the moments that build early confidence.
The Pinnacle WLD Partners with Wayrobo to Bring Autonomous Innovation to the Driving Range
The Pinnacle World Long Drive Tour(WLD) Director of Partnership Chris McLendon and VP of Operation Mike Ambriz share insights on how deploying their first-ever robotic picker optimized event efficiency, reduced labor overhead, and elevated player experience without disrupting the game.
How Top Ranges Prepare Staff for an Autonomous Launch
Staff onboarding, launch communication, and the moments that build early confidence.
Australian driving ranges are facing severe labor shortages while rising wages and penalty rates continue to increase operational costs.
The Pinnacle WLD Partners with Wayrobo to Bring Autonomous Innovation to the Driving Range
The Pinnacle World Long Drive Tour(WLD) Director of Partnership Chris McLendon and VP of Operation Mike Ambriz share insights on how deploying their first-ever robotic picker optimized event efficiency, reduced labor overhead, and elevated player experience without disrupting the game.