Al,
Good luck with this venture. As a golfer (hacker) I know I would not want one these fling anywhere near me. As a photojournalist that has covered many PGA Tour events over 20 years I can't believe that the pro's will let this fly during the heat of competition. Maybe on the practice tee or green where they are not in full concentration but on the course during play, I highly doubt it. I've had players give me the evil eye for taking a shot, a single click, when I was unaware of another pro nearby. I know, course awareness.
That said, I have flown my quad and hexa on a golf course but with no crowds around and only a foursome on the green or tee where I had plenty of space to bail if things went wrong. I have nowhere near as much experience or expertise as you or IrisAerial to feel comfortable flying with crowds around. I want to see this profession grow so that I, and many here of the multirotor forums, can begin to make some supplemental income but I'm also hesitant to what many "outsiders" would consider "another reason to ban drones" as safety takes a back seat to technology. I know you are extremely careful and skillful and wish you nothing but success so that those of us that aspire to reach the quality and precision you guys have will not be looked at as just some crazy fool with a buzzsaw camera.
I hope you don't take this the wrong way but after reading so many forum members complain that some are flying with disregard of safety of the general population. I can remember a thread complaining of a video by
Team BlackSheep taken in London around Big Ben and the surrounding area that, although it looked great and I would love to shoot something like that, it calls into question the safety and - get ready- "privacy" -of flying in those areas. Some have called for stricter enforcement of rules by the AMA (I'm not a member) of not flying over people or in congested areas. I have at some point flown over people, small groups, so I shouldn't throw stones, but always with an area where I can bail if needed.
In some ways this can be used in a very positive way as well. With pros like you guys leading the way and exposing the masses to the nature of our crafts maybe it can quell some of the fear many have but society today is so quick to react, both positively and negatively. Watching the CBS Good Morning show a few weeks back with Kilby as an ambassador I felt good that our members were well represented and I feel the same way here. Go get 'em and make us proud. I will be looking overhead this June 17-23 when I cover the Travelers Championship at the TPC Riverhighlands in Cromwell, CT. If you are fortunate to get this gig on a permanent basis I would love to spend some time picking your brain and do a positive story for our newspaper and sister TV station if you are interested.
Hell, maybe I'm just plain jealous, I would love to do work for the Golf Channel.
Good luck,
John