Filming the IGPL at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club

We spent a full week at Royal Johannesburg Golf Club filming aerials for the IGPL, the Indian Golf Premier League. The brief was clean, usable footage that fits straight into a professional broadcast.

Shooting for the broadcast

The IGPL is built around teams and broadcast storytelling rather than individual play alone. That changes how you fly. It isn’t only wide shots of the course; it’s how each shot sits in the production. Timing matters, movement has to be controlled, and everything works around what is happening on the ground.

The course reads well from the air: defined fairways, well-placed bunkers and enough elevation to give depth without aggressive flying.

Two approvals before take-off

Royal Johannesburg falls within controlled airspace linked to OR Tambo International Airport, and the IGPL is classified as a public event. Two separate approvals had to be in place before we flew: public-event permissions, and airspace coordination with ATC.

Both take time, documentation and proper communication with the authorities. Neither can be arranged at short notice.

Dual-operator Inspire 3

We flew the DJI Inspire 3 in a dual-operator setup: one person flies the aircraft, the other operates the camera. In a live environment that split matters. The pilot holds a steady flight path while the camera operator concentrates on framing and tracking.

Take-off positions, safety zones and coordination with the production team were planned before the event. We worked from elevated positions where we could, for line of sight, signal and control, and adjusted throughout to player movement, wind and changing light.

Golden hour

The late-afternoon flights stood out over the week. Softer light and longer shadows gave the course depth and the footage a more cinematic feel.

How we cover film, events and industrial work →