Serious iPod Golf App Here
February 22, 2010
(SPORTS TECHNOLOGY)
For the benefit of all you serious golf addicts out there, from Boulder, Colorado's independent iPhone game publisher 10and2 Studios comes GeoPlay Golf. It uses the iPhone’s (News - Alert) GPS capabilities to create "virtual golf courses based on the player's real world coordinates," company officials said.
So using the iPhone’s motion sensor, players hold their iPhone and swing as if they were swinging an actual club – remember your grip here – as if they were playing through grass, traps and water hazards, galleries and what have you, on "traditional or themed courses."
The app automatically scales course distance between the start and end locations that you set with GPS, and analyzes swing strength using iPhone accelerometers and ball direction on three planes. Developed by TriLight Studios, GeoPlay Golf is now available for download on the App Store.
In December, TMC (News - Alert) reported that The Executive Caddy released its iPhone application for golfers called "The Caddie: Pro" for golf score tracking and statistics. Golfers can use the app for such golfing, ah, uses as acquiring an official handicap, posting and reviewing detailed rounds, tracking detailed statistics about their play, tracking clubs used and penalty stroke, managing their favorite courses and viewing their play statistics.
Matthew Cooke, head caddy at 10and2, says you can play anywhere you have enough room to swing an iPod: "Create a course around your house, at the office, or on a real golf course," he said, using the iPhone’s GPS feature to create a virtual tee and hole locations using real space.
You can either customize your course with up to 18 holes or pick from five virtual world courses, including "traditional and fantasy options such as the moon, a snow village and a beautiful farm with 15 course choices."
The app calculates the length of the shot as well as hook or slice, allowing you to swing the phone like a club. In a sure bit of marketing savvy, Cooke said, you can save your game "so you can take calls and not worry about losing your place."
It’s also useful to explain to your boss just what the heck you were doing: "Oh, just stretching my back here, been sitting at my desk working hard for so long I thought I'd swing my arms around… Huh? Oh, right, I'm, um, expecting a call from a client…"
It uses Google (News - Alert) maps to give you accurate view of your golf course, and is optimized for the current generation of iPhones – "first generation iPhone and iPod Touch allows for play without the GPS feature," company officials said.
David Sims is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To read more of David’s articles, please visit his columnist page. He also blogs for TMCnet here.
Edited by Amy Tierney
