Tag Archives: golf

AI-powered self-driving golf trolley can follow you around and give you tips

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It’s too easy to underestimate golf as a sport, but the ability to hit a small ball with an equally small stick and have it roll into a hole miles away is no easy feat. It requires no small amount of skill, focus, and concentration, all of which could be undone by the stress of having to mind things not directly related to playing the game, such as carrying all those golf clubs. You can always hire people to carry those for you, a.k.a. caddies, but that might not always be a feasible option. We’re at an age where not just vacuum cleaners but also cars can already drive themselves, so why not have a trolley do that as well? And with some AI magic, it can even be your golf coach, too!

Designer: Futurewave, Botronics

That is the kind of liberating experience that the iXi robot golf trolley is promising. It is an extremely minimalist four-wheeled robot designed to carry your bag of golf clubs and follow you wherever you go. Although it could raise concerns about the potential loss of human employment, the self-driving robot offers players more freedom of movement and convenience without having to worry about needing someone to do that work. It allows them to simply focus on the task at hand: playing golf. It’s like having your own personal caddy, without the potential source of distraction.

Although iXi does have sensors and intelligence to follow its human owner, its AI also serves a second purpose. It can analyze the player’s swing and offer insights that could help improve their gameplay. It’s pretty much like what those golf smartwatches try to offer, but with a better view of the player’s posture and swing thanks to cameras and sensors. Maybe someday, iXi will even be able to offer the right club to use and have it ready even before the player reaches for it.

iXi’s intelligence is perhaps hidden by its extremely simple design, a platform with four wheels, a post to support a golf bag, and a handle that holds the screen controller. This design was made by choice, of course, as it makes it easy for the trolley to fold down into a compact form for easier transport. It could save you not only space but also money in the long run, without losing the peace of mind that comes with not having to carry a heavy bag of clubs on your shoulder every time you have to move to the next spot.

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VR hit Walkabout Mini Golf is getting a mobile edition

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Walkabout Mini Golf has been filled with players ever since it launched around the same time as the Meta Quest 2. Now the multiplayer mini-golf game is making the jump to iOS devices.

The developer Mighty Coconut is currently beta testing its mobile mini-golf game Walkabout Mini Golf: Pocket Edition and plans to release a full version on the App Store on October 10.

The Pocket version may be on mobile devices but the miniature version of the mini-golf game isn’t straying away from its virtual interface. The iOS Walkabout game can be played in two different modes: “Touch-to-Putt” mode in which you use the touch screen to tap and drag your shot and “Swing-to-Putt” mode in which you hold your iPhone like a putter and take your swing the same way you would in the VR version.

Walkabout Mini Golf is one of the most popular multiplayer VR games for the Meta Quest series. The virtual mini-golf game has an extensive series of stylized courses including some based on movies, TV shows and games like Jim Henson’s Labyrinth, the puzzle game Myst and the animated clay characters Wallace & Gromit. Mighty Coconut also designed a golf course with the immersive art company Meow Wolf and a series of courses based on the works of Jules Verne.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/vr-hit-walkabout-mini-golf-is-getting-a-mobile-edition-214918605.html?src=rss

Golf-inspired luxury mechanical watch boasts a shapeshifting face that changes every day

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I assume that there’s a significant overlap between the watchlover demographic and the golf-playing demographic. Both of them are indicators of high-society, and people who love golf or watches don’t hesitate to flaunt their interests. Designed for specifically that intent, the Byrne Gyro Dial Golf timepiece combines the love for time and turf into one gorgeous mechanical design. The watch comes with a grassy dial, featuring a 3D watch face that tells the time while also highlighting its mechanical prowess. The dial boasts an open-worked rotor at the center, with four mechanical number cubes on the top, bottom, left, and right. As the day passes, the cubes rotate to ‘refresh’ the watch face, alternating between Roman and conventional numbers, and even replacing them with golf balls or golf clubs. Every day, the watch changes its face, giving you something new to look forward to each day, and something to brag about when you’re showing your timepiece off to your friends on the green…

Designer: Byrne

Byrne’s Gyro collection is known for its dynamic displays. Unlike conventional watches with static dials, the Gyro Dial features four rotating cubes that change faces every 24 hours, revealing new designs. The Golf edition takes this a step further by incorporating miniature golf-themed engravings on these cubes.

Imagine glancing at your wrist and seeing classic Roman numerals one day, then playful golf clubs (driver, iron, sand wedge, putter) the next. The watch even features miniature, intricately detailed golf balls with realistic dimples. For traditionalists, sporty Arabic numerals are also included in the rotation.

This unique display isn’t just about aesthetics. The rotating cubes are a feat of engineering. To accommodate the additional weight of the miniature sculptures, Byrne has refined their automatic Calibre 5555 movement. This Swiss-made marvel ensures smooth and precise daily rotations.

The Byrne Gyro Dial Golf is housed in a sleek, 41.7mm grade 5 titanium case with a green-tinted main plate that subtly references the golf course. The sapphire caseback offers a glimpse into the intricate workings of the movement, showcasing its open-worked rotor with elegant finishes.

A comfortable green rubber strap completes the sporty look. Limited to just 24 pieces, the Gyro Dial Golf has a starting price of CHF 25,000 (approx $27,500 USD).

The post Golf-inspired luxury mechanical watch boasts a shapeshifting face that changes every day first appeared on Yanko Design.

Golf Ball Case with a clever spiral-shaped design lets you TWIST to push new balls out

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I’m not a golfer myself, but I imagine that for people who DO golf, carrying your equipment around can be quite an elaborate affair… given that you’re constantly moving from one spot to another. Golf clubs usually have their large bag that you transport them in, but as far as golf balls go, I’m not entirely sure I’ve seen any well-designed container for them. For designers at superkomma, that sounded like a perfect design opportunity – meet the Attomax Golf Pouch, a spiral hard-case that lets you store as well as deploy golf balls with ease.

Designer: superkomma

The GIF above explains everything you need to understand about the Attomax Golf Pouch. Two spiral-shaped containers thread into one another, allowing you to expand or contract the case simply by twisting and turning the lower element. Use the case to store golf balls, and every time you need a new one, simply twist to make the case shorter, allowing the golf ball at the bottom to rise to the top. It’s a simple, yet delightful user experience that serves its purpose well, is memorable, and will probably have your fellow golfers asking you where you got the pouch from!

Simplicity is the name of the Attomax pouch’s game. Its form is deceptively rudimentary, relying on a basic geometric spiral that catches light beautifully, along with a two-tone container design. The pouch is compact, yet big enough to hold probably 4 golf balls at a time, although you’ll still need to carry your tees separately (those tiny skewers you perch your golf balls on before swinging). The Attomax comes with a lid to hold the balls in place (obviously), but also has a nice leash that your caddy can string around their leash so they always have the next ball ready for when you need to take a shot.

The pouch was designed for Attomax, a reputed golf brand known for making the world’s first high-density golf ball using amorphous metal alloy. superkomma pointed out that the idea of using two different colors for the container’s separate halves wasn’t just an aesthetic choice, it also helped users intuitively determine how many golf balls were inside the case simply by seeing the ‘ratio’ between the two colors based on how expanded or contracted the case was. For example, if the purple half is just as long as the blue half, the case has 4 balls. Any shorter and you’re down to three balls. If the purple half has been turned to its maximum point (where it’s barely visible), the case has anywhere from 1 to 2 golf balls.

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Netflix’s first live sports event is a golf tournament featuring F1 drivers and PGA Tour pros

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Netflix is getting into live sports streaming, but it's not shelling out hundreds of millions of dollars on NFL games, Formula 1 races or the English Premier League quite yet. The company's first live sports event is a pro-am golf tournament that features athletes from its Formula 1: Drive to Survive and Full Swing docuseries.

The Netflix Cup will see four pairs of Formula 1 drivers and PGA Tour golfers pairing up in a match play tournament that will take place in Las Vegas. You'll be able to watch the event starting at 6PM ET on Tuesday, November 14 — just a few days before F1's inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.

As things stand, The Netflix Cup is set to feature F1 drivers Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz. The golf pros who have lined up to take part are Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Collin Morikawa and Justin Thomas. The tournament will see the pro-am pairs play an eight-hole match. The top two teams will duke it out on a final hole to try and win the Netflix Cup.

“The continued success of Drive to Survive has played a significant role in the growth of Formula 1 in the US, which has ultimately led to the addition of a third American race,” Emily Prazer, chief commercial officer of Las Vegas Grand Prix, Inc, said in a statement. “It’s only fitting that we kick off our inaugural race weekend with a fun event that can be streamed by F1 and PGA Tour fans around the globe.”

This is a logical way for Netflix to dip its toes into live sports streaming. It means that the company doesn't have to immediately snap up expensive rights to high-profile leagues (many of which have deals with rival streaming services anyway) or to showcase lower-tier sports.

It's also another example of Netflix's cross-branding coming to the forefront. The company is placing more focus on its own properties with things like a Squid Game reality competition series and branded retail stores that will feature an obstacle course based on its biggest hit to date. Netflix is also said to be developing more video game adaptations of its shows and movies, such as Extraction and Black Mirror.

Netflix's first livestreamed event was a Chris Rock standup special. However, the company ran into technical problems with its second planned livestream, a Love is Blind cast reunion. The company instead filmed the reunion and uploaded it to the platform as quickly as it could. Netflix will be hoping things go more smoothly this time around.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflixs-first-live-sports-event-is-a-golf-tournament-featuring-f1-drivers-and-pga-tour-pros-160042770.html?src=rss

Mobile hit ‘What the Golf’ is coming to PlayStation soon

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The unconventional sports sim What the Golf is officially coming to PS4 and PS5 consoles later this year. The release is set to include all current updates, which is always nice, and has been optimized for Sony consoles. This includes haptic-based DualSense support so you can really feel the impact of striking a ball, a cat or an entire planet toward a hole (it’s a weird and funny game.)

What the Golf takes the basic notions of a golf sim and upends them entirely. There are plenty of ludicrous golf-adjacent minigames and the rules change on a dime, leading to hilarious multiplayer matchups. Some levels take you to space, while others transform the golf ball into an office chair, among many other objects. The absurdity on display has made the game a hit, even among those who have little interest in golf.

The game originally released on Apple Arcade, but was eventually ported to the Nintendo Switch. To that end, the Switch version is getting a beefy update tomorrow, August 3rd, that features a crossover with murder/snitch simulator Among Us. The update includes a new overworld and 35 new levels. These levels already launched for Apple Arcade back in April, but this is the first time they'll be available on a dedicated gaming console. The PC version is also getting some Among Us love.

Developer Triband has also announced seasonal updates dropping over the course of the next year. These will include new stages and other surprises, coinciding with holidays like Thanksgiving and Valentine’s Day. All versions of the game will have access to these free updates, including Switch, PC, PS4 and PS5. It all starts with the Halloween-themed Beware of the Bogeyman, which is available from October 23rd until November 5th.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile-hit-what-the-golf-is-coming-to-playstation-soon-175141459.html?src=rss

Netflix may soon livestream a golf tournament featuring F1 drivers and pro golfers

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If you never thought that Formula 1 and pro golf could go together, Netflix begs to differ. The streaming service is said to be in talks to livestream its first ever sporting event, a celebrity golf tournament featuring F1 drivers and professional golfers, according to The Wall Street Journal. It would reportedly feature personalities from Full Swing and Drive to Survive, Netflix documentaries that follow F1 drivers and pro golfers. Talks are still preliminary, according to the WSJ.

A celebrity golf event would be a low-stakes way for Netflix to work out a format and solve any technical issues that could occur in future live sports events. It famously messed up a livestream of its Love is Blind reality show, with technical problems causing an hour-long outage — though its first live stream event, a Chris Rock comedy special, went smoothly.

The company may have also noticed the popularity of golf YouTube channels like Rick Shiels and Bob Does Sports. Those often feature top-echelon pros like Max Homa playing rounds and competing with average players, trash talking and swearing like the rest of us do while playing golf. A similar format, with F1 drivers and players competing but also having fun, could draw in casual viewers that would otherwise never watch golf — much like Full Swing did. 

Netflix has been exploring live sports streaming for more than a year. It previously bid for live US streaming rights to Formula 1, but reportedly lost out to ESPN. It has also supposedly explored bidding on rights for tennis, cycling and other lower-profile sports. 

Earlier this year, co-CEO Ted Sarandos said "we aren't anti-sports, we're pro-profit," implying that Netflix doesn't think the costs for sports rights make economic sense. At the same time, he said the company was leaving the possibility open. Meanwhile, rivals like Amazon Prime Video have streamed live sports for years from leagues including the NFL, Major League Baseball, ATP, Premiere League and more. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-may-soon-livestream-a-golf-tournament-featuring-f1-drivers-and-pro-golfers-091445042.html?src=rss

Golfi Robotic Golfer Putts Like a Pro

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After the robotic uprising, all sports will be played by robots, reducing humans to mere spectators of our own demise. And ready to compete in the robotic PGA is Golfi, a robot designed to be able to sink putts with the very best of them. The very best of them being me at miniature golf, just to be clear. You should see me putt right between those windmill blades!

Golfi uses a Microsoft Kinect 3D camera to create a depth map of the putting surface, then uses its 3,000 putt neural network training database to make a shot based on a physics model. It takes additional factors into consideration before swinging the club as well, including “the rolling resistance of the turf, weight of the ball, and its starting velocity.” It probably does not take into consideration me rushing the green and kicking the ball into the rough yelling, “Robots suck!”

Well, at least it’s can’t drive or chip balls yet; at least there’s that. Also, I would love to see this thing try to maneuver itself into a sand trap without falling over and rendering itself incapacitated in the sand. Now that’s something I would tune in to watch on television.

[via TechEBlog]

This golf robot uses a Microsoft Kinect camera and a neural network to line up putts

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Robots that can whack a golf ball down a fairway aren't exactly new, but building one that can play the nuanced short game is a more complex problem. Researchers at Paderborn University in Germany have done just that with Golfi, a machine that uses a neural network to figure out how to line up a putt and how hard to hit the ball to get it into the hole from anywhere on the green.

The robot takes a snapshot of the green with a Microsoft Kinect 3D camera and it simulates thousands of random shots taken from different positions. It takes factors like the turf's rolling resistance, the ball's weight and the starting velocity into account. Paderborn doctoral student Annika Junker told IEEE Research that training Golfi on simulated golf shots takes five minutes, compared with 30-40 hours were the team to feed data from real-life shots into the system.

Once Golfi has figured out the shot it should take, it rolls over to the ball and uses a belt-driven gear shaft with a putter attached to make the putt. The robot doesn't get the ball in the hole every time, though. Junker said the robot nailed the shot around 60-70 percent of the time. That's still a better accuracy rate than most amateur golfers and at least you won't see Golfi fly off the handle like Happy Gilmore if it misses.

However, Golfi sometimes drove over the ball and moved it out of position. The researchers have only tested the robot in the lab, so real-world conditions, like greens with divots or steep slopes, may pose problems for a system that relies on a bird's-eye view.

In any case, the researchers didn't set out to build a robot capable of competing with PGA Tour pros. They hope that the techniques they used in Golfi could be used for other robotics applications. “You can also transfer that to other problems, where you have some knowledge about the system and could model parts of it to obtain some data, but you can’t model everything,” Niklas Fittkau, another Paderborn University doctoral student and co-lead author of a paper on Golfi, told IEEE Research.

Back in 2016, a different robot called LDRIC sank a hole-in-one at a PGA event (albeit on the fifth attempt). I wonder who footed the bill for a round of drinks at the clubhouse afterward.

Golf is coming to ‘Nintendo Switch Sports’ on November 28th

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Nintendo Switch Sports is a fun package that modernizes the world-conquering Wii Sports, but it was missing a few of the 2006 classic's game modes at the jump. One of those will arrive very soon as a November 28th update will add golf to the game.

You'll have access to 21 holes from the Wii Sports series. Along with casual modes that you can enjoy with family and friends, you can check out a survival golf mode. Nintendo hasn't revealed too many details about the latter yet, other than the fact you'll need to "swing to avoid elimination." It may be similar to the 16-player bowling survival mode. 

No matter which modes you try, be sure to strap the Joy-Con to your wrist before you start swinging your hand around. You won't want the controller to fly out of your hand and smash your TV or monitor.

Nintendo previously said golf would be available in Switch Sports this fall, so it's showing up right on schedule. The company hasn't confirmed whether the likes of boxing or baseball are on the way, but fingers crossed that Nintendo will add those as surprise updates at some point down the line.