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Swing better and lower your scores with Golfer Setup
If you play golf you know how frustrating the game can be. Golfer Setup, a US$.99 Universal app runs on iOS 7.1 and could help you eliminate some of those frustrations. First be aware the developer of this app is not a golf professional. He claims to be an avid golfer who through hard work and lots of studying the golf swing has lowered his average score from an 18 handicap down to about a 3. The basic information contained in his app parallels golf instruction I received over the last twenty years from one of the best teaching pros in Florida. So following the instructions should get you off to a good start. Both the app and my golf pro friend stress that most amateurs are in trouble before they ever start to take the club back in their swings. Golfer Setup stresses the need for golfers to be in the correct position before they swing. My pro called it GAPS: Grip, Alignment, Positioning, and Stance. If those are not correct, golfers cannot make a successful swing. Golfer Setup uses a quote from Jack Nicklaus, "If you set up correctly, there's a good chance you'll hit a reasonable shot, even if you make a mediocre swing. If you set up to the ball poorly, you'll hit a lousy shot even if you make the greatest swing in the world." This app breaks the golf swing down for a driver and fairway woods and for irons. Golfer Setup then offers detailed views from behind and from the side of a golfer at setup. Once you have selected one of the views, you receive a further breakdown on just where all parts of your body should be at address before you swing. This includes your head, arms, shoulders, hands, feet, hips, knee and back. Users can then select one of the body parts and receive a more detailed description of the proper positioning, and explanation why to do it this way, and information on the most common faults. The app shows you what it looks like and what happens if you do it correctly and what happens if you do it the wrong way. The side view also discusses the proper positioning of the golf ball in your stance for specific clubs, off your left heel for the driver, in the middle of your stance for most irons, and slightly further back for wedges. The message is clear in Golfer Setup. Golfers need to get into their bodies, hands, feet, and head into the correct position before they can improve. If you do that I would expect your scores will start to come down. Golfer Setup is also offered in a Free version however, that version does not allow you access to all the views and breakdowns available in the paid app.
Could one of these gadgets upgrade your golf game?
With golf season in mid-swing, is your handicap going down, or just your morale? If it's the latter, a few extra lessons might be in order. Given that I write for Engadget (and not Golf Digest) I can't school you, but I can help you with some technology tips. There's a glut of golf devices designed to help you score better, and I tested swing sensors from Zepp Golf and 3Bays, along with the presidentially-approved Game Golf shot-tracking system. For good measure, I also tried a Pebble watch with the Golf Pad GPS and scoring system -- and even a pair of shoes from Ogio, better known for laptop bags. So, how'd it go? Pretty good, actually -- you'll probably still want those lessons, but these gadgets can get you going in the right direction. Also, and perhaps most importantly, they're kind of fun, too.
Samsung is helping golfers keep up with the PGA Championship
While a lot of people in the US are getting ready for the NFL regular season to start, there are indeed other sports out there. Which is to say, the other football, basketball, baseball and, well, you get the point. For golf fans, these next few days will be rather interesting, with the PGA Championship due to begin on Thursday, August 5th. Naturally, Samsung saw an opportunity and found a way to help golfers who won't be there to experience it live, by introducing a smart TV app filled with content from the tournament -- the only caveat is you'll have to own one of the company's 2013 or 2014 sets. Aside from that, there will be a ton of stuff for you to enjoy, including different broadcast modes (from CBS and TNT); a second-screen feature that can display leaderboards and highlights on an Android device; and live voting for different things during the PGA event. Once the Championship is over, Turner Sports, a Samsung partner on the launch, tells us the smart TV app is expected to have the same features for the Ryder Cup, which tees off on September 23rd.
Zepp takes a swing at baseball with its tiny data analyzer
As someone who doesn't play baseball often, if ever, I need all the help I can get. But since America's Pastime isn't my first sport of choice to practice, I'm okay admitting how extremely terrible I am at it. For others, however, things might be a little different. Whether it's kids who are just starting to play the game or those who would like to make a career out of it, Zepp Labs, creator of the GolfSense, believes it has made something that can help them along the way. Enter the Zepp baseball swing analyzer, an itty-bitty sensor that attaches to a baseball bat and can be utilized to record a ton of useful information, with the ultimate goal being to use this data to help improve your skills. Zepp also does the same for other sports -- that same sensor works with golf or tennis sessions; you just need a different mounting kit for each.
Fore! EA Sports PGA Tour brings golf out of the Woods
EA announced EA Sports PGA Tour, a new golf game that drops the Tiger Woods label, during their E3 2014 press conference today. While details are scarce, a teaser trailer revealed courses which appear to take place inside of other EA games. One course, for example, looked to be set on a tropical island with a beached Navy ship. Hmmm, that sounds familiar. The game is even rendered in DICE's Frostbite 3 engine, making it one ridiculously pretty game of golf. [Image: Joystiq]
Powerstar Golf now free-to-play with full game unlock on Xbox One
Zoë Mode and Microsoft Studios' Xbox One golfing sim Powerstar Golf is now free-to-play with upgrade options available for players who wish to purchase the full version. Originally priced at $19.99, Powerstar Golf is currently available as a free download that includes a single hole from every course featured in the full game. Players can test out the game's stroke and match play modes and earn XP and credits that can later be transferred to the paid version. "Powerstar Golf is now a free-to-play title," a Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq. "Players who've already paid for Powerstar Golf will get all the content updates for free - including the new course which is available today. Players who download the game as free-to-play will have to pay for additional characters, courses and in-game features." [Image: Microsoft Studios]
Google sells Glass at a golf tournament, turns players into Explorers (updated)
Google Glass may not be permanently available for sale to the general public, but Mountain View recently promised to find new ways to expand the Explorer program. The pricey gadget's first stop? The Player's Championship in Florida, a golf tournament where many participants can easily afford the device's $1,500 price tag. Despite the prime location, Google still bundled the eyewear with a free mini-camera that clamps onto a golf club to sweeten the deal. Sounds like the company's plan worked quite well: according to Twitter user Richard Ranick, a sales associate claimed sales were much better than expected. Since Google has vowed to make Explorers not just out of sports lovers, but also out of optometrists, cooks and travelers, we might see more Glass booths (after the break) at various events in the future. [Image credit: Google Glass/Twitter] Update (05/13/14): According to Paul Goldstein (creator of the GolfSight app you see on the Glass interface above), Google was actually handing out Swingbyte devices as freebies instead of mini cameras.
Join The Golf Club on Steam Early Access, save 15 percent
Virtual golfers looking for an alternative to EA's simulation franchise can now take a swing at The Golf Club, a new golf game from developer HB Studios that just hit Steam Early Access. Though HB warns would-be players that The Golf Club is not yet complete - a caveat that should be attached to all Early Access releases - the developer notes that this version of the game includes "the full core experience." Not only can players hit the polygonal links, either solo or with online pals, they can also build their own courses to share with others. As development rolls on, HB Studios plans to add tournament support as well as full-fledged tours. Best of all, to celebrate the Early Access debut, HB Studios is offering a 15 percent discount on The Golf Club for a limited time. More details are available on the game's Steam page. [Image: HB Studios]
Mario Golf: World Tour trailer uses items to spice up golf
You could play golf like they do in the boring old PGA Masters, or you could do whatever it takes to reach the green in as few shots as possible. In this Mario Golf: World Tour trailer, Mario and friends opt for the latter, using items to go the distance before they just tap it in. [Image: Nintendo]
Super Stickman Golf creators join the Flappy flock with Flappy Golf
Hoping that two wildly addictive tastes go great together, mobile developer Noodlecake Studios has debuted Flappy Golf, an iOS game that combines the deceptively simple Super Stickman Golf with mobile hit Flappy Bird. Flappy Golf borrows physics, basic gameplay rules and courses from Super Stickman Golf 2, but instead of carefully aiming a shot, players control a flapping bird that must languidly wing its way toward the hole. The goal is to make it through the labyrinthine courses using as few flaps as possible. That may seem overly simplistic, but Flappy Golf features 30 courses of nine holes each, and like Super Stickman Golf, the courses grow increasingly complex and bizarre, offering new challenges with each round. Best of all, Flappy Golf is available as a free download on the iTunes App Store. There are no microtransactions to be found in the mobile mashup, but players will occasionally see in-game advertisements. [Image: Noodlecake Studios]
Mario licensed golf bag is certainly a golf bag with Mario on it
For years, gamers have struggled to reconcile their desire to show their love of a video game franchise and their desire to play golf. Well fret no longer comrades, because the Mario golf bag is here, and it looks ... um, it looks ... well, it certainly is a golf bag. It's got pockets and slots and everything! Golf players are somewhat known for their interesting choices in fashion, and what better way to complement the loud colors and patterns of players' clothing than with an equally ... uh ... provocative golf bag? A provocative golf bag that will cost you 48,500 yen (about $473) when ordered through the Enjoy! Caddie Bag Store. In all seriousness, it's not like we haven't seen stranger things, and there's no mistaking this bag for anything else out there. If the greens are where you want to show your love for all things Mario, who are we to judge? [Image: Nintendo]
Volkswagen's Golf GTE is the fast plug-in hybrid you might actually buy
There aren't many quick plug-in hybrids with reasonable price tags, but Volkswagen may just lower the cost of eco-friendly performance with its newly unveiled Golf GTE. The hot hatchback mates a 148HP gas engine with a 101HP electric motor, giving the Golf enough combined power to reach 62MPH in 7.6 seconds -- pretty brisk for a plug-in that should still be affordable and practical. If you're not always in such a rush, you can run purely on electric power for 31 miles. The big catch? At present, VW has no plans to release the GTE in the US. Americans will likely have to book European vacations if they want to see the sporty hybrid in person.
Golf swing sensor offers smartphone-based coaching, saves your best drives in cloud storage
Sony might have claimed tennis, but Seiko Epson is going for golf. After (surprisingly) announcing its foray into wearables at CES last month, the company has announced its next step into broadening its remit beyond printers and projectors. The M-Tracer For Golf sensor attaches to golf club handles and houses two acceleration sensors, able to measure up to 16 and 300 G, respectively. There's also a gyroscope, with all the sensors involved apparently developed and made in-house. From these, the sensor can gauge the orbit of your swing as well as the face angle at time of impact. This, alongside other metrics, are then transmitted to your (at the moment, Android) smartphone, which demonstrates animations and graphs of that last epic drive, as well as offer a view of your swing from three different viewpoints. The in-app analysis was co-developed with the Sports Dynamics and Informatics Laboratory of the Keio Research Institute. The app can beam up to 2,000 items of swing data to cloud storage, while it'll locally store 300 on the smartphone itself. The sensor will cost 29,800 yen (around a pricey $290), and launches in Japan on April 10th.
The Road to Mordor: My 2014 wish list for LotRO
A lot of us Massively writers like to take the first column of the new year to lay out a wish list for our favorite MMOs. Of course, the other writers are total copycats because I've been doing this for years now and I think that they owe me royalties. Lord of the Rings Online faces a challenging year in 2014. We already know that it's going to be an expansion-free year with a different focus on development. In April, the game will be seven years old, which certainly puts it into middle-age in MMO years. And with some uncertainty over the future of the game's IP rights, some disgruntlement over the store and aging character models, and no word as to how populated or profitable LotRO is, it's made a few folks nervous. But it could be a tremendous year as well, full of possibilities for Turbine to make good choices. I'm still as in love with this game world as ever. I wouldn't be playing LotRO if I didn't find tremendous fun and value in it, and I have hope that 2014 will see the game get its second wind and strengthen as a whole. So without further ado, here is my wish list from last year to see what was fulfilled and what was denied, along with my 2014 wish list for features and changes that I'd like to see.
Magellan's Echo smartwatch now tracks your golf and skiing adventures
Magellan reckons that many smartwatch buyers are fitness mavens, and it's catering to that health-minded audience today with a big upgrade to its Echo Smart Sports Watch. The iOS-compatible wristwear now tracks data for a much wider range of activities beyond running, including golf, hiking and skiing; you won't need a dedicated device or special watch apps to get stats for that black diamond ski run. As before, the Echo offers basic control over both music as well as athletics apps like Strava and Wahoo Fitness. If you're interested giving the upgraded watch a try, you can pick one up today for $149 by itself, or $199 paired with a heart rate monitor. Android users should get Echo support sometime early this year.
IRL: 18 holes with the Zepp GolfSense swing analyzer
Welcome to IRL, an ongoing feature where we talk about the gadgets, apps and toys we're using in real life and take a second look at products that already got the formal review treatment. File this under "things we don't normally review at Engadget": a hand-worn sensor that analyzes your golf swing. Truth be told, it's too niche a product, and most of us are too busy playing around on Moto Maker to be bothered with a putting green. That said, we do have at least one golfer on staff: contributing editor Steve Dent. With his $112 gadget in tow, he headed to the nearest course -- and brought his A-game.
Tiger Woods 'in negotiations' with another publisher for video game rights
Since pro golfer Tiger Woods' name and likeness are no longer attached to EA's Tiger Woods PGA Tour golf series, he is free to explore deals with another publisher. That is exactly what Woods' agent Mark Steinberg is doing, as he is currently "in negotiations with another company regarding Woods' video game rights," ESPN reported. EA announced earlier this week that it was parting ways with Woods following a report in April that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 15 wasn't happening. The publisher will maintain a licensing partnership with the PGA Tour for future golf games.
Garmin's Approach S4 watch can guide you through over 30,000 golf courses, send notifications to your wrist
Sure, Adidas may have just revealed a smartwatch that's geared toward runners, but golfers too need some love from wearable makers. As such, Garmin just announced the successor to its Approach S3 golf watch, the aptly named Approach S4. This GPS-ready wrist companion offers a lot of the same functionality as its predecessor, although there are a few notable additions in this edition. Namely, the Approach S4 now offers a new, high-resolution display, a battery capable of lasting up to 10 hours on a charge and the ability to access data from more than 30,000 international golf courses (compared to the 27,000 on the S3). Additionally, Garmin's added a Smart Notification feature that allows users with an iPhone to receive notifications right on their watch, some of which include emails, text messages and more. The Approach S4 will be $350 when it becomes available later this fall.
GolFlix Pro is a good idea that falls short of teaching golf on iOS
Golf apps are extremely popular on iOS. From games, to course directories, to tutorials, there's plenty to choose from. So I was interested when the folks behind GolFlix Pro asked me to look at their app, which uses videos to teach the fine points of golf as demonstrated by professionals. The reality, sadly, did not meet my expectations. The US$4.99 app contains six videos, each two or three minutes long, that let you watch the swing of a small collection of PGA pros, including Correy Pavin, Se Ri Pak and Luke Donald. You see several swings, some in slow motion, and there are some brief comments by each pro. The app seemed light on content to me, so I asked a friend who is an excellent golfer to have a look. "Ninety percent of the problems amateur golfers run into happen before they ever start the actual swing," he said. "For instance, is the club gripped properly? Hands in the right position, gripped firmly but not too firmly; is the golfer aligned properly toward the target, feet, hips and shoulders? Is the golfer positioned properly in relation to the golf ball? Not too close, not too far, ball at the right spot in relation to golfer's feet, and the stance, bent over a little, but not too much, knees flexed properly. This app doesn't deal with any of those issues except in one clip with Paula Creamer where she says to have the proper posture, but again, there are no details on what is the proper posture." "This might have some value for an experienced golfer who has all the basics down and is already pretty good. They could see something in one of the six swings that they would like to try. But for a beginner or someone who has never had a few lessons, I can't see much value." There are other golf instructional apps on the web. You might want to look at Golf Channel Academy, which is free, but requires in-app purchases of $29.99 each before it gets very useful. There is also Rotary Swing Golf Instructional Videos, another free app, but with numerous in-app purchases anywhere from $9.99 to $24.99. GolFlix Pro is a good idea, but much too light on content. The developers promise more videos will be added at no cost, but the app still lacks explanation of terms and good closeups during the videos of things like stance and grip. There is an included quiz which has little to do with the aim of the app, which is improving one's golf swing. GoFlix is a 73 MB download, and requires iOS 5.1 or later. I noticed some graphics were being cut off under iOS 7 on an iPhone 5s, so I expect some compatibility tweaks are needed.
Bubba Watson's hovercraft golf cart available now for $58k, that's one dollar for every jealous comment
When we first saw the BW1 golf cart hovercraft, it's fair to say we were excited. But now -- if you've got burdensome disposable income -- you can buy one for yourself. If you're willing to drop the requisite $58,000, you can cruise the fairway (not to mention the rough and water obstacles) in a BW1 of your very own. It comes complete with a 65-hp twin-cylinder Hirth engine and a streamlined, sound minimizing fan that promises enough power to reach 45 mph and ferry two golfers plus caddies between holes. So, it may not be for those still improving their technique, but for the swinger that's got everything, it's the perfect ride for your trip to the floating golf course.
