Top Ways To Play Virtual Golf

Golf is a fantastic sport – one that anyone can play, one that gives back as much as you put in, and one that is at once highly relaxing and very good for you at the same time. The problem with golf though is that it's not something you can really enjoy practically unless you live near a golf course.

Golf by its very nature requires a lot of space as you have to swing an iron bar in an arc in order to hit a ball as far and as fast as you can – and this means you can't really pass the time in your garden by having a go at golf as you can with football or basketball.

The good news is though that as technology improves there are actually several ways you can play golf in a digital or virtual manner without having to step foot outside. And while none of these are quite as good as the real deal, some of them come close to matching the precision and the addictive nature of golf – and some even have features and benefits that you can't get from real world golf. Here we will look at some of the best ways to experience golf in a virtual manner.

• Apps

If you want to play golf while you're on the train to work or while you're on the bus, then thanks to a number of apps that's now possible. While phones and tablets aren't quite as powerful as home computers when it comes to creating 3D graphics and realistic physics, the format does in fact lend itself to golf in several ways – thanks for instance to the touch screen interfaces that allow you to swipe the screen in order to mimic hitting the ball, and the gyroscope that you can use to aim your shot by actually steadying your hand.

The downside however is that many of these games lack details or features that would have made them more realistic or authentic. Let's Golf from Gameloft is probably the best option and has great 3D graphics (y'know, for a phone...) and more complex gameplay than some of its rivals.

• Standard Computer Games

There are many computer games out there that will let you try golf on a home console or PC from Tiger Woods golf to ridiculous ones like Mario Golf. Tiger Woods gives you a much more detailed and 3D gameplay, but in some ways the gameplay is better suited to a phone – as here you are still ultimately just timing the press of a button.

• Wii

The Wii-Mote lends itself perfectly to playing golf by swinging the remote and relying on the motion sensor to pick it up. Because playing golf involves holding a stick – and the Wii-Mote is stick shaped, it lends itself perfectly naturally.

However playing Wii Sports you aren't going to get a full golf experience. To really enjoy this what you actually need is Wii Sports Resort along with the add-on, the 'Wii Motion Plus' which attaches to the bottom of the controller giving you even more precise control.

• Kinect

Playing Kinect golf is technically more impressive than playing it on the Wii due to the impressive motion capture technology – however at the same time as mentioned golf actually involves holding a club so the Wii is just as well suited. At the same time there is only one golf game on Kinect, compared to several available for Wii, so if you want to play virtual golf the Wii has to win as the most impressive option.

 Michael Dan

About the Guest Author:

Michael Dan is an avid sports blogger from Australia. He follows cricket, golf and football. He recommends the use of  golfbox shoes  for all golf enthusiasts.