GolfStinks

A Golf Blog for the Rest of Us!

A Fresh Entry To Golf Video Games

| By | 2 Comments

Until recently, I was still somewhat of a gamer, mainly sports games for the PlayStation.  I always enjoyed the Madden franchise.  My kids got me into the Call of Duty games (MW2 is still the best of them in my opinion).  Even last year I purchased a couple of non-sports games including The Last of Us, which just might be the best video game I’ve ever played.  Golf games were always something I was hot and cold on.  What I mean is, I would buy every Madden that came out, but I wouldn’t do that with any golf games such as Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf.  But that may be about to change…

The last golf game I purchased was for the Nintendo Wii.  The idea that I can use the controller like it was a golf club rather than just pushing buttons and moving a joystick was a no-brainer to me.  But after that…I saw no real need to purchase any more golf games.  I mean, the next logical step was to simply go to the range or get out on the course.  But in skimming through one of my kids gaming magazines, I came across a small column about a new golf game coming out this spring simply titled The Golf Club from HB Studios.

What interests me about The Golf Club (http://thegolfclubgame.com), besides that it’s visually pretty stunning, is the ability to design your own courses from the ground up.  Modify an existing course or even sculpt the land any way you’d like!  Don’t like where a potential water hazard lies?  Fill it in and add some grass and trees.  And the attention to details is certainly there.  Take a look at the game play video (http://thegolfclubgame.com/2014/01/11/gameplay-video/) to get an idea what I’m talking about.  Even further…the detail that goes into the wildlife is amazing.  And as if that’s not enough, after designing your own course, you can host your own tournaments online!

After reading up and checking out the website, this one may have already won me over.  I’m hoping a release such as this gets the proper marketing that it deserves.  And who knows…a game like this could breathe some new life and renewed interest into the younger generation of potential golfers.  After all, they probably wouldn’t be designing their own courses without getting out an playing a few to start.  Seems like a logical first step.

Swing ’til you’re happy!

Could The Future of Golf Rely On Video Games?

| By | 1 Comment

Can video games about golf drum-up interest?
Can video games drum-up interest in golf?

I grew up playing video games.  I distinctly remember me and my friends from the neighborhood gathering at each others houses to play Atari, Intellivision and Coleco as soon as one of us got a new game.  I remember the craze when Nintendo first hit stores, and I remember being the first of my friends to have it.  It was like Christmas for everyone in my neighborhood!

All these years later, things aren’t so different.  I still play games myself sometimes, although my Playstation 3 is used equally as much by me for Netflix and Blu-Ray movies.  But my kids…that’s another story.

They love the video games just as much as I did when I was a kid.  I have three different gaming systems in my house right now, not including anything portable.  Seems silly, right?  Well, not really.  Each of them serves a bit of a different purpose.  Besides a game system, my PS3, as mentioned earlier, is a Blu-Ray player and Netflix streamer.  The Wii is for the more “active” games and is probably the most fun of the three systems.  The XBox 360 is pretty much strictly for gaming.  But I’ll tell you what else the games are – the Wii specifically, was used as a tool to get my boys interested in the game of golf.

People freak out and think that video games have a negative effect on kids.  Many people feel if kids see violence in a game, they’re going to think violence is OK in real life.  Well, I’m not saying these people are wrong, but if your kids play Grand Theft Auto for a few hours, then go out and steal a car and beat up a hooker…sorry, but it’s not the game.  You’re failing as a parent.  You’ve got bigger problems than video games.

Me, I’ve used my Wii to influence my kids.  No, I didn’t buy Call of Duty so I can get them to buy guns…although, it seems to have influenced me a bit.  Rather, it started out with Wii Sports (a “sampler” game that comes with the Wii).  Included in this game is a cartoon-like 9-hole golf course.  But the idea that you use the controller as a club is what intrigued my kids, as well as myself which is why I bought the system to begin with.  And guess what…it helped!

My boys had no interest at all in watching golf on TV.  And even though I play golf, they didn’t really seem to share my interest.  That is, until they swung the controller on the Wii.  Somehow, that seemed to open the door.  Next thing you know, they want to go to a real driving range.  Soon after, my oldest uses his birthday money to buy a starter set of clubs.  The next season, we’re out on the course.  Now, my youngest boy is interested in buying his own set of clubs!  And I have to say, a golf video game is partially responsible for this.

So what could this mean for the future of this sport?  Could golf video games help influence kids to pick up a real driver rather than just a virtual one?  Should the USGA or PGA take this into consideration and do more to work these games into the sports promotion?  I don’t have any real proof or statistics to show that a video game can influence this behavior, but I do know of two instances when it has.

Now it remains to be seen if golf does continue to hold my boys interest.  For now, basketball is still first on the list for both, as well as baseball for one and soccer for the other.  But the golf seed has been planted.  And if it’s true that video games do have this “effect” on kids, then why not use it to your advantage rather than just complain about it?  Get them influenced by something positive rather than some “shoot ’em up” game.  You never know, you may end up with a future playing partner for years to come!

Swing ’til you’re happy, even if it’s with a virtual club!

Round Rained Out? Tee-It-Up with Wii

| By | 3 Comments

WiiMote_with_MotionPlus
The new Wii MotionPlus makes golf games more realistic (photo by Asmodi / CC BY-SA 3.0)

This summer, gamers were chomping at the bit to get their hands on the new MotionPlus component of the Nintendo Wii gaming system. For three years now, the Wii has entertained old and young alike with motion-sensing, wireless remote controllers that allow users to act-out the movement of your arm in video bowling or the swing of a club in video golf. It’s been all the rage and, in my opinion, far exceeds the fun from conventional “sit-on-your-couch” video game controllers.

But this year, Nintendo announced a new device (MotionPlus), which attaches to your existing Wii remote and greatly enhances the sensitivity of the controller – thus making your swings and movements more realistic on screen.

Much to my delight, one of the first games to take advantage of the MotionPlus adapter was Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. The game, from EA Sports, gives users the ability to create themselves (fairly realistic looking) and then play their way from the amateur tour to the PGA Tour while competing against the likes of Tiger and other Tour pros – all on more than 20 realistically-rendered courses from around the globe (including Torrey Pines and St. Andrews).

I’ve been playing PGA Tour 10 on-and-off for about two months now and must say I truly enjoy it! In fact, it’s about as close as you can come to a golf simulator in your home. I stand in front of the TV holding my Wii controller in an “addressing the ball” position and swing my normal golf swing. The Wii does the rest. It senses the speed of my swing, and if I turned my wrists in or out (resulting in a hook or slice), then simulates your ball’s flight path.

Putting is just as realistic! Unlike many large golf simulators where you don’t putt, PGA Tour 10 lets you putt like you would on the course. The MotionPlus is so sensitive, it will register a simple “tap-in” motion with ease. And one of the cooler features is the course weather. Since the Nintendo Wii has built-in Wi-Fi, Wii connects to the internet and simulates the weather conditions at the course you’re playing. That’s right! I was playing at Banff Springs in Canada on my Wii the other day and it was raining on the course (which actually shortens club distances and makes putting harder in the game). I checked the weather in Alberta, Canada on my computer and sure enough, it was raining there too! Should note this feature can be turned off.

If you own a Wii, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 retails for $70 (MotionPlus adapter included). Trust me it’s worth it – since you’re not swinging an actual club, I can usually get three or four 18-hole rounds in without much physical fatigue. Best of all, when it’s dark or raining or snowing outside, you’ve got a tee-time anytime inside. Plus, you’ll never have to yell fore (unless you want to enjoy watching the neighbors duck for cover)!

Questions / Advertise

info@golfstinks.com

Disclaimers

See here

Privacy Policy

See here