Review: AboutGolf Golf Simulators - “Adding Reality to the Virtual Golf Experience”
Michael White
If you are a golf fanatic, and live in the Snow Belt like I do, Fall is a time of year when some of the best golf is played. Cooler temperatures. The leaves are changing color. It is a beautiful time of year; --and I despise it! Why? Soon enough, everything will be covered in a frozen white blanket, and chasing a little white ball is soon replaced with chasing potato chips with a soda in front of the T.V. as I wait for things to melt. Fortunately, there is hope for continuing the golf season year ‘round, no matter where you live. It’s called the AboutGolf golf simulator.
I first became aware of AboutGolf simulators when I went to my local Nevada Bob’s golf store to try out some new clubs. They had recently installed one of the AboutGolf simulators, and use it primarily for fitting customers into new clubs. The AboutGolf simulator gives a plethora of shot data. Launch angles; spin rates; draws; fades; clubhead speed; ball speed and even smash factor- it has it all. At the heart of the system is a FlightScope launch monitor developed by EDH, ltd. Their tracking technology was originally developed to track artillery fire, with an accuracy of .01% over a 30-mile range. To say that this simulator has enough technology built in would be a gross understatement. In the “driving range” mode, the AboutGolf simulator will accurately provide more than enough information to either fit a customer to new clubs if you are a pro shop, or to accurately gauge shot data in one of the most highly-interactive and informative practice sessions you will ever experience. The accuracy of the launch data was pretty astounding. When I hit a slice, unfortunately, the FlightScope was all too eager to tell me just how bad it was!
Golf is a game of feedback, and the FlightScope gives us that much-needed element to bring the reality level that much closer to the actual game. But, without something pleasing to look at while swinging, launch monitor data can resemble something from an airline cockpit. This is where AboutGolf’s parent company- Friendly Software, steps in to distinguish the AboutGolf experience from that of other Golf simulators. They provide a fully rendered 3-Dimensional golf experience, complete with vibrant colors, detailed graphics, and highly accurate representations of some of the World’s most well-known courses. I played Pebble Beach in the “Golf Course” mode. Every little detail was featured. The trees were where they are supposed to be. The bunkers had their signature shapes and depths. Fairway contours matched that of the actual course. The experience was very life-like, complete with wind speeds and directions that affect the shot, the rustling of leaves in the trees, and even bird noises. (Although I’m not sure Pebble Beach has Loons as an indigenous species.) The experience was pretty enveloping. One surprising course featured on the AboutGolf simulator was Loyal Chapman’s “Infamous 18.” If you’ve even seen his “extreme” golf hole paintings and wondered what it would be like to actually play them, now you can!
The very impressive part of the AboutGolf simulator was how the shot data from the FlightScope launch monitor and the detailed graphics work as one cohesive experience. If you hit a slice, the screen feedback will show your ballflight slicing into a tree. Once it hits the tree, it is a random ricochet that can send your ball anywhere, unlike some simulators that just drop the ball straight down every time. You can see the dimples rotating on the ball as it flies and rolls. The attention to detail on such minute things really exhibits AboutGolf’s commitment to making the experience as like-like as possible, and also how truly three-dimensional the experience is. The voice of PGA Tour commentator Steve Melnick rounds out the experience, offering helpful tips in his soothing Southern drawl. The distances, shot trajectories, and ballflights all seemed very accurate thanks to the FlightScope.
The AboutGolf simulator comes with a touchscreen with intuitive menus and functions. Re-playing a shot in the various replay modes can make you feel like you’re in the middle of a PGA telecast. Want to re-play that shot and take a mulligan? A couple quick taps of the screen and you’re ready to re-tee. The touchscreen makes it easy to use for even those that might not be computer-savvy.
The only drawback with the AboutGolf simulators that I could see was the lack of backspin when a shot would hit the greens- especially when chipping. AboutGolf assured me they are in the process of utilizing the FlightScope’s data to more accurately represent the short game spin that better players are accustomed to generating around the greens. Updates are continually worked on, and available to AboutGolf owners through Internet download to the system’s incorporated P.C.
For golf retailers looking to provide the most realistic experience for their customers, and have the most accurate launch data to be able to use to fit golf clubs, the AboutGolf simulator is pretty much without equal. The ease of use of the system would make it ideal for community centers, bar & grills, or any other venue that wants to make life-like indoor golf available to their customers. For the true golf fanatic, residential setups are available as well.
Don’t sulk this Winter! Get out there and find an AboutGolf simulator to test your game on and keep tuned up. The AboutGolf experience is about as close as you’ll come to the actual game. It’s realistic golf course experience brings a “reality” to golf simulators that are sometimes all too “virtual!”
Michael White
Independent Equipment Consultant/Forums Moderator
Golf-Gear-Review.com
