Want to play where the pros do? Try a virtual U.S. Open

Mike Dudurich

Posted 2009-04-14

Only 156 of the millions of people in the world who play golf will get the opportunity to play Bethpage Black in the U.S. Open in June. But if you have a computer, an internet connection and some gaming skills, you’ll be able to compete in a in a virtual U.S. Open, thanks to the efforts of the United States Golf Association and World Golf Tour (www.wgt.com).

A state-of-the-art simulation of the supersized Black Course at Bethpage is the basis for the competition, which will allow golf fans and gamers the chance to play virtually the same course as the actual Open competitors will.
Starting May 25 when the project goes live, players will be able to play qualifying rounds through June 21. When the real Open ends, the top 156 qualifiers, plus ties, will then battle for the Virtual U.S. Open title on June 22.
The reward for the winner? A trip to the 2010 U.s. Open at the Pebble Beach Golf Links as a guest of the USGA.

And the best news about all of this?

IT’S FREE!!!!!

“This is a unique opportunity for fans to experience a very realistic online representation of the Black Course at Bethpage State Park,” said Alex Withers, UGSA managing director of Digital Media. “We are thrilled to be able to bring this product to golf fans around the world and to be working with World Golf Tour on this exciting project.”

Golf organizations around the world have made a commitment to take the game to the next generations. Withers calls it “engaging younger audiences in different ways.”

Which makes the choice of WGT a perfect one. There are 800,000 registered gamers on that website and when you combine that with the fact that over 6 million users went to usga.org during last year’s Open, the possibilities are mind-boggling.

“Our goal is to change the way sports are played on line,” said YuChiang Cheng, CEO of World Golf Tour, which is based in San Francisco. “Much of what’s out there now is not very realistic, not like the real world at all. We feel like we have a very real game experience and when you merge that with a real world event, we’ll really get to test our platform.”

WGT was formed three years ago and a great deal of time and energy has been expended in the research and development area and that work is very evident when you go to their website. The graphics are unbelievably sharp and clear, sounds are realistic and here are just a few reasons why.

- Nearly 100,000 high-definition images were taken of the course from the ground and with helicopters using precisely mapped GPS coordinates.

- The images and all data collected from the course were then translated through WGT’s proprietary physics engine to enable players to virtually experience Bethpage Black within a photo landscape.

- Championship tees and hole locations, U.S. Open-quality rough, along with accurate green contours and speeds enable this to be the most realistic championship golf experience ever offered online.

“This opportunity is really a strong step forward in demonstrating the ability of WGT’s platform to integrate live events with an online experience,” Cheng said. “We’re honored to work with the USGA to bring players the Virtual U.S. Open, with some of the pressure and elation that the real competitors feel.”

To compete in this first-ever event, players should go to www.USOPEN.com. The actual Virtual Open won’t be available until May 25, but starting today (April 13) a closest-to-the-hole challenge will be available for players to test their skills before the actual qualifying rounds begin.

“It takes between 35-40 minutes to play the whole golf course,” said Withers. “We’ve tried to make it as accessible as possible. We want people to play the course and they’ll be surprised how realistic it really is. The skills challenge ought to be a lot of fun, too. Players will face eight of the toughest shots that will be part of the Open at Bethpage.”

Once the Open is completed and the Virtual Open championship has been decided, the Bethpage Black course will be available at www.wgt.com after July 1.

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