Walk or ride? It’s one of golf’s eternal questions. Are you looking for comfort or cardio? Do you want speed or simplicity? How hot is it? How steep is it? Do you have blisters from your new spikes? It’s a tough conundrum, but one Japanese golf course has put a big check mark in the “walk” column with this galaxy brain innovation:

Golf escalators.

Japanese golf is an eclectic mix of honoured traditions and modern ingenuity.

Yokohama is a super hilly course and is extremely hot in the summer. How do you keep it a walking course and not have people drop dead?

Here’s a cool feature on two of the big hills:

Japanese golf is an eclectic mix of honored traditions and modern ingenuity.

Yokohama is a super hilly course and is extremely hot in the summer. How do you keep it a walking course and not have people drop dead?

Here’s a cool feature on 2 of the big hills: pic.twitter.com/Y75Zdx8kYI

— Rick Golfs (@Top100Rick) August 21, 2023

That video comes courtesy of @Top100Rick on Twitter. He’s currently on a Far East golf adventure and posted this video following his round at a hilly Yokohoma-area course on Monday. It quickly grabbed the imagination of golfers across the Western world, who were dumbfounded to learn that A: This is a thing and B: That we haven’t been doing it all along.

Of course, we’ve all seen these at our local airports as we curse the folks who step aboard and then stand there blocking the entire walkway while you’re trying to get to your gate on time, but we’ve never seen one at a golf course. Heck, we never even imagined it until today. Now we’ll never get it out of our heads. Every hill, every modest incline and slight undulation, will now be a torment — a reminder that Japan continues to thrive in the future while we’re stuck here suffering in the past.

The post This Yokohama golf course has moving walkways to combat hilly terrain, Japan continues living in 2050 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

There has been monumental growth in golf club technology that has shaped the modern game. Three golfers try three different eras of clubs and see how their performances compare.

Watch to see how they got on:

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The post WATCH — Generation game: Three golfers try three clubs from different eras to see how technology has changed the game appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

—”Oh no, this poor b****** doesn’t stand a chance.”

—”Not a bad idea, although there’s not really a want for it.”

—”Ah, this is a license to print money.”

The third was our estimation on Guided Knowledge’s smart suit technology at last year’s show. Based in the United Kingdom, Guided Knowledge is a team comprised of sports scientists, biomechanists, mathematicians, engineers, golf experts and creatives, and its offering—a base-layer garment embedded with sensors that measure swing speed, angle and direction at a range of 1,000 samples per second—was as impressive a pitch as any made at the convention. A sentiment shared by the United Investor’s Association, which bestowed the company the Pinnacle Award for best in show.

Yet it is an estimation, for as viable a product or concept may be in the Inventors Spotlight, it’s in desperate need of resources, be it infrastructure, manufacturing, distribution or simply financial assets. Without any or all of said backing, they are merely high-ended theories that never come to fruition.

To our happy surprise, that fate has not been suffered by Guided Knowledge.

In the span of a year, Guided Knowledge has gone from abstract to actuality, displaying its modified and advanced technology at the 2020 PGA Merchandise Show Demo Day on Tuesday at Orange County National.

“It’s really incredible how far we’ve come in a short period of time,” says Trine Hindklev, chief marketing officer of Guided Knowledge.

The system, named the “Dragonfly Golf,” is fully operational. A suit features 18 electronic devices to acquire a 3D picture of a player’s swing. That information is sent to a digital coaching application, which stores hundreds of data points from each motion. This base allows player and coaches to measure one’s performance and development on any smart tablet or phone.

For those with a taste for analytics, it’s a dream come true.

Granted, motion-capture, 360-degree visibility is not necessarily new; that technology has been used for years in medical, architectural and entertainment fields. That includes golf as well.

Where the Dragonfly distinguishes itself is that, unlike other motion-capture sensors, this suit does not require a studio or need to be harnessed to a machine. The system and its output can be calculated from anywhere with reliable and consistent accuracy.

“Players no longer have to be in a lab or a teacher’s facility,” says Jon Dalzell, chief science officer of Guided Knowledge. “What used to be an appointment is now available anywhere, anytime.”

This comes in handy in the communication between player and coach. A teacher can be halfway across the globe and see readings instantly from a player’s movements, with the ability to send feedback and instruction just as quickly. The player, in turn, not only receives what tasks await, but the computer system sets a range based on that specific drill to monitor progression.

For example, let’s say a player is not getting enough pelvic rotation in the swing. The teacher will convey the need for more turn, inputting how many more degrees he/she is aiming to reach. The DragonFly will capture the next four swings and display if that range was met.

This “lesson,” and its data—not just of the pelvic turn, but all aspects of the swing—are filed away for future reference. Your swing can finally be quantified by more than your scorecard.

From a user’s standpoint, perhaps what’s most remarkable about the DragonFly is its ease of use. Even for the most insatiable pupil, there can be statistical overload when it comes to how the information is presented. This system makes the instruction digestible to those that don’t consider themselves tech-savvy, illustrating both the swing and accompanying numbers in a clear, concise fashion.

“For years his information was there but invisible, instructors couldn’t calibrate what they wanted the student to achieve,” Dalzell says. “Now we can not only display it, we can use it to get where our games ultimately want to go.”

The DragonFly was recently installed at the prestigious IMG Academy in fall, and a handful of PGA Tour players—most notable Pádraig Harrington—have been early adopters. Nevertheless, it remains a fledgling operation, which is why the company has made the return trip to Orlando, hoping to spread the word of its innovation.

“There has been a demand for this for years,” Dalzell says. “This has been our group’s true endgame; to see it come to reality, and see where it can still go, is rewarding.”

Mentioned above, there are one of three takeaways when encountering a product at the Inventors Spotlight. A year after its debut, the DragonFly appears to be that rare dog whose bite matches its bark.

The post This is the coolest product golf has seen in years…and it might revolutionise the industry, too appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

 e wouldn’t normally consider a smartphone product launch as significant golf-equipment news. But when you consider the impacts on golfers, it’s worth a look. Apple showcased its iPhone 7 three weeks ago, and though the product’s new features are usually the highlight of iPhone arrivals, it’s what’s absent that is making waves: the removal of the headphone jack. Observers of Apple say the company is banking on the expanding use of wireless technology, with the hopes of making the iPhone lighter and waterproof. Overall, the move is drawing mixed reviews, with critics citing a lack of user-friendliness with the decision. That is, except golfers, who should be welcoming the wireless revolution with open arms. And it’s not just the headphones-free attribute that should have the sport excited. Here are eight new iPhone features that are godsends to golfers.

1. Better Battery Life. Stuck in a six-hour round or worried music is draining too much energy? While still lacking compared to its Android rivals, the iPhone 7 does have improved battery life, giving you more juice when you’re on the course.

2. Dual-camera System. Capture your own swing or simply a serene moment on the course, the new iPhone offers more photography and video-recording options. The major additions are dual 12-megapixel lenses, able to snap SLR-quality photos and create special effects.

3. Siri Enhancements. Siri will go deeper with commands, searching within apps on your phone to find the answer to your question or request. The intricacy sounds impressive, especially if Siri can figure out why we keep losing our drives to the right.

4. Wireless. Above, we mentioned golfers should be excited for the wireless experience, and rightfully so. For walkers or those playing solo, many wear headphones during their round, only for the wires to hinder or obstruct their swings. Now the iPhone 7 connects from your back pocket to wireless earbuds, letting you hack freely.

5. Improved iMessage Visuals. This includes bigger fonts and more emojis, so when a friend asks how your round is going, you’ll have an arsenal of symbols to express that woeful 52 on the front nine.

6. Waterproof. Maybe you’re caught in a storm, spill your beer or that valiant effort from the pond’s edge went horribly wrong. One of the reasons the headphone jack went away is to allow for waterproof technology, one that’s a blessing for many golfers.

7. Storage. Many of us tape our swings; unfortunately, videos take a major bite out of a phone’s storage, making the saving process an endeavor. However, the iPhone 7 has 32GB instead of 16GB, and it looks like the next two tiers will be 128GB and 256GB, meaning you can now track your improvement without storage worries.

8. Go to any (shaft) length. One in four millennials carry less than $5 cash, according to the ICBA. And we’ve all had a partner who shows an empty wallet when its their time to pay a bet. The iPhone 7 has the solution: iMessage now facilitates payment transactions from Circle and Square Cash.

—Joel Beall/@JoelMBeall

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