Golfstream Brings Virtual Golf (and Greens) to a Whole New Level
Originally posted on February 19, 2016, Golf.com.
By: Marika Washchyshyn
Golfstream aims to bring groups together for a lively, active golf experience.
What do you get when you cross a golf simulator, a handful of rocket scientists, Ben Crenshaw and four to eight friends?
Presenting Golfstream, the latest innovation in augmented reality, brought to the golf course.
Golfstream employs all of the typical things you would find in your average golf simulator: driving range challenges, iconic holes, putting green skill-testing, but what Golfstream offers goes a step above. Developed by a team of engineers, including former NASA rocket scientists, the virtual golf system includes laser-projected outlines to help with putting and a dynamic green that can be adjusted to simulate bumps and breaks of a real green.
Their patented “moving green” might be the coolest part of the product, which you can see at work in a demo video below.
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One of Golfstream’s mini-games includes laser projections to help the player’s putting.
Cofounded by Sameer Gupta, Golfstream aims to entice a younger and more vibrant audience to the game and even welcomes rowdy crowds, featuring minigames for four to eight players to up the competitive atmosphere. In an exclusive interview with GamesBeat, Gupta said that people are “desperate to do things in groups.”
Two-time major winner Ben Crenshaw, who was brought on as an advisor to Golfstream, said the product blends the two worlds of golf and entertainment that is much overdue.
“Not only can I enjoy playing with my friends, but I have even more fun with my wife and kids,” Crenshaw said in a statement. “This is truly a game changer.”
Golfstream launched at the Wheels Up Super Saturday Tailgate Party in San Francisco ahead of the Super Bowl, and as of Wednesday, is being showcased at the TaylorMade Golf Experience in Las Vegas. Currently in soft launch mode, it’s expected to roll out to stadiums, sports bars, hotels, casinos, cruises, shopping malls and more. But if you want to see it sooner, stop by SXSW in Austin, Texas, in March and the Masters at Augusta National.
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