Matt Kuchar plays a shot off the rough during day one of the 2018 World Cup of Golf at The Metropolitan on Nov. 22, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Innovations and products from across the world of sports technology will be a major draw at CES 2019, which is scheduled for Jan. 8-11 in Las Vegas. One of the companies featuring in the event’s sports-tech exhibition will be South Korean golf simulator maker Golfzon.
Golfzon’s indoor simulators have been installed in schools, homes, offices, hotels, golf lounges, and sports bars since the company was founded in South Korea in 2000. Golfzon Vision Premium, the company’s flagship product, comes with different mats that can replicate course conditions such as fairway, rough, or sand terrain. The plate on which the mat sits can also change its angle to replicate the lie of the ball. The system’s sensors capture a user’s swing data such as impact and spin rotation, and predict ball flight distance.
“This is fun having that adjustable floor plate that match the lie that was really on a golf course,” said PGA Tour veteran Matt Kuchar according to Golfzon’s website. (Kuchar is a Golfzon ambassador.) “[I’ve] played a lot of these golf courses, [and Golfzon captures] the realism of what it’s like to really play a golf course and just makes it feel all that much more real.”
Vision’s software allows a user to play on over 180 of the most famous courses around the world, rendered in high-definition. The Premium product, which allows up to six people to play a round of golf simultaneously and also comes with an auto tee-up and ball retrieval system, costs $45,000.
Golfzon’s lowest priced golf simulator is the Vision Compact ($25,000). The Premium, Compact, and intermediate Standard simulators come with a swing replay camera and sensor technology. The company also makes a driving range version called GDR.
SportTechie Takeaway
Golf has long been an exclusive sport, where access to the most illustrious courses has been restricted to either pro players or elite members of society. Although the Golfzon simulators, like other golf simulators, remain outside the financial reach of most individuals, technology like this, when installed in public spaces such as the TopGolf suite at Levi’s Stadium, can offer everyone a chance to experience some of the sport’s most historic venues. The game’s future almost certain lies in golf further embracing digital technology.
This content is part of the CES Sports Zone Innovation Showcase. If your sports technology will impact the world of professional athletes, sports leagues, owners, coaching staff, and fans, you can’t afford to miss CES Sports Zone. Learn more here.
