Golf app Hole19 has announced the addition of a new augmented reality feature. The AR addition must be purchased through a premium subscription and is only available for iOS users.
If a user is playing on one of Hole19’s 42,000 mapped courses throughout the world, they can now open the app to access a 360-degree view of the course they’re currently playing. The new feature also offers the ability to determine the correct line for a player’s next shot, and provides provides accurate GPS distances to the front, middle, and back of the green.
“We are extremely excited about the possibilities that AR technology brings to golfers,” said Hole19 CEO Anthony Douglas in a press release. “It’s still early days, but the first signs of this technology are promising and this functionality will be extremely useful for golfers that are facing blind shots. It’s all about giving golfers confidence in their decisions.”
Hole19 states that its free-to-download app has over 1.3 million registered users across iOS, Android, Apple Watch, and Android Wear devices. While this augmented reality feature is only available on iOS devices, Hole19 also allows golfers to book outings and review golf courses, similar to Yelp or TripAdvisor’s rating systems. An in-app social platform lets golfers compare performance and engage with their playing partners through interactive text, picture, or video posts.
SportTechie Takeaway
Augmented reality is likely to have wider appeal than pure virtual reality because it works in concert with the existing world, rather than shutting a user off from real life. Digital technology such as AR and VR course simulators and data tracking systems are already driving the future of golf, and augmented reality has also been used by the PGA Tour’s official app and streaming platform to give fans an enhanced, 3D visual of golf courses at tournaments.