Remote control, RFID microchips, digital compass, GPS. Of course, we’re talking golf gear.
Most Golf technology these days focuses on the club: alloy heads, composite shafts. Adjustable weights are big right about now. Anything to help you drive farther.
But there are some other things that will just make the game more fun. The next step is the perfect digital caddie.
NO LOST BALLS . There's an old saying in golf: Drive for show, then go find your ball.
There are thousands of patents purporting to solve the oldest problem in golf. Now you can find your ball without even looking. Just listen for the beep. Yup, radar for golf balls. The ball contains RFID chips — the same Radio Frequency ID tags in retail clothing, and your passport. The detector sends out a radio signal, the ball absorbs it and sends it back. Bingo.
RADAR CORPORATION RadarGolf System
Price at Radar Corporation Online Store: $199
FIND THE PIN. How far is the pin? Special binoculars, monocles, even lasers, have been thrown at this for years. But, hey, this is the GPS generation. The
SkyCaddie uses a database of golf courses, so it knows where every pin is. Once it learns where you are, the readout is a snap. Of course, knowing the distance to the inch isn't going to help your swing. By the way, a handheld GPS is now legal in competition.
SKYCADDIE SG4 GPS Rangefinder Price at Sharper Image: $349.95
GIMME A BREAK. OK, finally on the green. Time to lay down the digital green reader. Some pros use the BreakMaster , just not during competition. Uphill break to the right.
BREAKMASTER Digital Green Reader
Price at D.W. Quail Golf Online Store : $59.99
A BIRDIE IN THE HAND. Oops. Putt just a little short? No problem. Just for fun, a radio controlled ball.
SILVERLIT ENTRONICS INCRED-A-BALL SINGLE RC Golf Ball
Price at X-tremegeek.com: $19.99
DRIVES STRAIGHTER THAN YOU DO. For your clubs: the Navigator remote control cart from Bag Boy. It stays close all day, because in its handle is a digital compass. So it goes exactly where you point it. That's a $1,700 electric golf cart. But what a golf cart.
BAG BOY COMPANY Bag Boy Navigator
Price at Bag Boy Online Store: $1,699.95
