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 The only way to get better at the game of golf is to practice and play. If my 8-year-old son Timothy spent as much time every week with a golf club in his hands as he does with a video game controller, college golf recruiters would already be camped on my doorstep. My instincts told me there was little to learn from these games and golf simulators. I was wrong. There is plenty he is learning from the games he owns — “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters” and “My Personal Golf Trainer.” After talking to a few experts on this subject, I learned not everyone is in agreement about the benefits of golf video games. Still, here are five things your junior golfer will learn from them: • Understanding the game of golf “I believe the object of golf video games is about enjoyment of golf. They focus on fun. However, the real benefit for us in the game is that they promote and encourage playing golf,” said Randy Lerner, assistant golf professional at Woodland Hills Country Club. Lerner, 25, grew up playing golf and golf video games. He now heads the junior golf program at Woodland Hills and sees lots of benefits to these games and simulators. “There is so much kids learn about the terminology of golf, the etiquette, club selection, even the different kinds of competition (stroke play vs. match play) playing these games”, Lerner said. “I know some parents might think their kids are frying their brains spending so many hours playing video games, but the kids we are seeing learn the game so much more quickly in our clinics because they have already visually learned many aspects.” • Learning the rules and etiquette The culture of golf and the rules that govern it can be daunting to learn, but the same rules of golf are in play in these games. Dane Rhodes, 7, frequently plays golf games on the Nintendo Wii with his dad, Rocky, at their Simi Valley home. Dad sees the transitional knowledge his son carries from the video game to the course: “When a rule comes into play on the course, I remind Dane how that rule happens when we play the video game, like the golfer farther away hits first. I can tell he mentally connects and understands.” I found the same thing applied with my son. When I played the Tiger Woods game with him, I’m not sure he understood the penalty of stroke and distance for an out-of-bounds shot, but he knew I was hitting three off the tee after my virtual duck-hook disappeared in the virtual woods. I’m sure the video game wasn’t responsible for the trash talk the little bugger hurled at me as I re-teed for my third shot — I suspect that’s something in his genes. • Competition Jered Stone is 20 years old and has played golf since he was 3. His parents are members of Braemar Country Club in Tarzana. Stone’s been playing golf video games half his life and still plays them regularly with his teammates at California State University-Monterey Bay, where he is a sophomore on the men’s golf team that won the Division II national title last month. “The interactive nature of the video games today like Tiger Woods Golf not only make you feel like you’re playing real golf visually, but the competitive nature you need to have to succeed in college golf comes into play, too,” Stone said. “I hate losing on the course and I hate losing on the game.” Dane Rhodes echoed similar discontent: “I get frustrated when my dad beats my butt off.”  • Club selection and course conditions Most golfers dream of playing Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters. “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12” may be as close as I ever get (pictured above). The authenticity EA Sports achieved in building this game actually gives you a better picture of Augusta than you can get on TV. The hills and undulating nature of the course are more evident in this game. With that in mind, what junior golfers will learn is that if their feet are above the ball, the shot is likely to fade. If the ball is in the second cut of rough, not only will you need to compensate with an extra club or two, but the ball also will come out with little backspin. Dane Rhodes already knows he has to “swing his sand wedge hard in a bunker to get the ball out of the sand.” Even something as simple as putting a ball through the break can be simulated, giving the golfer more confidence on an actual course. • Swing path One of the hardest aspects of a golf swing to understand is path. We’ve all heard the terms “coming over the top” or “swinging inside-out.” These electronic golf games and simulators drive home the point of a good swing path. In “My Personal Golf Trainer,” developed in conjunction with acclaimed golf instructor David Leadbetter and IMG Academies, you’ll actually see your swing path projected parallel to what the swing path should be. Does this translate to being able to fix it? Yes, on the video game — not necessarily when you’re on the course. But the understanding of what the swing path means and how important it is to a shot going where you want it to go is very clear. • Opposing view: get outside Not everyone I spoke with saw the benefits of golf video games for junior golfers. Mark Sadoff, the first assistant golf professional at Woodland Hills Country Club, is 17 years older than Lerner and considers himself “old school.” “I think kids today have too many activities that keep them indoors. They need to be outside, they need to get exercise,” he said. “When I was a kid in the summer, I lived at the golf course.” That may be true, but it appears these games draw people to golf, and what the game needs more than anything else is more players. That is something these video games hopefully can accomplish — they teach an understanding of the game, the rules, the competition, the shot-making and, perhaps most importantly, that golf can be fun. SOUTHLAND GOLF 2011 JUNIOR ISSUE Best in Class: Paolucci, Park top list of 10 rising stars Junior Golf Road Map: How children can get started Southern California Junior Golf tournament organizations Jacobs grows the game with Total Golf Adventures Directory of Junior Summer Camps, Clinics and more Junior Golf Product Guide |
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