Virtual Golf

With the advent of gaming consoles that allow plays to play virtual golf, people have often wondered if virtual golf could be a replacement for physically going to a golf course and playing 18-holes with club in hand. Is the game of virtual golf as good as the real thing? Researchers in the U.K. discovered virtual golf isn't a replacement for a good, old-fashioned game. However, it may be a good way to curb a sedimentary lifestyle by motivating children and adults alike to get up and move. Just how helpful is virtual golf? Well, a study using a Wii console found some surprising results.Practicing a virtual golf swing with a Wii does burn calories When British researchers tested almost a dozen children, using a Wii, and a sedimentary gaming system (such as an Xbox) and compared notes they were surprised.

Though the children were not using as much energy, they were using energy and burning calories using a virtual golf game similar to the real thing. The researchers also noted that the energy used was only half of the amount the children used during regular sports activities at school. After an hour of playing on a Wii, researchers found the children (ages 13-15) used 700 kilojoules (KJ). In a real game at school, the children used more than 1330 KJ for, say, a game of tennis or 2,400 KJ for a bout of boxing. While virtual golf may not be as good as getting out on a golf course, it is helping children exercise. In comparison to the 420 KJ the children used with a sedimentary game (moving only their thumbs), the Wii has proven that virtual golf may be a good way to get children to exercise.Virtual golf could help the disabled Virtual golf games using a Wii could be a boon for patients who have physical impairments. Already, some doctors are using virtual golf in therapy sessions because a Wii controller allows for 360-degree movement and can be used to help a patient improve their range of motion. This can particularly be useful to patients who are trying to regain motor functions lost following a vehicular accident or illness.

After playing a Wii for only 30 minutes, many doctors have reported games such as virtual golf have helped patients and reported seeing a great improvement in patients after only a month. Virtual golf could be used also to tell calm children before upcoming surgery if they are nervous about undergoing a medical procedure and being placed under anesthesia.Will virtual golf replace the real thing? While virtual golf may be a good way to get children to exercise, it makes a poor substitute for the real thing. People still prefer driving a golf cart around an actually golf course, as oppose to a virtual ride. Virtual golf will never completely replace golf because people still enjoy the regular activity. Besides, feeling the breeze in one's hair isn't the same playing a virtual golf game. While virtual golf may never completely erase the real game of golf, it may dwarf or eliminate home exercise videos. But can they ever truly replace Jane Fonda?