Adoption of Apple's ARKit continues its slow march forward, most recently being applied by the Professional Golfer's Association for the PGA Tour AR app for iOS, as reported by Engadget. That app's use of augmented reality (AR) is limited right now, but could eventually give golf spectators new perspectives on the matches they watch and hints for their own game.
PGA Tour AR uses iOS 11's ARKit to render a map of select holes on popular golf courses onto flat surfaces in your home. You can put the map on your table, and then see the shots pro golfers made.
Only a handful of holes and golf courses are supported right now, and you can only see historical shots, but the app will begin to include real-time shot data on March 15, so you can see the path of pros' shots in augmented reality on your table while watching the Arnold Palmer Invitational on your TV.
Future plans for the app include more AR visualizations that golfers can use while they're teeing up to put one down the fairway. It may not be as fun as ARKit's implementation in Chip Sineni's A-ha moment augmented reality app, but for golfers, it is early days for a practical implementation of AR in golf. Don't be surprised when AR features like this start popping up in more sports apps.
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