Golfing In The Metaverse? How Technology Is Reshaping The Sport
Sports technology and sports science have evolved from a relatively obscure corner of the sporting industry to a multi-billion-dollar standalone sector, all within approximately 30 years. Those sports that have a global audience and can rely on technology to streamline some of the more arduous processes have invested heavily in their quest to bring their sports up to date with modern cultural trends and contemporary consumer demand.
As disruptive technology innovations like VAR continue to spark a fiercely polarizing debate in various sports, technology experts and pioneers have not slowed down in their quest to find the next big piece of sporting ingenuity.
How Tech Is Fuelling Subsidiary Markets
Technology has fuelled colossal growth in many underlying industries that tie into sports and the wider entertainment world. It’s led to a surge in the number of people seeking out gambling platforms, which, traditionally speaking, is a world that has a substantial overlap with those who enjoy a game of golf or two.
It’s become far easier, thanks to technology, to access a broad range of gambling options online. It has also brought the industry into the 21st century and knocked down conventional geographical barriers, which often proved to be a considerable obstacle for casinos in the days before the internet started to take hold within the industry.
Nowadays, casinos operating in Europe have a similar operation to those operating on the other side of the globe. Joe Fortune Australia employs the same types of marketing strategies and promotional ideas that have proven successful in European gambling markets since the early 21st century.
Still, as fintech innovations, such as cryptocurrency, continue to play a larger role in the industry’s growth, the markets are becoming increasingly global. Sporting entertainment ideas are also falling into this blueprint, too. Digital platforms are becoming the dominant force in how people consume sports via streaming services and news via social media channels, updates, influencers, and technology, which is the lifeblood behind this systemic change.
How Golf Is Adapting To The Changes
Elite golfers have been incorporating top-level sports integration into their training for years. However, from a fan perspective, the changes we’ve seen in other types of sporting media and underlying markets have also trickled down. As little as a decade ago, if you were looking for the best golf gear, you’d go down the local golfing shop or have a flick through a magazine, this market has now been dominated by new media, such as podcasts which deep-dive into the positives and negatives of the best golf gear, and dish out their recommendations.
From a player’s perspective, there has been a massive surge in the number of people embracing technology in golf, such as simulated golf experiences, which are proving to be a hit in vacation spots and for stag dos.
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing, though. Discovery’s expensive venture into the PGA resulted in them hemorrhaging cash. Although there have been intriguing ideas that have emerged, there’s nothing that golfers like more than to get out in the fresh air.
Does The Metaverse Have Legs?
Believe it or not, there was a time when those in the sporting world thought that online gambling markets would not take off with a traditional audience. Many stated how people who were not computer literate would not be in any rush to take to their phones or laptops, and the idea of simulated golf would be an expensive waste of time and money.
However, in the current market, both of these opinions have been relegated to the past. The next step is into the Metaverse. VR gaming takes the idea of simulated golf one step further, and with Meta putting their weight behind the idea of gaming in the Metaverse, and with games like Golf+ finding an audience, could we really end up in a position where the Metaverse and VR golf genuinely poses a threat to the traditional format of the sport?
It’s hard to tell whether VR is just a fad or whether there are people who will consistently choose to stay at home and play golf in the Metaverse rather than get out on the green with their friends. Some tech reviewers have discussed living, working, exercising, and relaxing in the Metaverse, and they claim that it works.
The Future Of Technology In Golf
Over the next decade, we can expect to see a rise in the number of people using technology to refine their golf drives, and possibly as a way to replace the course on rainy days. Honestly? Without sounding like too much of an old-timer, I don’t see any way golfing in the Metaverse will be able to hold a candle to the traditional format of the sport.
Yes, it might bring in a few casual golfers, and those who are more serious might have one in their home to mess around on, but in the long run, the biggest technological changes will come from how it is integrated in the elite level of the sport – and we are pretty sure that the Metaverse will not be one of them.
