Give your kids some exercise in the wet weather using Windows Vista

The British summer weather has always been described as temperamental, but even by commonly accepted standards this year is particularly bad. We’ve had the wettest summer in two hundred years and with more rain forecast it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better soon.

Simultaineously, the United Kingdom is facing another major crisis; obesity. If the figures are to be believed, the weight of children is reaching critical levels, and so the need to entice children into doing some exercise has never been greater.

Whilst bad weather and the need for exercise seem like a bad combination, Windows Vista can bring some exercise to your family without you even needing to step out your front door.

Surprisingly, one of the best ways to do this is to take up golf. Whilst it’s still considered a sport for business executives and American tourists, it’s proved surprisingly popular with young people, and the lack of intense physical demands make it an ideal hobby for those who have spent a good number of their days in front of a screen.

The bad weather doesn’t have to have an effect on learning the game, either. In fact, you don’t even have to go to a golf course at all, let alone buy any of the expensive kit to play the game or pay regular green fees: with the help of a Windows Vista PC you can learn how to play in the comfort of your own home.

Admittedly, you can’t just tap away on your keyboard with a couple of games of crazy golf and suddenly become a trophywinning legend like Tiger Woods. To really improve your technique, you need a golfing peripheral and a decent game to really simulate a decent 18-hole course.

There are a variety of peripherals on the market, but we went for the GameTrak Controller, which uses motion tracking to accurately mimic your golf swing. You get a pair of gloves that attach to the floormounted box via two lengths of cord, a foot pedal for making selections in-game, and a mini plastic club. All you need to do to install the controller is plug in the included USB cable, and then Windows Vista will do all the rest.

The GameTrak isn’t that dissimilar to the controller for the Nintendo Wii, only the strings and gloves make you feel a bit like a puppet at a rave, and the miniature club – that acts as a prop to help you to keep your hands in the right position when swinging – makes you look like some kind of giant golfer.

The controller – which can be bought separately or, as in this case, bought as a bundle with Real World Golf 2007 (£24.99 at amazon.co.uk) – has been specifically tuned to take advantage of the club’s tracking system, The menu, for example, is completely dictated by the controller, so you need to use your arms to scroll left or right.

In Real World Golf 2007, you get the usual range of golfing circuits from around the world to play on, and you can play with up to four friends, but you also get a wide range of training programmes to help you improve the many areas of your game. You can, for example, improve your putting aim on the green, or your control on the power of your swings either in short or long shots, and the video tutorial shows you how to hold your club and achieve the right stance.

Swing for it

The game boasts a Swing Trainer, too, which shows you (in real time) how to get the best swing from your club. The Impact Analyser also tells you how you’re hitting the ball, so, you can find out how much power you’re applying and how accurately the club head is connecting with the ball.

As the ultimate novice on the team (I’ve never set foot on a golf course before), I was chosen as the guinea pig. Before virtual practice commenced, I needed a starting point to see if, and by how much, I could improve my game, so I went off to the nearby Bath Approach Course to play my first 12 holes.

Obviously, the aim of the game is to get the ball in the hole in as few hits as possible. The Approach Course is a good one for rookies, apparently, as each hole is a Par 3 (ie, you should be able to get the ball in the hole in three shots). I started off OK, but the debacle soon deteriorated into a game of ‘find the golf ball in the hedge’, and at one point there was some concern for the safety of other players on the course.

Apparently, my overall score of 82 strokes over 12 holes was pretty bad (12 x 3 = 36, so that gives you some idea). On one hole it took me 11 hits to get the ball in. If there was anyone who needed help with their golf game, it was me.

The following fortnight was then spent in the safety of my spare room going through each tutorial, hacking away with the GameTrak Controller until I could no longer physically move my arms. But did two weeks of regular peripheral play on Real World Golf improve my game out in the real world (er, real, real world, that is)?

Yes, it has! And I’m as shocked as the next man. Just two weeks later, I’ve taken my Approach course score down from an unacceptable 82, to a not-too-shabby 64 strokes over 12 holes. It clearly hasn’t turned me into a pro – I really wasn’t expecting it to – but it has made me more aware of what stance I need to take, what angle I need to be hitting the ball at, what force to put into my swing, etc, rather than just hitting the ball a
s hard as I can and hoping for the best.

While my drive (the main shot from the tee) could still do with a bit of work, the game – specifically, the Swing Trainer element – has taught me to hit in a smooth, straight manner, and the ball does generally go towards the green.

Speaking of which, my putting has also improved because I now understand how to compensate for the different gradients on the putting surface. Had I put in the same amount of practice time in real life, I would have built up a very long queue of disgruntled players behind me every time.

Overall, although I’m sure there’s no substitute for actually picking up a club and hitting a ball, the combination of GameTrak Controller and Real Word Golf 2007 does give you a great way to prepare yourself for the course ahead.