Few athletes are more obsessed with their sport than golfers. They are constantly tinkering with their game, finding new ways to improve both their driving and putting, and are constantly on the lookout for the best new gear to give them an edge out on the course. The latest product to do that might be the Genius golf ball from OnCore, a smart device capable of tracking a plethora of stats that can help just about any golfer take strokes off of his or her score.
The Genius is the result of a successful crowdfunding campaign that raised more than $117,000 in 2017. The breakthrough with this ball isn’t necessarily the high-tech sensors and accelerometers that are found within, but the protective coating that surrounds them instead. Other manufacturers have tried to make smart golf balls in the past, but most couldn’t find a way to protect the delicate electronics inside, which are subjected to massive g-forces when driven off the tee. OnCore felt that a ball that is used just during putting wasn’t quite so useful, so it found a way to safeguard the circuitry within its ball. The result is a device that can track just about every aspect of your golf game.
In addition to tracking velocity, angle of descent, and distance hit, the Genius ball can also record spin rate, time and distance of roll, and its flight path with an accuracy of within one foot. The ball will also measure the draw or fade of each shot and the distance to the pin, providing its GPS location within one foot as well. It will even check the wind speed, roll of the terrain, altitude, and other environmental factors.
All of that data is fed to a smartphone through a Bluetooth connection, allowing the golfer to view the information on their smartphone at any time. And after they’ve finished, they can also share the highlights of the round on social media.
Having raised the necessary funds to get the Genius Ball into production, OnCore plans to begin shipping the device in June. The smart ball is expected to cost $100, which makes them costlier than most of their competitors. That said, however, since the Genius comes with onboard GPS, it should be difficult to lose them, provided you keep them out of the water traps.
Find out more on the OnCore website.
