golf

Golf can be frustrating on the best of days. What better way to calm your nerves than to sail around the links on this hovercraft golf cart?

Bubba Watson, 2012 Masters champion, and his sponsor, Oakley, recently teamed up with Neoteric Hovercraft to launch this super sophisticated way of getting from hole to hole.

The hovercraft maker released a video of Watson riding on a 9-foot air cushion at Arizona's Raven Golf Club.

The BW1 has a "footprint pressure" of 33 times less than a human footprint, leaving relatively little impact on the course itself. … Read more

Gadgets sometimes have alternative uses.

You can hold up a phone at a U2 concert and show that you, too, can create a religious light source.

You can use a hair dryer to bring your iPhone back to life after you've dropped it in the toilet.

However, I have never heard of someone attempting to pass off a golf-ball finder as a bomb detector. There again, I never thought Harvard could beat anyone at basketball.

Excitingly, there is a trial currently in progress in which a British businessman is accused of fooling the military, the police, nay, even governments themselves into buying bomb detectors that were golf-ball finders.

I cannot imagine how the two might have been confused. But the prosecution alleges that 56-year-old Jim McCormick persuaded many important people around the world that these things could spot bombs, ivory, drugs, and even bits of human bodies.

He allegedly claimed they even worked through walls, under water, and even from planes. … Read more

Super Stickman Golf 2 (99 cents) is a 2D golf game that is definitely a worthy sequel to the original with new levels, new special course elements, and much more. It's really easy to pick up and play, with tons of fantastical themed courses, interesting power-ups, and excellent physics-based gameplay. Though the game has a huge amount of arcadelike features, the goal is always the same: try to get the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible. The challenge is that it can be much harder than it looks.

Rather than your standard 3D layout seen … Read more

A gigantic QR code took form in China a couple of days ago. Mission Hills China trumpets the accomplishment with the headline, "World's Largest Golf Club & Spa Resort Creates the World's Biggest QR Code." Sounds like someone is obsessed with being the world's largest.

That headline is a little misleading, though. A Canadian corn maze turned out a 309,570-square-foot QR code last year. What Mission Hills China created is most likely the world's biggest human QR code. It certainly beat out the 1,300 people Taiwan drafted for a promotion event.

The club rounded up 2,000 employees for the massive publicity stunt. They stood in designated spots and opened red and white umbrellas above their heads. Seen from 270 feet above the ground, the formation created a scannable QR code. The code links back to an eco-tourism campaign that lets entrants sign up for a chance to win a holiday at the resort.… Read more

You might not be a golf fan, and if that's true, you probably don't know that this weekend, the United States is facing off against Europe in the biennial Ryder Cup. You may not even know what the Ryder Cup is. But a hash tag in the sky might get your attention.

Regardless of your golf knowledge, a lot of people have been paying attention -- and enjoying the Americans' lead in the competition. But some European boosters are realizing that their heroes might need a little extra encouragement.

That's probably why attendees on hand in Medinah, … Read more

When shopping for a sports car, safety is often not high on the list of priorities. In many cases, it falls far behind handling, acceleration, and overall driving enjoyment. Thankfully, for those interested in either the Subaru BRZ or the Scion FR-S, safety is not something to sacrifice. The twin Japanese rear-drive sports coupes earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's 2012 Top Safety Pick award, the highest rating available.

Each passed all three categories -- front, side, and roof strength tests -- easily, and are the only sports coupes in the $30,000 price range to do so. … Read more

The Beetle may be an older nameplate, but for many drivers the world over the Volkswagen Golf (and its performance variant, the GTI) is the quintessential VW model. The Golf's combination of style, performance, and flexibility have helped the hatchback to remain a constant favorite. So, it's no surprise that the seventh-generation Golf -- which makes its debut later this month at the 2012 Paris Motor Show -- doesn't deviate too far from the established formula of its six predecessors.

The photos and details released by Volkswagen today detail what will be the European-spec 2013 Golf, but … Read more

To borrow an old expression, planning a golf tournament is just like planning any other event, only more so. While event organizers only have so much power over the weather, things like registration and keeping score usually come off better with a bit of planning and foresight. That's actually not a problem, thanks to SweetSpot's Sandbagger Golf Event Tournament Organizer. This free tool can help you organize and hold a golf tournament for a company or social event. While it's totally free, you must register the program to keep using it beyond its demo period. But registration … Read more

You know how you sometimes are thinking of someone and they suddenly walk down the street in front of you?

Well, I have just had a similar experience. Attempting to wind down for my weekend, I just finished Hank Haney's book about Tiger Woods, "The Big Miss."

No, this is not a tale about one of his larger girlfriends. It is a very thoughtful analysis of the man and his game, written by his former coach.

No sooner had I placed it on the floor (yes, I should be tidier) than I received word that Woods will, … Read more