High-Tech Gadgets Invade Leisurely
Summer Activities
by Amy Johnson

 

As temperatures rise, Kansas Citians find themselves trading computers and TVs for tee times, moving outside to enjoy their summer leisure recreation. But activities that were once an excuse to escape from technology are now being enhanced by it, making them more enjoyable and accessible.

Golfers particularly have delighted in the emergence of high-tech playthings for their sport that both quicken the pace and aid player strategy during a round. The Ballfinder Scout is a handheld digital golf ball finder that can locate a ball within a 35-foot range. It detects only white golf balls but is able to do so while only a sliver of the ball is exposed. It helps cut down time trying to locate the result of a sliced swing buried in a bunker, allowing more time to strategize getting the ball on the green.

Golf GPS systems are becoming more beneficial than a caddie in helping with player strategy. Todd Wilson, Manager of Golf Discount near Metro North, notes that a golf GPS system is “just like a GPS for your car, only on the golf course.” The SkyCaddie SG 5 has a color LCD screen for enhanced target display and works in any weather due to its water resistant case. It measures the full depth
and shape of the green from all angles, pinpoints shot yardage, and alerts to hazards ensuring a more accurate shot.

Rod Scrivner of Leawood says of his SkyCaddie during a round of gold, “I am
most interested in the distance to (or to clear) hazards and the distance to the
front/center/back of greens. I have more confidence over a shot when I am certain I have the right club.”

Those who love fishing can also take advantage of the benefits GPS systems offer. The Raymarine E120 functions as a digital fishfinder, a fullfunction chart-plotter, radar, navigation system, and an on-board video system with an ultra bright sunlight viewable color display. Anglers will no longer find themselves wading in one spot waiting for the fish to bite,
but will be able to graphically see the bottom surface of the area surrounding the boat and precisely target any fish in that area.

Charles King, a sales associate at the Bass Pro Shop in Independence, says this feature is the most beneficial for fishers and boaters alike “being able to know what’s on the bottom of the lake and the depth is helpful not only in fishing, knowing the depth can save your equipment while simply boating also.” Easily portable, this device can be taken with you on vacation for ocean fishing or used locally in one of our area’s
many lakes.

For runners Nike + iPod is the ultimate in leisure time high-tech gadgets, taking the sport to a whole new level. The sensor in Nike+ shoes wirelessly connects to a receiver on an iPod nano which allows runners to choose workouts, ranging from the open ended basic workout to specialized ones, setting time, distance or calorie goals for a workout. While the iPod play list keeps runners motivated, the screen displays time, distance, or calories burned. Runners can also select a “PowerSong” for the workout, to be played when extra motivation is needed to make it up a hill or in the home stretch.

The Nike + iPod sport kit, which includes both the shoe sensor and the wireless iPod receiver, is available in Apple or Nike retail stores and requires an iPod nano and Nike+ shoes. Whether training for a marathon or just enjoying the weather and sites along Ward Parkway the Nike + iPod offers something for everyone. Whether being competitive or just spending a leisurely day outdoors, there are plenty of high-tech gadgets to help enhance summer fun.

 

Return to Ingram's June 2008