Phigolf is the latest golf simulator that brings the game of golf into your home. The Phigolf system consists of the Phigolf Swing Stick, a 9-Axis motion sensor, and either the Phigolf , WGT, or E6 Connect apps which all come together to let you play over 80+ world-famous courses, fun mini-games, and tournaments, either by yourself or with friends and family. For this review, however, we’ll be using Phigolf with the Phigolf app which includes nine golf courses, five game modes, a four-player online mode, and a private tournament mode.
The main component of the Phigolf system is the Phigolf swing stick and the 9-Axis motion sensor. While they are technically two pieces, they work in conjunction with each other and need to be combined. The 9-axis motion sensor screws into the top of where the handle is and pretty much stays there for the rest of its life. The 9-axis motion sensor is what mainly beams all relative information about your swing over to the connected apps, whether you’re using Phigolf , WGT, or E6 Connect.
While the 9-axis motion sensor is the brains of the system, the Phigolf Swing Stick is pretty neat too on its own. It’s way shorter than an actual golf club, let it has all the weight of a full-length club. From the handle down to about half the shaft length, it looks like a regular golf club. The handle is nice and grippy and is attached to a smooth shaft. The difference comes at the tip where instead of a club head, there’s a slightly larger than your average golf ball-looking head on it. This is where much of the Swing Stick’s weight is at and it really makes the club feel like a full-length club. The golf ball end also seems to have another function. There appears to be some kind of clicking mechanism inside of it that gives you an auditory cue when you swing the stick at the bottom of your motion. This simulates the sound you hear when you hit the ball giving you that same sense of satisfaction when you’re hitting a real ball.
The shorter length of the Swing Stick also means you can use this indoors and you’ll be less likely to hit the ceiling or other objects, although I’d still find a nice, open area to use this in.
Next up, the second part of the Phigolf system is the connected app. In my case, I’m using the Phigolf app mainly because it’s free and doesn’t require purchases like the WGT and E6 Connect apps. You still get quite a bit of functionality out of the Phigolf app though so you aren’t missing much really if you don’t buy into the other apps, other than a bunch of extra official courses. There are several modes present in the app that you’ll be able to play.
- Play a round of golf
- Nearest to the target mode
- Practice range
- Swing analysis
You’ll most likely want to complete the swing analysis first along with the practice modes to get used to how the Phigolf Swing Stick works. There are a lot of advanced stats that are shown and even I don’t 100% understand what each stat means. You will need to get used to swinging the stick around though because despite it being weighted, it’s still not a 100% representation of a real golf club, mainly because you don’t get the stick bend and the momentum from the swinging is a bit different. Other than that, this is probably the closest you’re going to get to real golf, virtually.
So with that said, Phigolf is definitely an interesting idea and a fun little accessory for golf lovers. It’s not entirely a 1:1 representation of real golf, but it’s pretty close. The Phigolf Swing Stick is surprisingly good and is the best fake golf club I’ve ever used. Not only does it feel closely like a real club, but it’s also easy to transport if you want to take it somewhere to use. The Phigolf app is also really well done and isn’t just fun and games. It also helps you perfect your swing and gives a detailed analysis of where you’re at. Whether or not the info is accurate though, I couldn’t really tell you. All I know is that Phigolf is pretty fun and it’s a nice way to enjoy some golf at home without needing to go outside or move around your furniture.
You can purchase Phigolf now on Amazon.
