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Mixed Reality Golf Putting: A Comparative Analysis of Golf Putting Performance in Real, Virtual, and Augmented
IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics
|March 30, 2026
Summary
Augmented Virtuality (AV) enhances golf putting training by combining real equipment with virtual environments. This mixed reality approach improved performance and user experience compared to traditional virtual reality.
Area of Science:
- Human-Computer Interaction
- Sports Science
- Immersive Technologies
Background:
- Immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) offer potential for sports training but often lack realistic multisensory feedback.
- Existing VR systems face limitations in replicating the nuanced sensory experiences crucial for skill-based sports training.
- The reality-virtuality continuum presents opportunities to balance physical and virtual training elements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate skill-based sports training across the reality-virtuality continuum, focusing on golf putting.
- To implement and evaluate a mixed reality (MR) putting simulator combining real equipment with virtual environments.
- To compare performance, user experience, and presence across real-world, VR, and augmented virtuality (AV) training conditions.
Main Methods:
- Developed a mixed reality (MR) putting simulator integrating a real putter and golf ball with a virtual environment.
- Implemented three training conditions: real-world putting, virtual reality (VR) putting, and augmented virtuality (AV) putting.
- Conducted a pilot within-subjects experiment with 36 participants, evaluating putting performance, task load, motion sickness, and user preference.
Main Results:
- The augmented virtuality (AV) condition significantly improved immediate putting performance compared to the VR condition.
- AV training reduced task load and perceived motion sickness while increasing user preference over VR.
- User presence in the AV condition remained comparable to that in the VR condition.
Conclusions:
- Augmented Virtuality (AV) represents a pragmatic 'sweet spot' on the virtuality continuum for sports training.
- AV effectively balances sensory fidelity with training flexibility, offering a superior alternative to VR for golf putting.
- Findings provide valuable design insights for developing advanced immersive sports training systems.
