Whatever it is stopping you from practicing your favorites game, Golf, whether it's your busy lifestyle or the harsh weather, you are never going to stop playing the game from now on. The reason: Garmin has made available its new Golf Launch Monitor, "Garmin Approach R10", which is also a complete course simulation device at the size that fits in your pant pocket.

With an all-new design and improved tracking methodology, this Garmin Approach R10 is capable of eclipsing all the current professional-grade launch monitors, including the toppers like Trackman, Foresight, and Flightscope, at a fraction of cost $599 bucks.

Though this Approach R10 is not new in the series of launch monitors from Garmin, as they already have Approach G80 and G30, this one differs significantly in design and ball tracking metrics.

The G80 and G30 were integrated club and ball tracking devices, but they acted more like GPS. But this R10 is not a GPS but a high-precision radar device to track a shot from behind the player.

This dedicated device can collect more than a dozen golf shot metrics such as clubhead speed, clubface angle, club path angle, angle of attack, ball speed, launch angle, launch direction, spin axis, spin rate, apex height, smash factor, carry distance, total distance, and deviation distance.

As aforementioned, the accuracy of this tiny device can outmatch the top brands of professional launch monitors. Here are the accuracy metrics of Garmin Approach R10:

Club Head Accuracy- +/- 3 mph

Ball speed Accuracy- +/- 1 mph

Launch Direction Accuracy- +/- 1 degree

Launch Angle Accuracy- +/- 1 degree

Carry Distance Accuracy- +/- 5 yards.

Hold on; there's more! Like its predecessors, Approach R10 records each shot's video and plays it on your Garmin GolfApp installed smartphone with shot metrics overlay on the top. Nevertheless, you will not miss the fun of playing on 42,000 virtual courses that come along with the App.

With a battery life that extends upto 10 hours, it can withstand even your painstaking practice sessions. So whether you are on the course or a driving range or at your back yard or the simulation set up at your basement, the device never bothers of the location; it does what it has to do to get you the accurate results of your shot.

Garmin Approach R10 is the smallest device, smaller than Flightscope Mevo and Mevo +, comes with a tripod for better placement. Moreover, a smartphone mount comes with the device to help you mount your mobile phone, pairing it with the R10. And the whole set doesn't weigh more than 8 oz. Nevertheless, the device is IPX7 waterproof rated, which means you can submerge this R10 in 1 meter deep in water for 30 minutes, and when you take it back, it'll still work fine.

Garmin Approach R10 is available in the market from the July of 2021. But you can also find it in the famous Indoor Golf equipment sellers of America shopindoorgolf.com and rainorshinegolf.com, where you can get the product delivered to your doorstep with care and warranty.

You can also find a detailed review of this Garmin Approach R10 at http://bestgolfsimulatorsforhomereviews.com/.

Shop at RainorShineGolf ($599): https://rainorshinegolf.com/products/garmin-approach-r10-golf-launch-monitor?ref=11

Shop at Topshelfgolf ($599): https://topshelfgolf.com/products/garmin-approach-r10-launch-monitor-and-golf-simulator?rfsn=4571025.20c1bb

The New York Sports Hall of Fame relaunched today with a slate of digital firsts, including bidding on a non-fungible token (NFT) of the speech regarded as the most famous in sports history.

The historic 1-of-1 NFT of uncut extant film of the iconic 1939 “Luckiest Man” address by New York Yankees captain Lou Gehrig is open for bidding at opensea.io/collection/gehrig. The film is the longest single-source recording of the speech and the first known Gehrig speech NFT. 

Delivered at Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day at Yankee Stadium, the speech is part of a New York Sports Hall of Fame collection that includes filmed remarks at the same ceremony by baseball legend Babe Ruth and Yankees manager Joe McCarthy. The three men were inducted into the Hall between 1989 and 1991. 

After a long hiatus, the New York Sports Hall of Fame relaunched today in digital form at newyorksportshall.com and on the prominent NFT marketplace OpenSea at opensea.io/nys.  Later this year, the Hall plans to release digital commemoratives of more of its 310 inductees to date and to open balloting for its next member class.

The New York Sports Hall of Fame’s extensive collection of original Greater New York historical content is preserved from more than 150 years of various sports developments, from Major League Baseball to six-day bicycle racing. The Hall archives illustrate how the history of Greater New York sports has helped shape culture and society in the region and beyond.

Gehrig was voted into the New York Sports Hall of Fame twice, in 1989 for professional baseball and two years later for college baseball. The former Columbia University star and record-setting Yankees first baseman was born, raised and educated in New York City.

Well known for its line, "the luckiest man on the face of the earth," Gehrig's speech was delivered on July 4, 1939. At the time, Gehrig was dying of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS, the rare and incurable disease that became known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. 

The Lou Gehrig Appreciation Day NFT collection on OpenSea accepts the popular cryptocurrency Ethereum, which can be purchased on the exchange Coinbase and used on OpenSea with the digital wallet MetaMask.

Launched 32 years ago, the New York Sports Hall of Fame is owned and operated by the streaming service New York Sports Experience (newyorkse.com).

“From its start, the New York Sports Hall of Fame has been dedicated to the preservation and commemoration of the rich history of Greater New York sports,” said Jordan Sprechman, New York Sports Experience’s founder and an original New York Sports Hall of Fame officer. “Today’s digital expansion reflects that mission.”

About NFTs

Purchased by cryptocurrency, NFTs are a type of digital asset for which transaction details including ownership are recorded on a public ledger known as a blockchain. Each NFT is unique intellectual property and can be viewed as a collectible that cannot be duplicated, making it singular and potentially valuable. More information about the New York Sports Hall of Fame NFTs appears at newyorksportshall.com.  

About the New York Sports Hall of Fame

The New York Sports Hall of Fame was founded by acclaimed sportswriter and author Bill Shannon in 1989 and has 310 members. The entity is owned and operated by New York Sports Experience, which announced in 2020 that it would prioritize digital commemoration of its New York Sports Hall of Fame members and Greater New York sports history.

Vernon Forrest was a decorated world boxing champion and member of the 1992 US Olympic Team.  Then in 2009, Forrest was senselessly murdered.  Now his former teammate has created a boxing scholarship to honor his friend’s legacy.

The Durst-Forrest Boxing Scholarship—established by former Augusta boxer Frank M. Durst IV and his wife Caroline—was recently founded to support Augusta Boxing Club student athletes pursuing secondary education opportunities.  The Dursts formed the charitable fund with an initial $50,000 contribution through the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA).

Forrest was a native of Augusta, Georgia and began boxing at the age of nine.  He compiled an impressive 225-16 record as an amateur, won silver at the 1991 World Amateur Boxing Championships, became the 1992 US junior welterweight champion, and made his professional debut in 1992.  Forrest, who became the first boxer to defeat welterweight Shane Mosley, held the World Boxing Council (WBC) light middleweight and welterweight titles along with the International Boxing Federation (IBF) welterweight title.

The Durst-Forrest Boxing Scholarship was created to financially assist club members interested in attending local universities and technical schools.  The Augusta Boxing Club is led by director Ray Whitfield, a former National Golden Gloves teammate of Durst.

“Vernon and I were Augusta Boxing Club teammates in the late 1980s and remained good friends for decades,” said Durst.  “He is known mostly for his success in the ring, but I remember his wonderful spirit, humility and service to others.” 

Pictured from left to right are Forrest and Durst playing golf in the early 2000s.

Founded in 1976 by probation officer Tom Moraetes, the Augusta Boxing Club operates with the assistance of area law enforcement agencies and relies on donations for support.  The nonprofit is structured as an after school and community support organization designed to curtail drug abuse and crime among young adults and children.  Located at 1929 Walton Way, the Augusta Boxing Club uses boxing as a tool to steer troubled youth off the streets.

To contribute to the scholarship, visit the CSRA website.  For more information about the Augusta Boxing Club, call (706) 550-0382 or visit the website.

As Black History Month begins, Strat-O-Matic (www.strat-o-matic.com), the leader in sports simulation games now celebrating its Diamond Anniversary, is proud to announce the renewal and expansion of its partnership with the Negro League Baseball Museum (NLBM) and President Bob Kendrick. Strat-O-Matic continues to augment its selection of popular Negro League baseball roster sets, with 10% of all sales donated to the Kansas City, Mo., based museum.

Strat-O-Matic has the most robust and highly researched Negro League simulation products, now boasting more than 25 individual seasons rosters dating back to 1908, plus Stars and legendary Diamond Gems rosters. Three new rosters, 1918, 1928 and 1943, will be released on February 19 along with the rest of SOM’s current baseball card and digital sets.

“In our 60th Anniversary year, we couldn’t be more excited about extending our partnership with the Negro League Baseball Museum and we’re especially grateful to Bob Kendrick for his support and friendship,” said Adam Richman, Strat-O-Matic President. “We look forward to celebrating the 101st anniversary of the founding of the Negro Leagues throughout 2021,”

“Strat-O-Matic has been a great partner in helping further the Museum’s mission of preserving and celebrating the rich history of African-American baseball and its impact on the social advancement of America,” said Kendrick. “Members and fans often talk about what it would be like to see these players in action, and Strat-O-Matic continues to be a great way to realistically relive their performances.”

Strat-O-Matic released its first comprehensive Negro League products in 2001 with more than 100 players in the Negro League Stars set.

About Strat-O-Matic

Strat-O-Matic was invented by 11-year-old Hal Richman in his bedroom in Great Neck, N.Y. in 1948 as a result of his frustration with the statistical randomness of other baseball board games. He discovered that the statistical predictability of dice would give his game the realism he craved. Over the next decade, he perfected the game at summer camp and then as a student at Bucknell University. After producing All-Star sets in 1961 and ‘62, he parlayed a $5,000 loan from his father (and made a deal that if it didn’t work out he would work for his father’s insurance company) into the original 1962 Strat-O-Matic Baseball season game. Needless to say, Hal never had to take a job with his father.

Strat-O-Matic, based in Glen Head, NY and on the Internet at www.strat-o-matic.com, manufactures the top selling sports board games and realism/stats sports digital games. The Company publishes baseball, football, basketball and hockey games to play both on and off your computer and mobile screens. “Strat-O” games are known throughout the sports community for their statistical realism and accuracy. The Company has the world’s greatest sports game stat libraries with top-of-the-line seasons dating back to the early 1900’s. At the start of the 2016 MLB season, Strat-O-Matic introduced Baseball Daily, its first product featuring digital player cards that update every day to reflect real life current player performance as the season progresses.

The Company has a loyal celebrity following including a bevy of sports broadcasters such as Bob Costas, Jon Miller and Dan Shulman, former MLB’ers Keith Hernandez, Doug Glanville and Cal Ripken Jr., and sports super fans including Drew Carey, Ben Bernanke, Bryant Gumbel, Spike Lee and Tim Robbins. More information is available at: www.strat-o-matic.com.

DDSports Inc. (ShotTracker), a revolutionary sports technology that captures rich performance data via sensors and provides statistics and analytics with sub-second latency, today announced an $11M USD funding round led by Evertz Technologies Limited (“Evertz”) and Verizon Ventures. ShotTracker will use the funds to accelerate its deployment across NCAA Division I Power 6 Basketball Conferences, expand hiring, further key partnerships and enhance sensor capabilities and data capture for players, coaches, fans and broadcasters.

ShotTracker brings elite-level real time analytics to the court. The company’s patented technology tracks data in three parts: a ShotTracker-enabled ball, sensors on players’ jerseys, and court sensors that map the court in 3D. Data is processed through the company’s proprietary algorithm displayed on the ShotTracker app and dashboard and will also be integrated with Evertz cloud based live production solutions. The real time data can be used to automate camera productions from remote locations and can be licensed by media and sports data companies.

With more than 63 Division I men’s and women’s basketball programs and a growing relationship with Learfield IMG College and their partner schools, ShotTracker’s cutting-edge technology is well-positioned to deliver deep data and analytics as well as video, scoreboard and broadcast integration. For its media company and broadcast customers, it currently delivers experiential activations and crossover content opportunities distributed via digital and social platforms.

The Evertz partnership brings to ShotTracker a global leader in providing professional video/audio infrastructure and cloud-based solutions to content creators. The partnership with ShotTracker’s advanced real time analytics, will enable content owners to create tailored content for their audience across multiple platforms. With automated camera operations, advanced statistics, and cloud services, producers can augment live production by telling unique stories that enhance the audience’s experience (in-venue and/or the broadcast) while realizing additional revenue opportunities.

“Combining ShotTracker sensor data and our DreamCatcher^TM suite of products will enrich live productions — on-premise and cloud-based — for broadcasters, leagues, teams, and fans." said Vince Silvestri, Evertz VP of Software Systems. “We are excited to be working with the ShotTracker team to bring enhanced and personalized game experiences to fans everywhere.”

“As real-time data tracking and analytics become critical components for coaches and players, instantaneous and interactive delivery powered by 5G is critical,” said Michelle McCarthy, Verizon Ventures Managing Director. “ShotTracker’s real-time sports data will transform fan experiences, athletic performance, sports broadcast and more. We’re proud to invest in a team of industry veterans as they pave the way for data capture in game play to improve all areas of the sport.”

“The entire ShotTracker team is excited to have the opportunity of working with two such farsighted technology leaders as Evertz and Verizon Ventures, each of whom brings special capabilities to enable us to fulfill our vision of what truly real time statistics and analytics can mean,” said Bill Moses, ShotTracker CEO. ShotTracker Founder and COO, Davyeon Ross, added: “The impact of tying the cameras to the ShotTracker sensors, in cost savings and in the quality of unique content which then can be delivered, will be dramatic and literally game changing for the sports world.”

About Evertz

Evertz Technologies Limited designs, manufactures and markets video and audio infrastructure solutions for the television, telecommunications and new-media industries. Evertz provides complete end-to-end cloud solutions to content creators, broadcasters, specialty channels and television service providers to support their increasingly complex multi-channel digital, ultrahigh definition (UHD) and next generation high bandwidth low-latency IP network environments. Evertz' solutions enable its customers to generate additional revenue while reducing costs through the more efficient signal routing, distribution, remote production, monitoring and management of content as well as the automation and orchestration of more streamlined and agile workflow processes on-premise and in the “Cloud”. For additional information, visit evertz.com.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE, Nasdaq: VZ) was formed on June 30, 2000 and is celebrating its 20th year as one of the world’s leading providers of technology, communications, information and entertainment products and services. Headquartered in New York City and with a presence around the world, Verizon generated revenues of $131.9 billion in 2019. The company offers data, video and voice services and solutions on its award winning networks and platforms, delivering on customers’ demand for mobility, reliable network connectivity, security and control.

About ShotTracker

ShotTracker was co-founded in Overland Park, Kansas by basketball and technology experts Davyeon Ross and Bruce Ianni. ShotTracker’s innovative system delivers 70+ unique and completely autonomous basketball stats and insights to teams, broadcasters and game partners with sub-second latency. ShotTracker is currently being utilized by 63 men’s and women’s college basketball programs spanning 12 conferences. Its partners include Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Spalding and Wilson. For more information, visit ShotTracker.com