Mark Twain described golfing as a good walk spoiled. But what if you can simulate a round of golf without walking at all? Wired reports on new golf simulators:

Computers still haven't cleared mathematician Alan Turing's test of true artificial intelligence - being able to pass for human in typed conversation. But they've aced a kind of Turing test for at least one sport: simulating a game so well that playing a digital version improves real-life skills.

That game is golf, because many of its elements can be re-created so well by computers. Muscular movement plays an important role but, unlike in football or basketball, not a dominant one. Golf depends more on a certain skill for visualization - the great players have a knack for seeing shots before hitting them - which translates well to a screen.

...These days, getting the ultimate virtual golf experience takes about $50,000, a 13- by 20-foot area dedicated to a freestanding machine like the Full Swing Simulator, and, for many, an exceptionally understanding spouse. Made by a San Diego-based company called Full Swing Golf, the simulator projects a customized version of Links on a nylon screen, into which you can hit actual golf balls using actual golf clubs. After the ball hits the screen, the simulator creates a video image that continues its trajectory. The ball's path is measured by sensors in the floor and walls that take three readings of the ball's position - two as it flies off your clubhead and a third when it hits the screen. The last allows the machine to track spin.