Welcome to the tutorial for Visualization Golf.
Students must navigate a golf ball through a golf course with obstacles to the hole. The challenge is that while the ball is being moved, the course disappears. So the student must imagine the course from memory and avoid the obstacles.
Skills trained:
Major: visualization, working memory, visual span, sensory-motor integration
Minor: logic and reasoning, selective attention, divided attention, processing speed, VP-manipulation, VP-discrimination
When you first click to begin any exercise, you will see the instruction screen. These instructions change for each level. There is a link to play an audio version of the instructions if needed.
Otherwise click OK to go to the next screen. On the next screen, click start to begin the exercise.
Below are the instructions for level 1.
Click OK when ready to start. You will then see a red X in a circle. Click on the circle and hold the mouse button down.
You will then see the starting point and the full golf course. Memorize the image.
Once you begin to move the ball, the golf course will disappear. Move the ball based upon your visual memory of the course. Continue to hold the mouse button down as long as you are moving the ball. You will also see a counter to let you know how many seconds you have to finish memorizing the course before it will go blank. You will also see a counter by the ball to let you know how many seconds you have to move the ball.
The goal is to move the ball to the hole and avoid the obstacles. You must also stay within the lighter green area, the fairway.
Release the mouse button when you think you are near the hole.
The final placement of the ball will depend upon whether you hit any obstacles or went out of bounds. If you stayed within bounds and missed all the obstacles, the ball will be where the cursor was when you released the mouse button. If you are in the hole, that will complete that course. If not, repeat the process until you get the ball in the hole.
If you hit a tree or bush the ball will bounce away from the tree or bush.
If you wedge the ball into a part of the bush or between two obstacles, you will have to back out the ball the way you came in before you can continue.
The goal is to get to the hole in as few strokes (turns) as possible. If it takes too many strokes, you will have to repeat that speed and level until you master it.
In the example below, the ball stopped short of the hole. The screen will show the golf course where you have traveled so far, but not the rest of the course. Click on the red X in the circle to repeat.
The example below shows a more complex course and speed 2. On speed 2 a moving duck will appear as a new obstacle. You must anticipate the movement of the duck and avoid the duck when you move the ball past that area. If you hit the duck you will receive a penalty stroke.
The example below shows speed 3. Speed 3 introduces a new obstacle, the wind. Note the arrow in the upper right corner and the speed. Imagine the wind blowing your ball of course in the direction the arrow is pointing. The wind will either be blowing at 15 miles per hour or 30 miles per hour. The further you move the ball the greater the impact of the wind blowing the ball in the direction of the arrow. 15 miles per hours blows the ball off course at a 15 degree angle. 30 miles per hour blows the ball off course at a 30 degree angle.
You must move the ball to compensate for the wind. When you first get to speed 3, play around enough without concern for the score to get the feel for how to compensate.
