Before I start, here's a warning to you. Following links in this blog post could make you much less productive at work.

I finally received my first copy of Fortune magazine this week (after Business 2.0 shut down, all subscribers were transfered to Fortune). They have an article in the magazine, and on their blog, about a new online golf game called World Golf Tour. Like other games, World Golf Tour is made entirely with Flash. However, unlike other online games, and like "real" golf games, this one uses real golf courses.

The first course that they have is Bali Hai Golf Club in Las Vegas, but they're working on digitizing the Kiawah Ocean course and Pinehurst #2 and #8. It currently takes about a dozen people and six months of work to digitize a course, a process that costs the company $200 K. My best is that if this takes off, new courses will pay that fee to get in the game and promote themselves.

The game right now is limited to a closest to the pin contest, but eventually they'll have full online tournaments, complete with prizes (Taylor Made appears to have signed up as a sponsor already). And when those online tournaments are set to go later this year, you'll be able to play online with your friends in a virtual foursome.

The Fortune article explains the origins of the game and what their inspiration was. They are trying to make World Golf Tour the older male equivalent of World of Warcraft. And once you play it, you realize that the goal isn't out of reach. The graphics are awesome, the game play is great, and adding in the social aspect later this year will make it that much better. Throw in prizes from well known golf companies and they may be on to something.