VentureBeat

World Golf Tour, a company that uses Flash technology to make a realistic game for golfers, has raised a second round of financing in the double-digit millions of dollars.

The San Francisco company, which I raved about a year ago when I first tried it out, announced the funding at the VentureBeat party last night. The company isn’t disclosing the exact size of the round.

It’s now moving in that inevitable direction — to become a social network. You’ll soon be able to invite others to play with you, and chat live while on the course.

There are still questions about whether the free game can pull in the users and revenues to become a blockbuster hit, but one thing’s clear: The company is keeping quality high. It uses helicopters to take high-definition footage of real golf courses. Its software uses physics to calculate the mix of your actions, factoring in the club you pick, wind direction, the timing of your swing and even the surface of the grass. Its debut course is the Bali Hai in Las Vegas.

It doesn’t have much of competition at this level of game — and by this, I mean the attention to the physics and details of golf, and its online Flash-based graphics delivery. That may be why its taking its time. It has been in closed testing since last year, but it opens to the public in July with a new test version.

Then, you’ll be able to play a full round at the Bali Hai course, and also at Kiawah Island Golf Resort (in real life located in Charleston, S.C.).

The company will add the ability to chip and putt — not just drive. The company says more than 500,000 people in 150 countries have already played the basic demo on the site, and that the average visit is 20 minutes.

Venture capital firm Panorama Capital led the round, which included participation from Battery Ventures.

CEO YuChiang Cheng said the company will make money from sponsors, including PGA.com, TaylorMade and adidas Golf — by letting them showcase products within the experience. The site will give real-world info about resorts in the game, and provide access to tee time reservation systems and resort booking.

San Francisco company World Golf Tour has just released its sophisticated online golf game. After trying it out, our guess is this will attract a significant following.

Don’t be surprised if the well-heeled venture capitalists on Silicon Valley’s Sand Hill Road stop returning calls. They have an excuse to be playing this game: It showcases the cool ways Flash technology can be used to make online games rich with robust, realistic features — something until now the domain of console games such as the Nintendo.

Anyone can play World Golf for free. You choose your club for each hole, take aim while factoring in terrain, wind direction and distance, and practice your swing — all things you do in real life. You can invite others to play. It takes several practice swings to get the hang of it, but it’s just right in not making it too difficult for beginners. We tried it and, after several miserable practice swings (it shows you if you swing too early or too late), we hit the green in our first game outing. See screen-shots below.

The graphics are remarkable. The company has used helicopters to take high-definition footage of real golf courses. Its software uses a physics simulation engine, to factor in the mix of your decisions and actions, such as the club you pick, the direction you swing given wind direction, the timing of your swing and even the surface of the grass. Its debut course is of the Bali Hai in Las Vegas. The leaderboard (screen-shot below) is already up.

This is far more compelling than other golf games such as True Swing Golf, or these other online games.

It plans to make money through sponsorships and advertising (it doesn’t have many ads yet). Its debut is sponsored the PGA Charity Challenge, among others. You can compete for trips to Hawaii, Las Vegas and other prizes.

The company earlier this month said it had raised a first round of funding from Battery Ventures. Battery’s Roger Lee is on the board, along with co-founders YuChiang Cheng and JF Prata. The amount was undisclosed, but we’ve heard it was several million dollars.

Cheng, chief executive, previously led product marketing for IGT/Wagerworks. Prata, who is chief operating officer, served previously as the vice president of product development for Electronic Arts (EA), and COO of Maxis and Westwood Studios.

.

.