The Definitive Guide to Tee Off Written by Keyz Karanza e-mail: keyzkkaranza@cs.com Version 1.0 - Revised April 26, 2000 (The G-Rated Version) You know the problem with using jewel boxes for video games? There is never enough room to fit all the information needed to get the full value out of the game. Some might say, "Well, if they gave you all that, it wouldn't be as much fun as it would figuring everything out for yourself. After all, getting there is half the fun." If for no other, I reject such a statement on principle for simply using such a cheesy cliché. If you are still reading, here's the deal. This guide will tell you all the stuff that is in the manual, plus most, if not all, of the important stuff they don't tell you. So put on your worst looking pair of plaid pants and white, cleated shoes, shine up your irons and get ready to Tee Off! The Game I don't normally condone anyone being put through the torment of playing any Acclaim-made game on the Dreamcast, at least not without having a gun to their head. Tee Off is, however, a game that is actually worth its weight in cheesecake (you'll know why I used that analogy when you hear the opening theme song). The graphics and animation are close to, if not right on, what should be the Dreamcast standard. Fifteen bright, colorful bubble-headed characters await you. You won't meet all of them right away, but we'll cover that a little later on. Though the vocabulary of each golfer is limited, repetitive and ill synchronized, and the control in setting up any given shot is somewhat restricted, the visual splendor and 60 FPS frame rate helps to overcome such trivialities. Other games would be hard-pressed to achieve the level of addictiveness easily achieved by Tee Off when playing alone, much less in the multiplayer realm. With 5 different fictional courses from around the world to work your way through (Japan, Australia, Africa, Scotland and the good ol' USA), you could probably feel free to super glue the controller to your hand (though I don't recommend it) without feeling any appreciable degree of anxiety, at least until your eyes start to dry out from not blinking during your swing. Though a little more imagination could have gone into each individual course, changing the level in the options menu alters the elevations and physical nature of each course ever-so-slightly: From the mild and tame (or lame) on level One to the downright outrageous on level Five. Make no mistake. Tee Off is not a golf-sim. Nor is it Goofy Golf incarnate. It is actually a little bit of both: A game that adheres strongly to the nature world in a physics-based sense while still being a light-hearted game which combines the sport with a touch of arcade action and a whole lotta anime! Anyone who has ever wrapped a five-iron around a tree in the real world will quickly appreciate the distinctively bouncy and laid-back style that Tee Off is founded in. This game is not for everyone, true. I am, however, inclined to say that everyone should at least try the game. There is a lot of fun to be had by golf-pros and duffers alike. Summing Up: Though mixed opinions exist throughout the gaming world, I declare Tee Off to be a mandatory rental with a highly possible purchase soon to follow. The Intro First off, I make no claims to know what is actually being represented by the game's introduction, or for that matter what the heck it's creators may have been thinking when putting together the storyboard for it. Suffice to say it is worth sitting and watching it at least once before jumping into the game play. And with that said, Here is my interpretation of the full introduction. We start with a few nice, peaceful aerial views of a beautifully maintained golf course, which appears to be much like the US course in the game. We then see a pair of tan shoes and a golf ball on its tee. The wearer of the shoes draws back her driver and nails a fantastic shot off the tee. As we pan up, we see Midori's trademark ponytail (which coincidentally has become entangled about the club). She turns around and flashes a peace sign as if to say, "Top that, Baby!" (This is my interpretation and I'll decide what the characters are saying. Deal with it). Next, we zoom up the side of a rather treacherous mountainside coming upon Randy and William having a dispute, reminiscent of Don Johnson and Kevin Costner in "Tin Cup" (you know, when they had their little long 7-Iron shot wager). William sets the challenge by pointing to a pine some 400 yards off in the distance. They both set up, side-by-side, crank back and start their downswings. Just before they impact, their bodies mystically join as one, representing (I'm really grasping for straws here) the Yin and Yang of the long drive (or, to maintain a video game perspective, Sub- Zero and Scorpion). Their bodies separate as the balls are hit and sail off toward the lonely pine. Before we can see if either of them actually hit the tree, the camera rudely cuts to the next scene. We zoom in on a putting green where Leopold and Akio are having a match. Akio is carefully lining up his shot. He rises to his feet, readies himself, draws back and putts. The ball cruises toward the hole. Just as it begins to look like it's going in, the ball grabs the lip of the hole, swings around and heads away once again. While Leopold hold his own personal celebration, Akio falls to the ground and starts thrashing away at the green with his putter, not unlike a 3-year old throwing a fit. The camera fades to Elizabeth, who is reading a magazine at what appears to be a clubhouse of some sort. As she turns the page, a scowl appears on her face. She throws the magazine down, stands up and marches off with a determined look on her face. As the camera pans to the magazine, we see that both Katharine and Christine are pictured beside stories of their respective championship triumphs (I'm improvising. The stories are in Japanese and I actually haven't a clue what they are about). The page turns and we see Christine working at a pro shop, giving Julian a few pointers on his swing and attire. Katharine trots in, skipping to the background music (She can hear that?!?). Christine says, "Oh! A customer!" but Julian tries to just hide behind Christine. Katharine comes right up in front of Christine and waves Hello with both hands (I told you it was weird). Christine returns the gesture. Katharine then leans to one side and gives Julian the same peculiar wave. All Julian can do is put his hands to his head as if to say, "What a goon!" (which happens to be my thoughts, exactly). The camera frames over to a beautiful sunset, where Deborah is standing and admiring the view. Her 3 children run up to her, one holding a 3-Iron. When the child offers the club to Deborah, she shakes her head "No". The child insists with a resounding nod "Yes" (Don't laugh. This is a deep as it gets). She takes the club as if she is King Arthur accepting Excalibur from the Lady of the Lake. She reels back with the club and begins to sing showtunes. Oh, wait a minute. Sorry. I was thinking of something else. Actually, she reels back and hit a golf ball, which just happens to be there (where did that come from?). The ball sails as if hit by a driver and off into the sunset. The camera zips over to a championship award ceremony. Nick is in receipt of the trophy. As we pan back, we see the image is on a television, which is surrounded by trophies and plaques. The TV shuts off and we see the reflection of an elderly figure shaking his head. The figure is Robert and, after rising from his chair, he walks over to the corner, grabs his golf clubs and heads out the door. We then see Jose, preparing to hit his ball down a rather sharp dog leg. Women surround him. He cranks back and lets it rip. The ball sails gracefully away and, after a moment, takes a sharp curve, right down the crooked fairway. He turns to the ladies and winks. One girl falls to her knees as if to say "Oh, Frankie" (That is an astoundingly old and obscure Frank Sinatra reference, if you were wondering). A confident redhead struts up to congratulate him. I think she gives him her phone number, too, but it's hard to say. Finally, the camera cuts to a golf ball, embedded in the sand and flanked by two feet. As we pan back, we see it is Jeena, accompanied by Kim and Midori. Jeena digs in, hauls back, and crushes the ball...straight up into the air. A cloud of sand surrounds the young girl and her onlookers close their eyes as Jeena falls on her ass. The ball comes back down near its starting point and the cloud settles. Kim's eyes pop open and she nudges Midori to open hers. We see Jeena's ball rolling back into the precise spot it was hit from. All three players look for a moment and begin laughing hysterically. The laugher continues for a frighteningly long time. The intro then performs a brief rundown of the characters, one-by-one. Afterward, we see two balls flying off into the background and the game's logo pops onto the screen as the music ends. Hey, wait a minute. Those were the same two balls that Randy and William hit! That was, like, 10 minutes ago! What the...! Anyway, I repeat, I told you it was weird. The Characters It won't take you long after beginning the game to say to yourself: "Holy Cow! Look at the size of their heads!" Once you get past the awe of this genetically freakish visual effect, you will start to appreciate the attention to detail and diversity of appearance and skill each character possesses. At the very start you have the option of using only 4 of the 15 total characters in the game. The other characters must be "unlocked" by defeating the World Tour mode. There will be more later on how to unlock them. For now, we'll go through each character, one by one. Note: "Diagnosis" refers to the overall balance of the attributes for each character. New players would be best of to use a more balanced character while experienced players may chose to use a more skewed player who is stronger in some areas and weaker in others. Also, here is a quick rundown on the terminology: Power: The potential distance a player can hit the ball Control: Relates to the amount of "third click" error a player is allowed Spin: The ability to make the ball curve left and right in the air and/or apply fore- or backspin Luck: Not sure, but I'm guessing this compensates for error in aiming a shot at the fairway, green or hole Wise: Also not sure, but thinking it's the appropriateness of the initial club selection to the situation (lie, wind, elevation, etc.) Note: The stuff inside {{ }} marks is either direct quotation or paraphrased from the instruction book, so it you don't like it complain to Acclaim! Name: Akio Saitou Country: Japan Age: 26 Power: 5 Control: 7 Spin: 6 Luck: 5 Wise: 6 Diagnosis: Most Balanced Story: {{Akio is a cautious player who takes his time with every stroke and achieves reliable results. Akio currently holds the Asian title but hopes to become world class. He has an excellent balance of performance attributes and is good for a beginning player.}} Name: Leopold Jackson Country: USA Age: 23 Power: 7 Control: 4 Spin: 7 Luck: 7 Wise: 6 Diagnosis: Well Balanced Story: There is no story in the instruction book (this concept will be expressed as [NS] from here on) for Leopold, but from what I can gather from playing as him, he is one of the higher strung character who takes the game very seriously...like disgruntled postal employee serious! He is very good for a beginning player who might be weaker in getting that second click in the 110- 120% area. Name: Nick Lancaster Country: USA Age: 40 Power: 5 Control: 9 Spin: 7 Luck: 7 Wise: 9 Diagnosis: Well Balanced Story: [NS] Nick is a laid-back player who has been cruising the links for some time now. He is still playing for the sheer love of the game, though he has no objections to getting one or two more world championships under his belt. Nick is good for the beginner who is just having a terrible time nailing that third click. Name: Randy Wilde Country: Australia Age: 38 Power: 9 Control: 4 Spin: 5 Luck: 8 Wise: 4 Diagnosis: Slightly Balanced Story: [NS] How to speak Australian: [Imagine a 375 yard drive]...Chip shot. Randy is the type of player who never quite understood the meaning of the word "retirement". He is not one to back down from a challenge, but he is one to let you know when he's defeated you! If you've gotten a handle on the whole timing deal with the third click and you want to make every third shot on a par five a short eagle putt, this is the guy to use! Name: Julian Clement Country: Scotland Age: 16 Power: 3 Control: 5 Spin: 9 Luck: 3 Wise: 8 Diagnosis: Slightly Balanced Story: {{A descendant of European nobility, Julian's father used to be a top golf pro. Talk on the circuit is that he has never recovered from his father's death. Not quite as powerful as the other players, but highly technical. Players should use his spin ability to compensate for Julian's natural pull.}} Name: Jose Estevez Country: Spain Age: 28 Power: 3 Control: 2 Spin: 10 Luck: 4 Wise: 7 Diagnosis: Slightly Skewed Story: [NS] Jose is too sexy for this game...too sexy for this game, so sexy...oh, sorry. Jose is more concerned with looking good than playing good. He may not be able to hit it hard or accurately, but he can hook and slice like nobody's business. I can't in good conscience recommend that ANYONE use him for their character, unless you are perfectly happy with a positive score! Name: Robert Duty Country: U. K. Age: 60 Power: 1 Control: 8 Spin: 8 Luck: 4 Wise: 10 Diagnosis: Quite Skewed Story: [NS] Robert is a player who has "been there" and "done that" in golf world. Sarcastically, he used to baby-sit Arnold Palmer. I'm not going to say he's old, but the last time he was on the circuit, woods were actually made of WOOD! Robert is the player for anyone who is frankly tired of hitting the long ball, but needs some assistance in dropping the ball on the surface they originally intend. Name: William Hauer Country: S. Africa Age: 32 Power: 10 Control: 1 Spin: 2 Luck: 3 Wise: 2 Diagnosis: Most Skewed Story: [NS] William is the strong, silent type who has obviously seen far too many Arnold Schwartzenegger movies. With a little imagination, one might figure him to be a retired football or hockey player who is looking for a relaxing form of competition at the proverbial law firm of Tee, Fairway, Green and Associates. William is THE player to use if you are pin-point accurate on all aspects of the swing and you are interested only in seeing how far that little white ball can fly on one swing! Name: Katharine White Country: USA Age: 24 Power: 6 Control: 5 Spin: 6 Luck: 6 Wise: 8 Diagnosis: Most Balanced Story: {{Katherine can be a very cunning player. She has endured many hardships in her road to becoming the best in America and is now the highest paid player in the states. She has high all- around ability, and is suited for advanced players due to a strong draw.}} Name: Deborah Whitaker Country: Fiji Age: 34 Power: 8 Control: 3 Spin: 3 Luck: 6 Wise: 4 Diagnosis: Well Balanced Story: [NS] With 3 children and a life close to home, Deborah hadn't even considered golf to be anything she would pursue. However, it didn't take long from the first time she picked up the big dog to realize her true calling. What she doesn't have in control or spin, she makes up for in sheer power, making her the ideal player for those who have a strong level of timing. Name: Elizabeth Muler Country: Sweden Age: 29 Power: 8 Control: 6 Spin: 3 Luck: 2 Wise: 5 Diagnosis: Slightly Balanced Story: [NS] Elizabeth played amateur for several years, but never continued on to the pros due to her poor sense of luck. It seemed she would always choke at the most critical moment. After a couple of years, though, she is back and ready to show everyone what she can do on the course. Her luck hasn't gotten any better, but her ability to nail the long ball makes her a good choice for anyone who relies on planning the shot first and foremost, then executes it satisfactorily. Name: Midori Takamine Country: Japan Age: 23 Power: 4 Control: 6 Spin: 4 Luck: 9 Wise: 3 Diagnosis: Slightly Balanced Story: [NS] Midori is one of the three players in what I refer to as "Team Powerpuff" (3 girls with different personas - full credit to Cartoon Network for the concept). She's the combination 4- leaf clover/rabbit's foot of the team, otherwise balanced. She is hoping to achieve the status as the pride of Japan's Women's Golf. She is not the most powerful player, but is good for someone in need of a little extra in the control area. Name: Kim Swyong Country: Korea Age: 24 Power: 6 Control: 7 Spin: 8 Luck: 1 Wise: 7 Diagnosis: Slightly Skewed Story: [NS] Member No. 2 and the leader of "Team Powerpuff", Kim is the master of spin. She is not, however, the luckiest player in the world. Accepting this, with a balance of power, control, spin and smarts, she is Korea's top dog on the World Tour. An excellent candidate for the player is relies on good planning rather than luck. Name: Christine Lamer Country: France Age: 28 Power: 2 Control: 10 Spin: 4 Luck: 5 Wise: 5 Diagnosis: Quite Skewed Story: {{Christine is a former top model turned golfer. Although she enters the tournaments with an Amateur title, she works hard and will soon achieve a world title. She has excellent control and is good for beginners as she misses very few shots.}} Name: Jeena Shirey Country: Zimbabwe Age: 18 Power: 7 Control: 8 Spin: 1 Luck: 8 Wise: 1 Diagnosis: Most Skewed Story: [NS] The youngest recruit of "Team Powerpuff", Jeena is your typical brash, cocky, arrogant teenager. Her strength in power, control and dumb luck is her calling card, and she has the most potential of the 3 to become a World Champion, if only she would lose some of the attitude and replace it with wisdom. A good player for those who never bother putting spin on the ball. Who is the best? That can only be answered on an individual basis. In short, the players' weaknesses should be augmented by their characters' strengths and beginners should choose a more balanced character. But for a quick rundown, I will list the 5 attributes and who is the strongest in that attribute for both the men and women characters. Power: William Hauer and Deborah Whitaker/Elizabeth Muler Control: Nick Lancaster and Christine Lamer Spin: Jose Estevez and Kim Swyong Luck: Randy Wilde and Midori Takamine Wise: Robert Duty and Katharine White What I would have normally done at this point was go through the endings for each of the characters. The reason I am not going to do that is two- fold: 1) It would take too long to play through all 15 characters in World Tour (We're talking 15 characters times 5 courses times 18 holes equals...forget it!), and 2) From the few endings I have already seen, it would be a just be a disappointment, anyway. In short, the endings are as lame as the intro is weird! Here is what I have seen. Katherine's got a crush on Julian (or Jurian as it is sometimes shown), Christine is still just an amateur (even though she just kicked everyone else's tail), and Jeena thinks she's all that, like you couldn't tell from the first hole. I am probably correct in assuming the rest of the endings are pretty much more of the same. Before we close out here, let me describe what you have in store for you in unlocking the characters. Level One gives you the ability to unlock up to 3 characters. For every increase in level, you get up to 2 more you can unlock. The strategy is as follows: Choose the highest level you feel confident you can win the World Tour mode on. When you finish the US course, you will unlock a character. After this you can go back and load the same game you just finished, starting on hole 16 of the US course. Play three holes, unlock the next character, reload, play three holes...you get the idea. (By the way, a big old yee-ha goes out to clucstock@turbomail.net for that tip) One note to consider though: If you were considering playing an entire Tour on level One, changing the level to Five then reloading the game, don't bother. Character award is based on the level that was set when you hit hole 1 in Japan. As a consolation, you can unlock all the balls and clubs using the above trick on Level 1, so that is something. The Courses Some say that Tee Off only has 5 courses (only?!? On one disk, that ain't bad). Some say that the courses are unimaginative (as if Pebble Beach isn't). The way I see it is that there are 5 courses which are beautifully rendered, changeable (using the Level feature in Options) and very different from each other. Going in the order you will encounter them in the World Tour mode, here is what you can expect from each course. Course: Japan Wind: Mild to Average Trees: Abundant Hills: Mild to Average Greens: Average to Difficult Sand/Water: Lots of sand traps Overview: The Japan course is good for a beginner (second to the USA course) as it represents the kind of course one you normally encounter while playing the actual sport. The greens are probably the trickiest part of the course, though they are not terribly intimidating on the lower levels. The trees can also be a beast, so shot placement on the fairway is absolutely vital to a good score. Course: Australia Wind: Mild to Average Trees: Sparse Hills: Non-existent Greens: Mild to Average Sand/Water: Mild sand, but beware the red clay! Overview: To sum up the Australia course in a word: boring. That is not to say that it isn't fun to play, but do not look for it to be much of a challenge. There is a hidden trickiness of this course in its "breaking up" of the fairways. Shot placement is everything when it comes to getting a low score. One false move and a player can easily get a double bogey, leap-frogging from red clay to red clay. Course: Africa Wind: Average to Difficult Trees: Moderate to Abundant Hills: Treacherous Greens: Average Sand/Water: Lots of water, some sand Overview: The Africa course is probably the most fun for beginner and veteran alike. Much of the holes require a high degree of strategic planning prior to execution. The most notable feature is the mountainous terrain to be encountered. As such, character selection is also a big concern, with some player able to drive over a mountain and some having to go around. Course: Scotland Wind: Vicious Trees: Mild to Average Hills: Highly Level Dependent Greens: Mild to Difficult Sand/Water: Lots of everything! Overview: The Scotland course is not a good one for the Tee Off rookie, though it makes for an interesting game with 4 rookies playing in multiplayer mode. The most obvious obstacle is the wind. With it, on some holes, you can drive the ball 350 yards while on others, you are luck to make the fairway. The greens provide a wide variety of challenges, with some being flat and some being hilly. The trees are not usually as much of an issue, though consistent fairway placement is still important to avoid problems. Course: USA Wind: Mild to Average Trees: Moderate Hills: Mild to Average Greens: Mild to Average Sand/Water: Variety of both Overview: The USA course is ideal for beginners. It utilizes very basis golf course structure. As such, it is an excellent confidence builder. However, the veteran of the game would not find much of a challenge at all. Strangely, Bottom Up has chosen to make the easiest course the last one you encounter in the World Tour. Maybe they wanted to give players who were lagging at the end of the tour a chance to catch up. The Game Modes There is a bounty of game modes to enjoy in Tee Off. I will list them all with the basic premise/objective behind each. Mode: World Tour # of Players: One Premise: One player competes against all 14 other players in all 5 locations around the globe. Points are awarded based on your position respective to all other golfers, round-by-round. Objective: Try to finish as the top golfer on each of the 5 courses to get the highest total score for the Tour. Total # of Holes: 90 Mode: Free Round - Point Tourney # of Players: One to Four Premise: One round of golf; Points are awarded for each players performance on each hole. Albatrosses are worth 5 points, Eagles: 4 points, Birdies: 3 points, Pars: 2 points, Bogeys: 1 point. Any players not scoring at least a Bogey "give up" and move on to the next hole. Objective: Earn more total points than the other players by the end of the round. Total # of Holes: 18 Mode: Free Round - Stroke Play # of Players: One to Four Premise: One round of golf; Scoring is per standard golf rules. Objective: Try to finish the course in fewer strokes than your competition. Total # of Holes: 18 Mode: Free Round - Match Play - Single # of Players: One to Four Premise: One round of golf; Players compete for the lowest hole-by- hole score. Players "claim" a hole by completing it in fewer strokes than all other players. When two or more players share the lowest hole-score, the hole is awarded to no one and play continues to the next hole. Objective: Try to "claim" more holes than your competition. Total # of Holes: 18 or less; When a single player "claims" a number of holes such that it is impossible for anyone to catch up (tie or beat their score for the round), the round is over and the winner is declared. Mode: Free Round - Match Play - Threesome # of Players: Three Premise: One player competes against a team of 2 players. The 2- player team takes turns hitting one ball. Holes are "claimed" per standard Match Play rules (shown above). Objective: Try to "claim" (alone or with your teammate depending) more holes than your competition. Total # of Holes: 18 or less; When a single player/team "claims" a number of holes such that it is impossible for the other to catch up (tie or beat their score for the round), the round is over and the winner(s) is(are) declared. Mode: Free Round - Match Play - Foursome # of Players: Four Premise: 2 two-player teams competes against each other, taking turns hitting one ball per team. Holes are "claimed" per standard Match Play rules (shown above). Objective: Try to have your team "claim" more holes than the opposing team. Total # of Holes: 18 or less; When a team "claims" a number of holes such that it is impossible for the other to catch up (tie or beat their score for the round), the round is over and the winners are declared. Mode: Free Round - Match Play - Fourball # of Players: Four Premise: 2 two-player teams competes against each other. Each player uses their own ball. When a single player (or 2 players on the same team) achieves the best score for a hole, they "claim" the hole. Objective: Try to have your team "claim" more holes than the opposing team. Total # of Holes: 18 or less; When a team "claims" a number of holes such that it is impossible for the other to catch up (tie or beat their score for the round), the round is over and the winners are declared. Mode: Free Round - Match Play - Best Ball 1 vs. 2 # of Players: Three Premise: Identical to Fourball, except that one "team" has one player while the other has two. Handicap-style play. Objective: Try to "claim" (alone or with your teammate depending) more holes than your competition. Total # of Holes: 18 or less; When a single player/team "claims" a number of holes such that it is impossible for the other to catch up (tie or beat their score for the round), the round is over and the winner(s) is(are) declared. Mode: Free Round - Match Play - Best Ball 1 vs. 3 # of Players: Four Premise: Identical to Fourball, except that one "team" has one player while the other has three. Handicap-style play, excellent for leveling the playing field against the wise guy of the room. Objective: Try to "claim" (alone or with your teammate depending) more holes than your competition. Total # of Holes: 18 or less; When a single player/team "claims" a number of holes such that it is impossible for the other to catch up (tie or beat their score for the round), the round is over and the winner(s) is(are) declared. To make any off the match play games even more "interesting", choose "special" when the prompt comes up for rule select. This rule states that whenever a player/team defeats their opponent, the winner gets to take away one of the opponents' clubs for the remainder of the round. With match play rules, this means it is possible for a player/team to play minus NINE clubs after the front nine! Oooooh! Fun!!! Unfortunately, a player/team cannot take away another player/team's putter. That would make the game REALLY interesting! Putting with a 5-wood?!? Maybe next year. The Control Anyone who has ever played video golf will recognize the three-tap method in hitting the ball: First click to start the swing, second to determine the power, and third to determine the contact. That is all we will say on the matter for the moment. Also, I will be making mention of the uses of some buttons shortly. In brief, the X-button is your trajectory button (press once to view the ball's trajectory, press again to hide the trajectory). The Y-button is the camera button (hit once for high ball-to- tee view, again for low tee-to-ball view, again for high tee-to-ball view, and a fourth time to return to low ball-to-tee view). The left and right triggers can be used to zoom in and out at any level between the low and high views. Now, before we can get to clubbin', we need to line up our shot. Lining Up - Basic There is a lot to learn when it comes to lining up a shot. What we will do is start with the basics, like driving range basics. When you first begin your turn, you will see your golfer, the ball lie, the distance to the pin, the wind, the present club selected for you and a marker of where your ball will theoretically go given ideal conditions. All of these (except the first one, strictly speaking) will be factors in your swing. First, don't feel intimidated! Address each item one at a time. Let's start with the club selection. Unless you are on a par three, your tee shot will probably utilize the "big dog", or #1 Wood. This is the club with which you will hit the farthest off of the tee or fairway (which, at a driving range, is appropriate). So the club is selected; on to the ball lie. As was said before, we will consider a tee shot. On any given tee shot, your club will hit its full potential in distance, so whatever distance is shown beside the club, that is the distance the ball will go at 100% swing. Next, we'll do distance to the pin. This is not applicable, as there is no pin to aim at on a driving range. Now for the marker. On any given non-Par-3 tee shot, we will be shooting to get on the fairway. By hitting the X-button, you can bring up the trajectory of your shot. Each character has a different level of natural draw or pull in their swing so be careful to read the trajectory to learn how to use this to your advantage in going around obstacles and not into them. Use both the marker and the trajectory to aim toward the fairway without aiming it through any obstacles. Finally, let's look at the wind. If there is a mathematical equation that tells a player how much of an angle offset they need to aim for a given wind speed, I've never seen it. All I can say is that it requires practice to perfect your ability to compensate. In simplest terms: If the wind is blowing left, aim right. If it is blowing right, aim left. The stronger the wind, the more you need to offset your shot from its desired target. Now that we have a handle on the line-up, let's hit the ball! Executing the swing - Basic As said before, the swing is a 3-click action: Start the swing. Determine the power. Determine the contact. The first click speaks for itself. The second click takes a bit more thought. When driving off of the tee onto a long fairway on a Par 4 or 5, the principle is simple: Get as much power as you can. The most you can get on any swing is 120%. One thing to keep in mind is that any time you attempt an over-swing (more than 100%) you make it more difficult to control (more on that shortly). Another thing to remember is the wind blowing towards you or away from you. At your back, the wind will give you a greater distance than without wind. In your face, the wind will shorten your distance. Make sure you account for this to avoid coming up short of or overshooting the fairway. Now that our power is set, it is time to determine the contact. The highlighted portion around zero on the swing gauge (or C-gauge) is where you want the cursor on your third click, and right on zero if you can help it. If it is off of this highlight, you will not get full contact on the ball and it will either shoot straight up in the air or sail four feet of the ground and fall dead a short distance from where you started. Hitting it right on zero assures your power to stay exactly as was determined by your second click. Hitting it on the highlighted area, but not exactly on zero will lower your power percentage some, though never more than 10 to 12 percent. Just try to hit it right on zero every time. Lining Up - Advanced As is expected, there is a lot more to golf than just driving off of the tee with the big dog. As I said before, don't feel intimidated. Lets start with club selection. Clubs are selected by pressing left or right on the D-pad (or cross as some call it). There are three situations in which you won't be using your 1-Wood. The first is when you are on the fairway or light rough and at a shorter distance than your 1-Wood is capable of carrying. Though you could technically still use the 1-Wood, it is easier to select a club with a lower distance potential. To choose the best club, pick a club that has a distance at 100% equal to the distance that you are from the pin. This will allow you to swing over or under 100%, to compensate for any forward or backward wind later on. The second situation is when you are on the tee for a Par 3 (or even a short Par 4) where the initial distance to the hole is shorter than your 1-Wood's potential. As in the first situation, choose a club appropriate to the distance to the tee. The final situation is when you are in the deep rough or sand. Most times, the game won’t even allow you to chose the 1-Wood no matter how far you are from the hole. In this case, you will have to look at the other elements to plan your shot. There is a fourth situation that can require a club change from the big dog (it's optional, but very useful): obstacles. On occasion, you may find yourself right behind a tree, and the 1-Wood has you aimed to go right into it. Before you try to waste a stroke going around it. Consider using a different club. The theory behind each club is simple enough: the higher the club number, the higher (in altitude) the club hits the ball, at the expense of distance. Consider two alternatives: 1) Accept a loss of, say 50 or 60 yards on your tee shot (vs. using the driver) while still making the fairway and being left with a reasonable distance to the hole, or 2) Feebly hit the ball 30 yards to reach the fairway (if you're lucky), and be left with an enormous distance for your second shot. I'll take door number 1, thank you! The lie is the next big thing to consider in making your shot. Being in the rough, sand, brush or even the edge of the fairway takes the potential distance away from whichever club you are using. There are 2 ways to use the lie to recalculate your shot: additive and subtractive. Using the additive method, roughly divide the total distance to the pin by the decimal equivalent of the percent average of the specific lie. HUH?!?!? Okay, one thing at a time. There is a percent figure shown under the "lie" box in the lower right of the screen. For an example, let's say we are in light rough and the figure says "80%-90%". The average of this is 85%. To turn this into a decimal, we divide by 100 to give us 0.85. That is what the last part of that sentence means. Now, let's say the distance to the hole is, oh, 135 yards. Roughly divide the total distance to the pin (135 yards) by the decimal equivalent of the percent average of the specific lie (0.85). With a calculator, you would get 158.8 yards. Lets say you don't take the game that frighteningly serious. You would probably figure about 160 yards, with a little thought. That distance is what you should consider your distance to the hole to be for that shot. You can then select a club which suits this distance or simply over swing with a shorter club, your choice. Don't like division? Me neither. Let's try the subtractive method. Here's the ugly sentence. Roughly multiply the distance of the club used by the decimal equivalent of the percent average of the specific lie. In English, now. Let's say you are holding a 5-Iron which is capable of 150 yards at 100%. Roughly multiply the distance of the club used (150 yards) by the decimal equivalent of the percent average of the specific lie (0.85). Calculator says: 127.5. Brain might say: about 130 yards. This figure is the new 100% distance for your 5-Iron for this shot. Since we have to go 135 yards, we might want to consider using some over-swing with the 5 or switching to a 4-Iron. Again, your choice. There is another option when selecting you clubs: using a cautious shot. A cautious shot can be selected by pressing up or down on the D-pad. To your advantage, this takes away the ability to overswing and lessen control. On the other hand, though, the overall (100%) power of the club is also lower. Cautious shots are very useful in short distance and chipping situations. It is less useful when making long distance shots. A little bit of experimentation will help to make you comfortable as well as wise concerning when to use or not use the cautious shot. Whew! With all that being said, you can rest assured that it doesn't get a whole lot more mathematical than that! Okay, we covered the fore- & back- winds. We figured in the lie vs. our distance to the pin. We got our club selected. All that's left now is to figure out our trajectory and aim. The basics of trajectory and aim have not changed (yea!!!). There are, however, two new element to consider. First, remember about the deal with "the higher the club number, the higher and shorter the ball goes". Well, the higher the ball goes, the more effect the wind has on it. Remember to compensate for this as required when using your higher-number clubs. That wasn't too painful. Secondly, we must consider (much more on the higher level settings) whether we are hitting the ball to a higher or lower plateau (uphill or downhill, basically). When hitting the ball uphill, you won't get as much distance as you would if the ball were going to a point altitudinally (yes, I made that word up) equal to your initial position. Likewise, hitting downhill will give you more distance. This is essentially because the ball is either in the air more (downhill) or less (uphill) time than when shooting flat. Unfortunately, I have not developed a formula to aid in compensation for this, yet (check back for version 2 of this guide - I may have something by then). I have come up with a guideline for putting though. I will mention that shortly. There is a trick you can use, though. When you choose the third view (using the Y-Button to change the camera angle), there are two indicators: a small grid showing where the ball will impact GIVEN the same altitude and the trajectory line. Notice how the trajectory line ends in a quite different place on uphill shots. Where that line ends is where the ball will actually first impact the surface on that particular shot (at 100% of the present club). Use this as a guide on uphill shots. Downhill shots are the same, but the grid happens to indicate the same impact mark as the trajectory line, so there is no guesswork here at all. Just use a lower- power club on downhillers. In summary, before we get to the swing, you can only address elements of left/right movement of the ball in setting up the shot (actually that is not completely true, but we'll get to that shortly). There are, however, two ways to handle elements involving distance of the stroke. The first is shot set-up, which we just covered at length. The other is in the swing itself. With that said, let’s get to clubbin'! Executing the swing - Advanced The swing hasn't changed. It is still 3 clicks, so there is not much to say. As a reminder, though, I will go through some power considerations and ways to compensate for the various elements. To reiterate, when executing a swing, there is no way to control left to right movement (patience, grasshopper). That is what the set up section is for. You can however exert a great deal of influence on the distance the ball will travel here. So which method should you use? It depends on the element. If it is something that is changing all the time (the wind comes to mind), it is best to use the stroke method. If it is something constant (like the uphill/downhill factor and the lie of the ball) you should probably consider that in the set-up. Just to be thorough, we will consider the player who wants to do as little work as possible in the set- up and wants to handle everything in the stroke. Here are most, if not all, the elements to consider when striking the ball (some of these are a review of what we've already covered): If the wind is in your face, use an increase in power. If the wind is at your back, use a decrease in power. When hitting uphill, use an increase in power. When hitting downhill, use a decrease in power. When hitting from the fairway or tee, no compensation in power is needed. When hitting from the rough or sand, use an increase in power. We will go over one final element of the stroke: that little red cross on the ball in the lower right hand of the screen. This is a highly optional element and is one used mainly by more experienced players, but it can often be the difference between a par or bogey and a birdie or eagle. This marker controls the spin of the ball. NOW, you can control left and right movement on the stroke. The reason I was so adamant about saying you couldn't control such movement is that it is much easier and effective to control such movement in the set-up. Even when using someone like Jose or Kim, the left and right curve is not nearly as effective as simply aiming in that direction. Still, it merits going over in this guide. Since we’ve talked so much about it, let's start with left to right movement. By putting the red cross on the left side of the ball you create a spin which pushes the ball to the left. Likewise, hitting the ball on the right side makes it move to the right. Like I said, you don’t want to take this ability as your primary method, but if you in a jam, it doesn’t hurt to try. Hitting the top of the ball gives it a forward spin, where hitting it low gives it backspin. You can use these types of spin anytime, but they are most useful when chipping onto the green. For example if the green slopes downward from where you are chipping, applying backspin will help to keep it from rolling down off the green. Also, applying forward spin (or forespin) can keep the ball from rolling backward when it hits an uphill green. The best advice I can give on this is this: Practice using spin with different characters to get a feel for what spinning the ball can do for you. There is one type of stroke yet to cover: the putt. Onward we go. Lining Up - The Putt Putting is where your golf ability is really measured. Any schmoe can hit the ball long with a little bit of luck, but it takes nerves of steel to sink the ball. Allow me to help you achieve them. There are only 3 elements to consider in the putt: Left/Right angle, Uphill/Downhill angle, and distance. As you notice, both the elements of wind and lie have been eliminated. Lets cover left/right first. I don't mind telling you that this is the most aggravating part of lining up a putt. There is no advice I can give you but "practice makes perfect". There are a few tips to remember, though. The left/right slope of a downhill putt must be compensated for much more than the same slope uphill. Like I say, practice. Also, try lining your putts with very slight left/right slope up at the left or right edge of the cup. That way if the slope, for some odd reason, doesn't seem to have any effect, you still have a good chance of riding the lip it in. Now for uphill/downhill. Here is the formula I mentioned earlier. It is not 100% in solving your uphill/downhill woes, but I feel safe to say that I have missed no more than 1 out of 100 times using it. Take the number of yards up or down, multiply by 10 and divide by 2, then add (going uphill) or subtract (going downhill) this to the actual distance to the cup. Consider that number your new distance to the cup. Example: You are 12 yards from the cup with 0.4 yards uphill (no left/right slope). Take the 0.4 yards times 10 (4 yards) and divide by 2 (2 yards). Add (uphill) this to the actual distance (12 + 2) and you should consider yourself to be 14 yards to the cup. Now, just hit it! Oh, wait. One final note on putting: Distance. Putting is the most common time for you to make a decision between normal and cautious shots. Fortunately, every player has consistent distance with the putter: 30 yards @ 100% with the normal setting and 10 yards @ 100% with the cautious setting. As always, select the swing style that is appropriate to the distance you calculate. Try not to use the normal setting on putts under 10 yards, and don't bother attempting a putt over 10 yards on the cautious setting. After making your selection, hit the ball just like you normally would. Executing the swing - The Putt The only difference between the putt swing and any other swing is that you don't need to hit the button a third time. Just, once to start and a second time to select the power. Don’t forget to hold your breath after that second click (just to make the experience like real life...that's a joke...okay, never mind). In conclusion, line up the shot, execute the shot, line up the shot, execute the shot, lather, rinse, repeat. What else can be said? How to be a Winner I would be unconventional not to put the hints and tips from the instruction book verbatim in this guide. However, I will go one step further in making some editorial comments for each tip. Here we go. {{Club weight and ball selection make a difference! Experiment with the different balls and clubs for the different golfers and different courses and see which combinations work best for your style of play.}} I have used clubs and balls other that the default (the first ones offered) once or twice. It honestly had no effect on my score or performance. There is, however, no harm in experimenting with different combinations. Knock yourself out. {{The X and Y BUTTONS are your friends. Use them. The X BUTTON will show you the trajectory and landing spot (you have to account for the wind yourself), while the Y BUTTON shows the hole from different camera views, enabling you to see slopes and bunkers up close as you plan your next shot.}} Couldn't agree more on this one. In addition to the wind, though, you also need to account yourself for the lie of the ball. {{The LEFT and RIGHT TRIGGERS are also your friends. Use them to zoom in and out and get a better view to help your shot strategy.}} Again, I agree. This was mentioned earlier in the guide. {{Use the cautious approach to tricky shots. Press UP and DOWN on the DIRECTIONAL BUTTON to switch between cautious and normal shots. Pay attention to this indicator because the game will sometimes default to the cautious shot when you're not expecting it.}} This is very true. Don't, however, feel required to use a cautious shot just because you can. When putting, especially, keep an eye on whether the default is cautious or normal. I have on occasion slammed the ball way past the hole on an 8-yard putt because I wasn’t paying attention. {{Pay attention to the shifting winds! Your shot can be blown way off course and into a hazard. When playing in windy Scotland, adopt the links golf style: Use longer clubs at reduced power to minimize air time and thus wind effect.}} Nothing to say here. Good advise. {{Use the Pinpoint Compensation Cursor (the little red plus on the ball in the lower right of the screen) often. A bit of backspin can make the difference between a 2 foot putt and a 12 foot putt.}} As I mentioned before, this is useful sometimes, but don't become dependent on it or you may be very disappointed. Croquet meets Tron: Gate Ball, the other golf, sort of. I'm not 100% sure why Bottom Up chose to put this mini-game in with an already fine golf game. Maybe they were thrown off by using a GD-ROM as the medium and felt the need to fill the disc. I don’t know. Regardless, Gate Ball is a mildly fun take on the snobbish "sport" of croquet (anyone seen "Heathers"?), thrown onto a futuristic backdrop. The most difficult part of the game is the bounty of rules and regulations that guide the game's progress. Here are the rules as presented in the manual. {{Pass the ball through the first, second and third gates on the court in order then hit the goal at the center of the court to clear. To win Gate Ball, one of the two teams must either clear all of their balls or have the most points at the end of the time limit. One point is awarded for each gate passage. The first gate must be passed with one stroke and not go out of bounds or the ball will be called "out" and the first gate must then be repeated. If the ball is called out after the second or third gate, however, it is acceptable. If your ball hits another ball while passing through the first gate, your ball will be brought back to the start line and the first gate must be repeated. There are certain directions the ball must pass through for each gate indicated with arrows. If you pass the ball through the wrong way, it won't count! When determining gate passage or an out-of-bounds call, the center of the ball is the deciding factor. A foul ball will be let outside the nearest out line. Hitting an opponent's ball gives you a "Spark Ball" shot. You must hit the Spark Ball more than 10 cm or you will be called for a foul. Use Spark Ball to your advantage; knock your opponent off the court! If your ball is hit by a Spark Ball and passes through a gate, you are awarded that gate, however, a foul is called and your ball will be moved outside the nearest out line.}} As a straight Level 1 round of Gate Ball would be pretty boring, Tee Off offers a variety of options you can change to your liking. {{COURT LV - This option changes the level of undulations in the court from 1 (none) to 5 (most). COM LV - Raise or lower the skill level of the CPU from 1 (weakest) to 5 (strongest). GAME TIME - Duration of the game in minutes SHOT TIME - Time limit for each stroke in seconds. POINT TIME - When time remaining is less than one minute, the point display ceases. RULE - Set to ORIGINAL for standard rules game. Change to ARRANGE to modify each of the following: TAKE POINT - Allows you to snatch an opponent's points by hitting their ball. MISS POINT - Points will be lost when a foul or out is called. COMBO POINT - When a single shot touches two or more balls, additional points will be awarded. OUT POINT - If you knock an opponent's ball out, points are given. ASSIST POINT - If you knock a teammate's ball through a gate, you'll earn points. LONG SHOT POINT - If you can get a ball through a gate from long distance, you'll earn additional points. MIRACLE POINT - Points are awarded when a single shot passes through more than one gate. Honestly, I didn’t play Gate Ball all that much so I don’t have much to say about it. After I play a few more rounds, I'll update this guide with, hopefully, some insight into this phenomenon. Upon examination of all the options above, I think I'm going to have a good time learning. Acknowledgments Thanks to all that took the time to read my little guide. May all that use it encounter more birdies and eagles than a low flying 747. If there are any corrections or things you would like to see in the next revision, please contact me via e-mail at keyzkkaranza@cs.com.