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Golf is as much about instinct as conscious calculation, but both require that you gather lots of information about your course conditions and ball position.
Display Items
The Game Task Bar is your friend. To bring it up, move your cursor to the bottom of the screen and it will slide into view. If you can't find the Player Info Bar, the Hole Info Bar, and the Hole Overhead, go to Display Options on the Game Task Bar (third icon from the right) and make sure you've got each item turned on.
Player Info is the medium-sized bar, listing your name, your current score (from previous holes), the current course, the hole being played, the distance to the flag, the distance of your last shot, and your current club. At the far right of this bar, you'll find a club menu icon, which you can click to select a different club.
The Hole Info Bar displays what your ball is sitting on (tee, fairway, rough, etc.), a wind gauge, and a tiny grid representing the immediate lie of your ball, labeled with the ball's elevation above or below the hole.
The Hole Overhead: This inset map displays the current hole. When you move your cursor over the Hole Overhead, it turns into crosshairs labeled with the yardage from the ball. Plan your approach to the hole checking distances to hazards and ideal landing areas.
Checking the Terrain
- Before each shot, check the Player Info Bar to verify your club selection, last-shot distance, and distance from the flag.
- Check the Hole Info Bar for wind and slope.
- If you've gotten yourself into the rough or a bunker, turn on the main grid option from the Game Task Bar. Any orange areas on the grid are higher than your ball, and blue areas are lower. The grid comes up automatically when you're on the putting green.
Correcting Your Shot
- Before you make your shot, click just ahead of the ball to bring up the aiming arrow and an inset view of where a straight shot will land. Check the Hole Overhead map to see how your shot is lined up. If you hit in the rough or a bunker, your direct line to the flag may not be your best shot. To change your aim, click any part of the arrow on the main screen, then drag and drop; be sure to check the inset view again to make sure you're not lined up with a hazard.
- Eventually you'll find yourself in the rough with a bad lie. This need not be fatal to your game. Compensate the lie by choosing “Slice” (to counter ground sloping down to the right), “Fade” (to counter ground sloping down to the left), or “Lob Shot” (to counter ground sloping up in front of you).
Long Drives
With the three-click stroke meter, you'll only need two clicks if you're going for the longest drives. Click once, and let the indicator go all the way to two o'clock and start back down. Then do your best to aim dead center on your final click. Concentrate all your attention on that aim, because when you let go with the power, your ball will tend to go farther astray.
Putting
Long putts are often easier if you use the Partial Swing Meter for chip shots. You'll get more power, but you also have to be more accurate. Click the tee icon in the Game Task Bar, and choose Partial Swing Meter from the menu. Or, instead, try choosing a lob and adjusting the trajectory. Check your Player Info Bar to make sure you've got the club you want (usually a putter) -- if you choose a lob shot, you'll get a lob wedge by default.
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