Tee It Up!

Now we're ready to begin play. But before you unleash your first big drive, you'll want to make sure you're aiming in the right direction.

The fundamental aiming mechanism for Golden Bear Challenge is the Aiming Arrow. The arched Aiming Arrow begins at the point of club contact with the ball and ends at the optimum distance for the selected club. Remember that the arrow represents a perfect shot, without consideration of roll, wind, lie, or landing terrain. You must consider these factors as you set up each shot.

There are two basic ways to control the Aiming Arrow:

Mouse Control: To control the aiming arrow with the mouse, simply click anywhere on the golf course, except on the golfer, and the aiming arrow will appear. You may also click on the Aiming Arrow icon on the Game Task Bar to make the aiming arrow appear. Now click on the Aiming Arrow and hold down the mouse button. While holding down the mouse button, you can move the aiming arrow in any direction to get the angle you want for your upcoming shot. When you are satisfied with the direction of your shot, release the mouse button and then click on the golfer to set up the swing meter.

Check the Overhead Map to make sure you are headed for the fairway or green and not for a bunker or a hazard. If you want to draw the ball (fly with a right-to-left trajectory, press and hold the Ctrl key and move the Aiming Arrow to the right with the mouse. If you want to fade the ball (fly with a left-to-right trajectory for a right-handed player), press and hold the Ctrl key and move the Aiming Arrow to the left with the mouse. If you want to hit a high shot, press and hold the Ctrl key and tap the Down Arrow key. For a low shot, press and hold the Ctrl key and tap the Up Arrow key. When you have completed your shot preparations, click on the golfer and the Swing Meter will appear. Click on the Swing Meter to activate it. As you move the Aiming Arrow with the mouse, the color of the arrow will change to represent the swing intensity.

Keyboard Control: To control the Aiming Arrow with the keyboard, press one of the four aiming arrows on your keyboard and the Aiming Arrow will appear. The Aiming Arrow can be easily moved around with the four keyboard arrows. When you are satisfied with the direction of your shot, press the Space Bar to set up the swing meter. Check the Overhead Map to make sure you are headed for the fairway or green and not for a bunker or a hazard (see "Use the Overhead Map" in the Approach Shots section). If you want to draw the ball (fly with a right-to-left trajectory), press and hold the Ctrl key and tap the Right Arrow key.

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Each successive tap will add more draw to the ball. If you want to fade the ball (fly with a left-to-right trajectory), press and hold the Ctrl key and tap the Left Arrow key. Each successive tap will add more fade to the ball. If you want to hit a high shot, press and hold the Ctrl key and tap the Down Arrow key. For a low shot, press and hold the Ctrl key and tap the Up Arrow key. When you have completed your shot preparations, press the Space Bar and the Swing Meter will appear. Press the Space Bar to activate the Swing Meter.

Note that holding down the Shift key while making any of the above changes with the mouse or keyboard control will increase the size of each increment that the arrow moves. Use this when you want to make large changes in direction or ball flight.

Swing Intensity Meter: The color of the Aiming arrow indicates how hard you are swinging the current club. A red arrow indicates that you are swinging the club with the most intensity possible. A yellow arrow indicates that you are swinging the club with much less intensity. The arrow will change colors gradually as you increase the shot intensity.

To see the intensity meter in action tap the Up Arrow on the keyboard to turn up the swing intensity. The meter will turn red to indicate the increase in intensity. Tap the Down Arrow on the keyboard to turn down the swing intensity. The meter will turn yellow to indicate the decrease in swing intensity. If you are moving the arrow with the mouse you will see the arrow change colors when you move forwards or backwards. Now notice that as the intensity increases, the yardage that your club travels will increase. This is the difference between hitting a hard or easy 7-iron, for example. Each club has a range of distance that is adjustable with the changes in intensity. Use this to be precise in your distance control.

When you arrive at the tee of any of the courses included in the game, you can watch a brief preview of each hole, narrated by Jack Nicklaus. Listen carefully to Jack's advice; he will tell you how to best attack the hole (Tips for the Cochise at Desert Mountain course are narrated by a voice actor). You can turn off the playing of these hole previews in the Preferences dialog box.

Shot Preparations: On the first tee your golfer's aiming arrow will be set down the middle of the fairway. Move the aiming arrow around as described above until you are satisfied with your aim. You can check the approximate place where your ball will land by changing to various landing cameras, or you can check the Picture-in-Picture camera. Make sure to check your wind and course conditions.

Move Ball on Tee: You can change the ball position of your tee shot by clicking on the ball. Hold the mouse button down and move the ball to the desired position in the tee box. Release the mouse button and your golfer will move to the new position in the tee box.

When you are satisfied that you are set up properly, click on the golfer or press the space bar to bring up the "Full Swing" meter for your first tee shot.

First Shot: Now you are ready for your first tee shot. You should be set up on the first tee with your driver. If you prefer a different club, click on the Club icon on the Player Info Bar to select your new club. After clicking at the appropriate spots on the swing meter, your golfer will start to swing on the screen.

Auto Caddie: As you play the computer will select the club best suited for the distance of your next shot. Remember, the Auto Caddie does not consider wind, course or playing conditions when selecting a club for you. You will need to consider these factors on your own and choose accordingly. Your golfer's "Full Shot Power" rating and your golfer's handicap will also help determine the proper club. You may always change clubs by clicking the Club icon on the Player Info Bar.

After a few shots, you will notice the accurate golf ball physics of Jack Nicklaus 6: Golden Bear Challenge. If you miss the "power" or "distance" markings by too much, the result will be an errant shot. The ball will bounce off of trees, hills, cart paths and other objects with amazing realism. Pay attention to wind, course and lie conditions, as they will effect the flight of your shots.

Make sure to listen to game announcers Jim Nantz and Gary McCord, as they will provide commentary and give you advice about your current lie and course conditions. After each shot, click on Continue in the Post Shot Box to move on to your next shot.

After your tee shot, it is time to set up your approach shot to the green. The computer will give you a club that is appropriate for the distance to the green. If you prefer a different club, click on the Club icon on the Player Info Bar and select your new club.

Setting Up Draws and Fades: To set up a draw (shot with a right-to-left trajectory) click on the Shot button on the Game Task Bar and click draw or hook. To set up a fade (shot with a left-to-right trajectory) click on the Shot button on the Game Task Bar and click fade or slice. You can also add set up draws and fades by holding down the Ctrl key and moving the mouse to the left or right.

Adjusting Shot Trajectory: To adjust shot trajectory, click on the Shot button on the Game Task Bar, and then click on high or low trajectory. A high trajectory shot will move higher through the air, and will stop quickly once it hits the ground without rolling much. A low trajectory shot will move lower through the air, but will roll more once it hits the ground.

To adjust the shot trajectory with the keyboard, press and hold the Ctrl key and tap the down arrow for higher trajectory, or tap the up arrow for lower trajectory. Remember that current wind and course conditions should play a role in determining what type of shot you should take. The ball will be difficult to stop on a hard green, and easier to stop on a soft green. With practice you will learn when to attack the pin and when to play more conservatively.

Use the Overhead Map: Use the Overhead Map to judge the distance and direction of your approach shots by pressing the Up or Down Arrow keys and watching the Red arrow lengthen or shorten. It is very important to adjust the trajectory of your shot on approach shots, especially when using lofted clubs. By using the highest possible trajectory with your clubs, you will be able to stop the ball quicker on most approach shots. On the other hand, certain approach shots may require you to roll the ball up onto the green with a lower trajectory.

Full Rotation of Golfer: To rotate your golfer and aiming arrow quickly in any direction, click on the two small arrows near the bottom of the screen. The Full Rotation of Golfer feature is especially useful when stuck behind trees or other hazards.

As you approach the green, you will have to use other types of shots to score well. Like real golf, you will need to plan your shots to allow for wind, lie and other playing conditions. Creative shot making will lead to lower scores. For shorter shots, you will not necessarily need the Full Swing Meter.

Chip Meter: When close to the green or in the sand, the Chip Meter is used. This meter functions the same as the Full Swing Meter with the only difference being that distance between the power and distance markings is shorter on the Chip Meter.

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Adjusting Shot Trajectory Around the Green: It is very important to adjust shot trajectory around the green for best accuracy. Click the Shot button on the Game Task Bar and select the appropriate trajectory for your short shots. Click the Shot button and select Bump and Run to hit a shot that will land on the green and roll to the flag after it lands. Select Lob Shot to hit a shot that will land on the green and stop quickly after it lands. With practice you will be able to create just about any type of chip or pitch shot that you can imagine.

Sand Shots: The Chip Meter is used out of greenside bunkers. Once again, make sure to check your shot trajectory. Like real golf, sand can take a lot off of your shot so make sure to allow for it by adding distance at set up.

Like putting in real golf, successful putting in Golden Bear Challenge requires practice and attention to detail. Practice using the Grid and the Hole Info Bar to accurately identify slopes and breaks on the green.

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The aiming arrow will be set up for the proper distance for each putt. The aiming arrow will end right at the cup on the green. This represents the optimum distance for your next putt on a flat green with no slope or break. Since the computer does not allow for green slope or break, you will need to alter the position of the aiming arrow for most putts.

How to Use the Grid: To bring up the Grid, click the Grid button on the Game Task Bar. The grid lines, standard for most golf games, indicate left to right or right to left breaks. Make sure to move the aiming arrow to the left or to the right to allow for breaks on the green.

Grid Coloration: The colored portions of the Grid indicate the elevation of the green relative to that of the ball. Red sections of the Grid indicate areas where the green is higher than the ball's elevation. Blue sections of the Grid indicate areas where the green is lower than the ball's elevation. The Grid will barely be visible on sections of the green that are at the same elevation of the ball. The more intense the color, the greater the elevation difference relative to the ball.

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Grid Options: There are multiple grid sizing options and multiple grid color types available in Golden Bear Challenge. To quickly resize your current grid, press the Tab key to cycle through the four basic grid sizes when the grid is visible on the green. To cycle through the various color options, hold down the Ctrl key and press the Tab key. For more Putting Grid options, click the options button on the Game Task Bar and then click on Preferences. On the Preferences screen, click on the Grid tab. Here you can adjust grid size, choose to show/not show the grid lines, choose to use red or blue colored grid lines instead of yellow, and access other grid options.

Gradual Color Changes vs. Quick Color Changes: A gradual change in grid coloration indicates that the slope is a gradual slope. A quick change in grid coloration indicates that the slope is a severe slope.

Generally speaking, the ball will move much more quickly down a severe downward slope than it would move down a gradual downward slope, so make sure to allow for the extra roll on a severe downward slope.

Generally speaking, the ball will stop much more quickly on a severe upward slope than it would stop on a more gradual upward slope, so make sure to add extra roll to any putts with severe upward slope.

Use the Hole Info Bar: To bring up the Hole Info Bar, click on the Screen Displays button on the Game Task Bar. The Lie Grid is the round grid which indicates the slope of the current shot. The terrain indicator tells the player the terrain of the current lie. The wind indicator tells the player the direction and severity of the wind.

For successful putting, use the Grid and the Hole Info Bar together to best understand the current putting situation. Just like in real golf, practice, experience and the ability to execute shots make great putters.