 Choosing
a Swing Interface
There are three ways you can swing the club in GBC: 2-click, 3-click,
or Mouse Meter. Our guide will focus on thes click meters. (Mouse
Meter is lacking in so many ways, I can't recommend it).
In regard to swing meter setup, avoid overswinging at all costs!
With the game's targeting engine, you won't really need to. In most
cases, you'll be able to set up your shots for the 100% power mark.
You will be best served by tuning your senses to hitting that mark.
This serves two purposes: It gives you a good idea how far your shot
will travel and it provides a consistent starting point for the timing
reference you'll need in hitting the direction mark, which in GBC
is far more critical.
2-Click
If you're familiar with Links LS, this will be your method of choice,
especially if you've installed the patch. Meter movement is reminiscent
of of LS. However, it is very difficult to master in the "Very Fast"
setting. Most gamers will be playing GBC using the Fast meter, which
will test your 2-click skills on a scale slightly more difficult than
LS. In my experience, the GBC 2-click meter is best suited for the
Medium, or slower swing meters.
3-Click
The 3-click method may seem to be the least analogous technique,
but once the patch was installed, I had to adopt it to maintain my
status as a scratch or better golfer, using the "Fast" meter. It is
far easier to hit the power mark using the 3-click method with the
two fastest meters, and therefore, easier to groove your timing for
the direction press.
Regardless of which meter you choose, always back away from the
ball and take some practice swings at the start of the round. Once
you've hit the marks three consecutive times, you're tuned for play.
You can save time by hitting the right mouse button right after your
swing command has registered on the meter. This will immediately reset
the meter for another go.
 Creating
a Golfer
Even though there are ready made players awaiting your call to action,
the true fulfillment is realized through creating your own on-screen
surrogate. You can adopt one of 10 stock characters (7 male and 3
female) Any of them can be designed to play right or left handed.
If you're skilled with one of the higher quality paint programs, you
can alter their appearance by changing cosmetic features or color
of their apparel. I'm told it's a delicate process, so only those
who are not artistically challenged should apply. A few customized
characters are available at Fantasy Fairways if you'd like to take
the safe route. You can also endow your golfer with shot tendencies,
such as trajectory, hook or slice. All of these are selectable to
varying degrees. I made my surrogate represent how I play in real
life, which has made the game feel a bit more familiar.
 Choosing
Your Career Path
Once you've selected, equipped, and named your golfer, it's time
to make the most important decision you will ever face. You have the
option of letting your handicap set the swing meter speed, or selecting
the swing meter speed of your choice, and thereby, your available
attribute points. For the GBC newcomer or even the Nicklaus series
veteran, I highly recommend the first option. You will not only get
a chance to wade into the interface slowly, but you'll get to experience
something that has never before been seen in computer golf - player
development, in a role playing sense!
 Career
Path 1 - "Use Handicap to Set Swing Meter Speed"
Prepare yourself for a modest start. The program assumes that your
player is a high handicapper, even though your handicap has yet to
be calculated. In doing so, it initially sets your swing meter speed
to "Slow". Be forewarned, if you've had experience with just about
any other click interface on the market, you'll likely find this one
almost too slow to manage, initially.
Spend some time practicing with the meter before you start playing
any round that will count toward your handicap. The best way to do
this is to bring up the Game Task Bar and select Practice Swing. Take
a practice swing and watch the timing marks that are left on the meter
as you hit the power and direction commands. Instead of waiting on
the swing to animate and the meter to reset, hit the right mouse button.
This resets the meter and you're ready for another go. Using this
accelerated warm-up technique, you should get a feel of the meter
speed in 20 swings or so. In fact, an abbreviated version of this
drill (5 or 6 swings) is a good idea at the start of any round, no
matter what your level of experience is.
Now that you have a feel for the meter, it's time to venture out
to the course. Remember, as you start out on this path, your attributes
are at minimum; you're going to be hitting looping drives, no matter
how high you've set your "natural" shot trajectory. This means that
clearing hazards will require a consideration that months or years
of playing with computer surrogates hitting pro-trajectory shots will
have taken out of your game - roll!
Now, when you face that 130 yard approach over a lake, which now
requires a 6 iron, the shot isn't going to stop as quickly as the
9 iron that you were used to hitting. It's also not going to stop
as quickly as your normal 6 iron since it will be descending at a
less acute angle, and coincidentally, it will have less backspin.
This may force you to shoot for the fat part of the green, but it's
part of the game at this level and one that's been missing from computer
golf until now. In the long run, you'll be richer for having gone
through the experience and you'll appreciate what you've gained because
you've "earned" it!
 Putting
Mastery of the putting game is the best way to lower your score
in GBC. It is also the easiest, once you've paid your practice dues.
There are a few tried and tested principles that I've proven out in
my experience that can help with this process:
On all putts, once you've made the determination of how hard to
hit it based on all the factors, add an additional 5% to 10% (5 for
hard, 8 for normal, 10 for soft greens) to the power level you've
settled on. If there's more than 5 degrees of break in the putt, you
can stretch that to 15. The hole is very receptive to high speed putts
in this game, but it's also rather discriminating against slow putts
that die at the lip, especially on the low side.
In assessing breaks, use your natural instincts to visualize the
putt based on the information you're being fed by the grid and/or
rug. Now, edge your target arrow a little bit further toward the high
side of the hole. Lateral slopes invariably affect the putt more than
they appear. Until I came to this realization, I missed 90% of my
putts on the low side of the hole.
While surveying your uphill putts of 15 feet or more, be sure to
check the contours within 4 feet of the hole. They will have an exaggerated
effect on the ball as the putt is dying. Make sure that you allow
additional high side correction (in addition to what's stated above)
to account for this.
Keep in mind that when you are faced with a severe lateral break,
the elevation information you're seeing is almost made invalid. For
example, you may be looking at a 28 foot right to left putt on a 10%
grade, where the info bar is telling you that the ball is 4 inches
above the hole. By the time you allow for the break, you may be actually
directing the ball into a slope that will have it ascending 10 inches,
before it begins its descent.
On putts of 40 feet or longer, use your alternate cameras (accessible
via the numeric keypad) to assess the putt from different angles,
particularly the reverse angle.
I can't say this enough - ALWAYS hit a putt harder than you think
you should! The rare occasions where this will get you into trouble
will be more than offset by the increased birdie tally!
 Chipping
I can safely say that chipping is the easiest phase in GBC. All
but the most skilled cybergolfers will be doing plenty of it in this
game, thanks to the difficulty in hitting greens in regulation. Therefore,
it will pay you to take advantage of the strokes you'll save by applying
a few simple rules:
The program will automatically select the partial swing meter for
you in situations where chipping is deemed the best option. Before
you begin making adjustments to the setup, pay close attention to
both the default chip trajectory and landing point (as indicated by
the targeting arrow). In situations where the terrain between the
ball and the hole is fairly flat, and you're on the fairway or light
rough, you won't need to make many changes. Allow for green slope
after the ball begins its roll and make a slight allowance for stance.
A chip shot struck from light rough will roll just a little hotter
than the fairway. Knock off about 5% to 10% of the default distance
with the targeting arrow, or stop the partial meter just after it
enters the red zone on its approach to the 100% mark.
Heavy rough, weeds, and desert rough will present a tougher test
of your imagination. Again, on relatively flat terrain, the default
shot the program presents is a good starting point. Use it as a reference
from which to make your adjustments. There are two keys to playing
shots from these lies: a chip shot will roll more than the default
shot seems to factor - you'll need to reduce the shot power by 10%
to 15%, a pitch shot will not roll as much as you would expect - you
can more or less shoot at the pin when hitting a lofted pitch.
Things get interesting when you have to deal with sharp elevation
changes around the green. The default chip shot from a depression
is not going to be close to what you need. Plan on changing to maximum
loft via the targeting arc and then extending it to a point somewhere
on the green or fringe. Pay attention to the trajectory of the the
ball, as indicated by the targeting arc. If you're having to play
to a green that's sitting atop a raised table, the shot will have
a flatter trajectory at touchdown, and will roll like a scalded dog.
In cases where the ball is considerably higher than the hole, you
may find it necessary to set the chip shot down in the fringe, fairway
or possibly even the rough, in order to have it stop near the hole.
Don't forget that the margin for error in doing this is less, especially
in the case of using the rough as a brake. Get a little too cute with
this shot and you could wind up with a tougher shot than the one before.
It's best to set up a shot like this in a practice round and experiment
with it until you get a feel for it.
 Pitching
The default chipping club - the lob wedge, effectively becomes a
pitching club once you get beyond 70 feet of the pin. One of the quirks
of Jack 6 is the relatively excessive amount of backspin imparted
on 25 to 40 yard pitch shots, particularly using the lob and pitching
wedges. As with the chip shot, pay attention to the default shot trajectory
and distance indicated by the targeting arc, before making any adjustments.
If you're in the fairway, you probably will need to add a little distance
to the recommended shot. This will compensate for the excessive backspin.
Pitches from the rough will not stop as quickly as those from the
fairway, but they will come to a halt quicker than you would expect.
You can almost go with the default shot, in terms of distance. Experiment
with varying trajectories to find a pitch that best suits your game.
One final caveat for the chipping and putting games - the wind in
GBC is overbearing. Even medium winds will have an effect on your
shot, starting with chips of 25'. Spend some time practicing these
shots under varying wind conditions; you'll be surprised at how much
a 20 yard lob wedge pitch will move against a 25 MPH crosswind!
 Full
Shots
You'll be using the full swing meter in executing this shot, and
as in real life, hitting full shots is where you'll find the most
room for error. Concentrate on hitting the 100% power mark, in all
but the most extreme conditions. Leave the power driving on the practice
range. This will all but eliminate one of the variables in the total
swing equation. Most of your attention should be on nailing the direction
mark. An error of two meter gradients can mean the difference between
a 15 foot birdie putt, and a explosion shot from a greenside bunker.
There's a hidden advantage to be found in striking full shots from
the rough - direction mark errors on the swing meter are not as severely
punished as those from the fairway. In fact, the heavier the rough,
the less profound the hook or slice will be, thanks to the neutralizing
effect of the grass on sidespin. Granted, severe errors will produce
shots that are just flat duffed, but you can go three or four gradients
from 6 o'clock from the rough and still not be in bad shape. I feel
more confident overswinging just a tad, knowing that my errors won't
be punished as severely.
 Driver
& Fairway Woods
Nowhere is the importance of direction timing more critical than
it is with the driver and fairway woods. Deviations from a square
hit with these clubs is almost excessively magnified. Know your tendencies
- if you've established a shot tendency to fade, work that tendency
into your planning. If a hazard comes into the picture, allow yourself
a little room on the bail out side of the hazard. Don't count on a
lot of roll from any of these clubs unless you catch a severe downhill
slope, or you hit the green. In the case of the latter, the ball will
tend to skip unless you've tailored a high trajectory shot. It will
still skip more on the green than it would in the fairway, in most
cases.
You can hit the driver from the fairway, but more often than not,
the 3 Wood will get you more carry, and ultimately travel further.
However, the driver may serve you well in cases where overhead clearance
is minimal.
Your first consideration in setting up for any wood shot is the
slope of the lie, with the exception of "Gusty" wind conditions. A
10 degree side slope is going to have more impact on the woods than
even a 15 MPH crosswind, countering the tendency. Some designs leave
slopes in the teeboxes, so you'll need to be watchful for conditions
where this is the case. I leave the grid "on" to alert me to this
potential. Your toolbar slope indicator isn't always going to be telling
the full truth!
 Long
& Middle Irons
Once you've graduated to the tournament tees, you'll be playing
plenty of long and middle iron shots. These shots are perhaps the
most difficult to execute and control in GBC. Two key factors are
responsible for this - the effect of the slope of the lie, and the
flatter trajectory of the shot. Leave the grid on to depict the slope
around the lie. Again, the toolbar slope indicator is graduated too
coarsely. Use the targeting arc to maximize your shot trajectory for
a softer landing, if headwind is not a factor.
 Short
Irons
Think of your 7 iron through lob wedge as surgical tools in this
game. This is your chance to recover strokes and score birdies. You
still have to factor slopes, but the wind will be your main consideration.
A ball hit with a short iron into a headwind is not going to roll,
and in the case of the lob and pitching wedges, will often back up
5 to 15 feet. Take this into account while planning these shots.
 Playing
the Wind
In the world of GBC, the wind becomes the primary elemental force
of nature. Dealing with it in the "Gusty" setting is going to require
the constitution of a Jedi Knight, plus the application of a few tactical
conventions. As with real golf, you'll want to hit a lower trajectory
shot when faced with a headwind. This is easily accomplished via the
targeting arc. However, I find that it's not beneficial to reduce
the trajectory to minimum, 25% of normal trajectory yields the maximum
distance for me. It stands to reason that this will vary with your
characteristic trajectory, but most people will find that higher natural
trajectories will serve them better in this game.
With a trailing wind, consider not only the increase in shot carry,
but the loss of backspin on the ball. It will roll hotter upon landing
because of a flatter descent, and the nullifying of the backspin.
The shorter clubs produce shots which are disproportionately less
reflective of wind boosts in both their carry and roll. For example,
a lob wedge from 65 yards with a 15 MPH tailwind will result in an
overall distance increase of 2 to 3 yards.
Cross and quartering winds are the real nemesis in GBC. There are
all sorts of approaches for attacking them. One school of thought
is to aim straight at the target, and factor a hook or slice of sufficient
magnitude using the target arc to negate it. This approach becomes
a little too analytical and involves new parameters that don't lend
themselves to intuition. I go for the second school of thought, which
is to aim wide of the target and let the wind bring it back. This
will require hitting the ball harder, even in cross winds, because
the portion of the shot that is into the wind will take more distance
off than the tailwind will add, once it takes effect.
A key consideration in playing these shots is what I call "error
fudging". If you are going to make an error on the direction click
of the meter, let it be against the wind. For example, if you are
facing a 90 yard shot with a pitching wedge into a 20 MPH right to
left cross wind, make a mental note in your mind that if you're going
to miss the direction mark, let it be late (between 6 and 5 o'clock).
More often than not, you won't have allowed for enough movement anyway,
and this will play to your advantage. If you happen to miss the direction
mark by clicking prematurely, you're really in deep kimshee. The wind
will take an error of this sort and magnify it exponentially.
 Sand
Play
Unless you're plugged in the trap (which rarely happens in post
patch GBC), the sand will do little more than take distance off your
shot. It will spin almost as much as a fairway shot, but you'll be
hitting about two to three clubs more than normal. Direction timing
errors will be penalized more than a fairway shot, however, so pay
the most attention to getting it right. Greenside bunkers are easy
to escape with the lob or sand wedge, using the partial swing meter.
I find it easier to hit the shot as high as I can (using the target
arc) and start the planning for a shot that will be airborne about
70% of its flight. On the plugged lies, plan on hitting the shot with
a power of about 125% of the stated distance, and work from there.
Camera
Perspectives
If you've got the hardware to support it (Pentium II 400+), play
this game using the perspective in which it was meant to be played
- "Close". I find that I swing the club better using this view, even
though there's no real logic for it. The real benefit is the immersive,
personal enjoyment you'll get out of seeing the course (and the shot)
closer to the perspective of your surrogate.
You can always use the hole overheads for targeting (although I
advise against this after you've played the course a couple of times
- you want to keep the "fog of war" intact) and the targeting PIP.
Fast
Forward to End of Shot
One of the more useful tools I've found in GBC is the fast forward
or skip animation option. This can be done at any time during the
shot, from the moment of impact, to the final resting place, by clicking
the right mouse button. The ball will quickly then be shown at its
resting place in the main view, using the camera that was active at
the time the button was pressed. The shot data (carry, total and distance
to pin) will also be immediately displayed
Most computer golfers aren't out for a leisurely stroll in the virtual
countryside once they've gotten familiar with a course, and occasionally
want to accelerate the action by foregoing part of the presentation
of the ball's trek. A good rule of thumb for using the right mouse
click is to follow the shot as long as you think there's some doubt
about its outcome.
Fast Forwarding is especially desirable in multiplayer online games,
where every bit of fat that can be trimmed from the proceedings will
facilitate smoother game flow. However, I wouldn't advise using it
until you've put a few guidelines concerning its use in place (see
"Online Play").
Computer
Players
Unfortunately, GBC isn't blessed with the smartest computer golfers
in the world. They'll play like Vardon Trophy winners off camera,
but when you put the spotlight on them, their brains turn to mush.
The biggest problem they have is trees, or other tall obstacles -
they seem to be oblivious to the fact that they're there. If you must
play with a computer player, I would advise it only on courses with
few or no trees. I've seen some decent performances from computer
players at Cochise, Royal Kurland, and Royal St. Georges (all desert
or British links courses). Everything else is an invitation to disaster.
Offline
Tournament Seasons
One of GBC's biggest attractions for me is its "Season Play" option.
You can create your very own tour season of any length you desire,
using as many different courses as you can put your hands on. In creating
my season, I used the real life tour as a model. A lot of tour pros
play 35 to 40 tournaments per year. I only have 24 courses installed
on my machine. So, I decided to make my personal season half of the
average, setting it up for 20 events. I designated 4 of those as "majors".
For a complete challenge, plan an event at as many different course
types as you have. On my hard drive are parkland, mountain, desert,
seaside, wooded and British links courses in my current season.
I would advise against using computer players in your group on all
but the treeless courses (this can be set during an "Edit Tour" session
for each individual event). Also, make sure that you set the field
to be of players +/- 2 shots of your handicap. This will make it more
competitive.
If you've followed my advice, you'll be playing most of the tournaments
by yourself (at least on-screen). To enhance the tournament feel and
perhaps ignite your competitive fires, check the leaderboard at least
4 times per round. Pick out a player you'd like to compete against
(if you're not at the top of the leaderboard), and track your progress
against him. In the second round, you'll need to pay particular attention
to the leaderboard if you are in danger of missing the cut. A target
score will often dictate what you need to do make the final 36 holes.
Online
Play
GBC is blessed with the finest multiplayer online game in the business!
GBC's Ready Golf is the only way to go in my book,
and you'll want to make sure the game host has it enabled. You can
see as much of your opponent's shot as you desire, thanks to the Fast
Forward (right mouse button) option. Be careful though - fast forwarding
should be used judiciously, otherwise you can miss key developments
as they relate to both yourself and your competitive standing with
your competitors. I'll repeat my rule of thumb for fast forwarding
- wait until the shot outcome is no longer in doubt before hitting
the right mouse button.
It's easy to get right mouse button happy and click your way right
past a key shot by your opponent. I've had playing companions express
shock at a birdie or an eagle that I made because they'd presumed
otherwise due to the lack of having born witness. However, it can
also cause your opponents to think of you as something less than a
sportsman when you've fast forwarded right over their 35 foot putt
for an eagle and walk away from the hole ignorant of the fact that
it even occurred.
A few other protocols that are good to observe include: avoid typing
long lines of text in the chat window. These spill over into the play
screen, occasionally usurping space essential to the display screen.
Enter multiple lines to command messages that run longer than 8 words.
Try to avoid putting out before your opponent or playing companion
reaches the green. A struggling player feels undue pressure when he
realizes that his companion has finished the hole, and they've yet
to reach the green!
Pay attention to the messages from the commentator. They convey crucial
information about what's happening off-camera. For example, the message
could appear that your opponent is taking a drop (after hitting into
a hazard) and this could have an effect on how you play your next
shot
If you are hosting a round on a course that you are familiar with,
and your companions may be seeing it for the first time, warn them
of hidden hazards or dangerous positions as the need arises.
John Cauthen
©2000 DIGITAL SPORTS PUBLISHING
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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