i've never seen this brought up before and i'm sure there have to be some big golden tee players here. i started playing a few months ago with my friends who are already pretty damn good at it. they are the guys who rack up great shot points and stuff like that. if anyone plays it are there any things i can do to get better at it? the game is fun as hell and they just came out with GT 2005.
I used to play this a crap load when I was married. I won a Golden Tee Watch back in 98 on one of those tournament things. Ever since they changed the style of it in 2000, I wasn't as good as I used to be. Of course, I don't play it nearly as often as I used to. Practice does make perfect.
I play 18 holes twice a week. My co-worker buddies and I do 18 holes on a lunch break. I usually shoot around -6 (occasionally, I have a meltdown hole and end up even) Tips: 1) If you hit water, don't give up. I've saved par plenty of times after hitting my ball in the water 2) If you're in the lead, play conservatively. 3) Sometimes, it's most fun if you're far behind the leader. You can basically just give up on trying to win and, instead, try to hit some miracle shots. Do this for a while, and you'll eventually surpass your opponents in skill (I did). 4) to control chips better, pull your wedge only part of the way back on your backswing and use full force on the track ball on your downswing. Use the length of your backswing to control your distance, rather than slower or faster trackball movement on your forward swing. 5) Watch your opponent's shots carefully. Pay attention to which club he used, where he aimed, how he shaped the trackball, how hard he hit it, etc. From it, you will be able to see what to do (or what not to do). 6) Always check your natural forces. When putting, always check the slope of the green. For all other shots, do not forget about the wind. If you're trying to hit over something (like trees), you can hold down the fly-by button to look up over them. Determine where your drives will land and do a fly-by to see how the fairway slope will affect the ball. 7) The hole map only shows the shape of the hole, but that's not enough. do a fly-by on each hole to see where the fairway goes uphill, downhill, etc. Though you may think a 4 iron won't go past the end of the fairway, if it's downhill, with a little wind behind you, you may end up overshooting it. 8) when hitting a ball onto a severly sloped green, shape your shot so that it hits the green straight into its slope (and don't use backspin). Always use the fly-by button to check the slope of the green you're approaching - this will help you decide whether or not you want backspin and how to shape your shot. 9) If you hit into the trees and your in or close to the lead, get a club that has no loft on it (like a 2 iron) and give a 1/3rd swing shot to get back on the fairway. Even if you get a bogey from there, it's better than wasting a ton of shots trying to use a lofted club to get to the green. 10) Don't be discouraged. You may be 8 strokes down, but your opponents can have a meltdown at any time, and the 18th holes are frequently notorious for being difficult. Try to narrow your lead by 1 or 2 strokes before the 18th to give yourself a chance at a come-from-behind win. 11) When analyzing holes, think "where would be the best place to miss". Missing right into the sand is better than missing left into the water. This will help you decide which way to play your shot. 12) Be careful - sometimes GT likes to add little creeks running behind the greens which aren't visible from the hole map. Again, use the fly-by to watch for them. 13) don't be an ass when you play. When winning, don't be cocky - anyone can have a meltdown at any time. When losing, smile and enjoy some miracle-shot attempts. Be a sport and have fun. Also, don't hit the machines - they're unusually tough, and you'll just pull back a handful of pain. -- droxford
Also: For anyone who doesn't know this yet, a 7 iron is much better than a sand wedge if you're off the green. Just nuzzle it back a couple of notches, and lightly get her home.
Those are all great tips droxford. Me and my friends go up to a local bar during the Sunday night football game and then finish the night by playing GT for the tab. Playing that game drunk will really highten your skills.
