Tips from the Tee
At A Glance
- Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06 is more challenging than ever on Xbox 360.
- Shot planning is the key to low scores on the course.
While sharing a name with the Xbox® version of the game, the Xbox 360™ version of Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 06 is a completely different animal. The power of Xbox 360 allowed EA SPORTS™ to create more detailed and lifelike courses than ever before, and when you're talking about six of the more notable and challenging courses in the world, you have your work cut out for you.
Sloping fairways, undulating greens and tricky roughs are all on display, and your shot-making skills will be tested. Just like the real sport, shot planning will now play a major role regarding whether you succeed on fail. To that end, here are a few tips to keep in mind while you're out on the course.
Placement, Not Distance
While it's certainly tempting to unleash your inner John Daly and try to smash every drive into the next area code, it's often a bad idea. Make sure you scout out the hole by watching the fly-over video and by using the B button on the tee to decide where the easiest second shot would be taken from. Oftentimes, it's quite reachable off the tee without crushing the ball.
Carry the water with a high-trajectory shot.
A drive that's 40 yards shorter in the middle of the fairway is preferable to a longer one that lands in the rough. Your drive dictates how you'll play the rest of the hole—so be sure you're swinging smarter, not harder.
Watch Your Lie
In the Xbox 360 version of the game, your ball's lie is a much larger and more realistic factor in your shot. If you have a downhill lie (the hill slopes toward your golfer), the ball will tend to carry in the direction of the downhill slope. For example, if the fairway slopes downhill, left-to-right, the ball will naturally carry to the right, so you'll need to aim your shot to the left to compensate. The steeper the slope, the more severely the ball will carry.
An errant swing will surely result in disaster
when attempting a draw or fade.
On an uphill slope, it's just the opposite. Some fairways also slope uphill towards the hole, and in this case, the ball won't carry quite as far. Depending on how close you are to the green, a flop shot may be in order.
The ball doesn't just go straight all the time in Tiger Woods anymore—the physics are more realistic, and you need to plan accordingly. Do so, and you'll be better able to avoid the rough, bunkers and water.
No pressure here—only hundreds of fans watching.
Use the Shape Stick
The right thumbstick on your controller helps impart spin and roll by altering where the impact centers on the ball. Push the stick forward and you shoot at a lower trajectory, increasing the ball's roll and possibly taking it out of the teeth of a stiff wind. However, the shot's distance will be reduced, and if you're shooting uphill, a low-trajectory shot is a good way to ensure bogey or worse.
Conversely, pulling back on the stick forces a high-trajectory shot. The wind affects the ball's flight more, and it's more likely to stick on the green after it lands. Use this most often on approach shots.
You can also use the "Shape Stick" to shoot draws and fades—perfect for attacking those dogleg fairways.
However, when using the stick to draw and fade, make sure you don't over-swing, as an errant swing will surely result in disaster when attempting a draw or fade.
Better keep this shot straight.
Play Conservatively
This is probably the most important thing to keep in mind, yet it's undoubtedly the hardest tenet to stick to. While every golfer wants to play for birdies and eagles on every hole, it's important to recognize when that's realistic and when it's not. Only use your power boost when necessary, like on par five driving holes.
Be judicious with your spin control, and remember—you don't always have to go for the green on every shot. The reason bunkers surround most greens are to penalize players who give in to that temptation. Don't be afraid to lay up on the fairway to set yourself up for an easy chip or pitch to the green.
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 06 for Xbox 360 is more challenging and demanding than ever before, and it demands more out of the player than ever before, as well. Keeping these tips in mind will help you change your game for the better, and you'll be shooting under par in no time!
Article by Shawn Drotar, Managing Editor, OperationSports.com
