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GamerSpeak:Tee Up to Higher Skill Levels
By B.B. Larouche
So, you’re a dedicated Links® 2004 player, and you’ve been focusing on beefing up your Beginner player’s stats. That’s fine; there’s nothing wrong with that. But, let’s say that now you’re thinking about testing yourself with the next step in the progression: Intermediate (and maybe even Advanced). Now, those sweet 50-foot putts you’ve been draining are going to come a whole lot harder once you lose that big blue line that shows you the way to the cup. And, judging the power of your swing is going to be a little bit tricky without that handy yellow line telling you where to stop the backswing.
So, how are you going to do it? Well, you’re going to have to practice and spend time learning new skills, but in the meantime, there are some resources out there. The first and best resource for the Links gamer is the community of expert players who are willing to lend a hand. We polled the Links 2004 community on the Xbox.com forums, and a number of players stepped forward with tips on how to take the next step in your online golf game.
The first challenge you’ll confront is tee shots and irons, since judging your backswing is so much harder at the higher skill levels. Seasoned gamer jmarks2001 got the ball rolling with some useful insight into this problem: “Anything other than a full swing usually ends up going farther than you planned. So, if you're trying to make a 3/4 swing, tell yourself to take a 1/2 swing. If you're trying to make a 1/2 swing, tell yourself to take a 1/4 swing. If you're trying to make a 1/4 swing … ummm … I guess you should just sit there with the controller in your hand and hope something happens.”
Actually, we don’t recommend that you just sit there and wait. This isn’t Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, after all, and stealth isn’t going to help your golf game. But, otherwise, jmarks2001 is right on the mark. 
Easy does it.
“But wait,” I can hear you saying. (I’m listening via a tiny camera implanted in your computer’s speaker.) “Those tips assume that you’re playing in ideal conditions. How do I take into account wind speed and the lie of the ball?”
Excellent question. Luckily for you, sworth1840 also posted to the forum thread with insight into this specific problem. If you have an uphill shot, the ball will carry 10-20 yards shorter than normal club distance. If you have a downhill lie, the ball will come out low and hot and carry 10-20 yards longer than it normally would. You must compensate by either going up or down a club or taking a full swing or a half swing, depending on the situation. If the ball is below or above your feet, it will also carry farther than normal. The ball below your feet will also go to the right (slice), and the ball above your feet will go to the left (hook), so you must adjust your aim accordingly. Once you determine your lie and adjust your shot selection to it, you must then take into account the wind direction and make adjustment for this. Winds of 20-30 mph can make a 2-3 club difference in your shot. Winds under 15 mph will usually only require a one club adjustment or a stronger or shorter swing.
Good to know. But, even if you handle the approach perfectly, you’ll still need to make the putt. It can be very tricky judging how much juice to put on a long putt, though. Thankfully, sworth1840 also had lots to say on that topic. If you are looking at the putter head going back, a 6-inch pullback will usually get you about anywhere up to 10 feet. A 1-foot pullback will get you 10-20 feet. A 2-foot pullback will get you 20-30 feet and so on. A full putter swing will get you approximately 23 yards (70 feet), depending on the lie. For short putts, 3 feet or less, I usually begin to pull back and immediately go forward.
Feeling overwhelmed with all these tips and techniques? Then, maybe you should follow the short and punchy advice of Shush:
Just hit it.
Sounds good to me. Keep visiting the Xbox.com forums, and keep an eye on these pages for the next installment of GamerSpeak. You never know when a crucial tip might come your way. By B.B. Larouche
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