From the Rough

There’s great news for golf fans everywhere— Links® 2004 will keep me off the public courses forever! It’s a relief to think that I’ll never again have to apologize to my fellow golfers for near-fatal chip shots or rent scuba gear to retrieve my ball. From now on, I’ll be playing courtesy of Xbox.

My Rookie Tour
I felt spoiled by all the choices when I first sat down to play. I could have chosen from dozens of challenge matches at any gaming level and played as Sergio Garcia or any one of many other pros. But, for my first outing, I was eager to explore the game’s career mode, so I customized my own persona and allocated his skill points. Every new player begins with three characteristics: Power, Control, and Putting. The higher the rating, the better your performance in that area. You can improve your ratings with skill points. Your performance on the links determines the number of skill points you earn, and you have complete control over those points. The first time I played, I dumped everything into Power and hit shots off the tee that could have felled an elephant—but that tended to endanger spectators. I soon learned that the versatility of a well-rounded player can’t be overestimated!

Nothin’ like the outdoors … indoors.

Just Like Being There
My first stop on the road to the top was the Links 2004 Open, held at the gloriously rendered Loch Lomond course in Scotland. It was a sunny day with a moderate breeze, and the competition was a single round of stroke play on the front nine for a $10,000 purse. Naturally, I selected the beginner level, allowing me unlimited mulligan shots, though I vowed not to use them unless absolutely necessary (or, at the very least, no more than three times on each hole). It’s unlikely that I’ll ever have the opportunity to play at this or any of the other championship courses from around the globe that are featured in the game. Fortunately, the Links 2004 renderings look marvelously convincing, right down to the smallest detail. The television-style color commentary is fun and engaging; the water shimmers blindingly under the glare of the noon sun; shadows move and lengthen realistically as the day progresses; and the fans are there to cheer when you make a difficult putt or groan in dismay when you scare ducks off the water hazard with an errant shot (not that this happened to me often, mind you).

Chip or Fade
The heart and soul of Links 2004 gameplay is the real-time swing. Using the left thumbstick as the club, you can make nearly any type of shot, including drives, chips, fades, draws, and flops. The right thumbstick controls the ball’s spin, allowing you to correct for tendencies to pull to either side—if you spent your skill points wisely, that is. The game’s physics are incredibly realistic, calculating the swing speed, shot direction, and course conditions for each shot to create a believable result. Learning to read the greens is one of the most challenging aspects of golf, and the same is true in Links 2004. Luckily, there’s a Putting Assistant to help you line up putts, but the all-important swing speed is entirely in your hands.

Gameplay is smooth and realistic. Each hole begins with a short video and color commentary detailing its characteristics. After that, it’s time for you to select your club and tee off. On-screen indicators show you the position of and distance to the pin, the speed and direction of the wind, and your current standing in the round. Your caddy will recommend clubs, but you’re free to choose any one you like. (You can even drive with a sand wedge if that’s really your preference.) Following each shot, a video replay shows you all the action again. You can save these delights to your Best Hits Album or Saved Highlights Reel, so you can relive past glories or wince in pain as you try to figure out what went wrong. The game saves your lifetime statistics, recording your Player Performance, Career Progress, Course Play, and Accomplishments, such as holes-in-one, double eagles, and drives over 325 yards.

Beyond the Bunker
Needless to say, I won the tournament, shooting a scratch game and taking home the trophy and the cash, but more importantly, I discovered exactly why this game rules—and that the temptation of unlimited mulligans is mighty hard to resist.

By Jason Carl