Wii GOLF My own guide to the best game!

FOLLOWING THIS? Last amended 30May 10 So - I guess as you've come to this page, that you play the Wii sports GOLF and want to do better. I'm no master but I have found that you can improve your game with a few considerations and one or two short cuts. Because I wanted to give you a comprehensive guide, over the next nine weeks I'll take you over the course hole by hole. I had intended just to publish my quick tips but when it comes down to it, the game has so many variations that it's not possible to be concise. Therefore, make sure you add this to your favourites so that you can return each week for your enlightenment AND if you spot something that I've missed then PLEASE mail me with the info so that we can make this guide as helpful as possible to those who're struggling to come to grips with the game. You never know, we might even end up having our own tournament. (Before you say it - I know you can play online but we, like so many people, don't have our Wii connected to the internet.)
HOW GOOD ARE YOU?

Here's the MAXIMUM POSSIBLE for each hole.

HOLE 1. A straight par 4. If the wind is not too disruptive, a good drive and second shot with an iron can you an eagle. You're two under!

HOLE 2. Par 3. Allowing for the wind an accurate shot can be a hole in one. You're now 4 under!

HOLE 3. Par 5. You need the wind in your favour for this one and there is a trick to learn but a double eagle is possible making you now 7 under!

HOLE 4. Par 3. With luck on your side this is where you're most likely to get a hole in one making you 9 under!

HOLE 5. Par 5. Again, I've done this one in two. Another double eagle puts you at 12 under. There's a trick to this one too but it doesn't always prove to be an advantage.

HOLE 6. Par 4. Across the water you do have to consider the slope! An eagle here can be achieved when the hole's in the right place making you 14 under!

HOLE 7. Par 4. A tricky dogs leg and more often than not I resort to a certain trick to make an eagle possible. So you'd now be 16 under in this amazing game!

HOLE 8. Par 3. Probably the trickiest of all to get a hole in one but it can be done when the conditions are right. Mostly a birdie here but a hole in one could put you at 18 under.

HOLE 9. Par 5. Island hopping. Finish off with a double eagle off the laft-hand island if the wind will allow an iron for the second shot and you compensate for the hill that the hole is on. You've finished your game 21 under.

Of course, that's the absolute perfect game but it doesn't always work like that does it? You can however afford to par or just birdie some holes to give you a respectable 10 - 12 under! Your judgement when it comes to putting is crucial but so is the tee-off. Next we'll take a look at each hole, discuss the different wind aspects and on most greens you can find the hole in different positions on the green.

1. A GENERAL HOLE BY HOLE GUIDE

2. A CLOSER LOOK AT SOME OF THE QUIRKS FOR EACH HOLE

3. THE FINER POINTS TO A MAXIMUM SCORE.

HOLE ONE. Getting that first eagle! It's an easy hole for starters. It can appear in two positions but both are easy. A straight fairway but as you'll learn with EVERY HOLE you must first look at the wind and account for it. There's also a camber on the right hand side which you should account for. Which way you compensate left or right will put your ball in the best place for that eagle shot. If the wind's going your way then you should be able to get within a good iron shot from the hole. You'll find that it's easy to over-hit with your driver on this one. Some holes require a different dynamic for the first shot but we'll cover those as we get to them. Go easy for the first. Calculating how much to compensate for the wind can come down to mathematics mostly which again will be explained as we go. Get used to the clicks on your left and right adjuster and start to count how many you take. I found that getting an eagle on this hole often happens when the wind is against you. This leaves the ball well short of a second shot with the iron and by using the driver carefully (don't overpower it) the ball will drop in the hole with hardly any compensation required. If you can when tee-ing off, get the ball to drop on the right hand side of the fairway. This'll help keep the bunker out of the line of the second shot. Further on we'll also talk about the amount of power required for different scenarios. Keep practicing.

Pic one TEE OFF - the right side of the fairway tilts left so will bounce your ball left so drop it as far right as you can. Pic two - second shot. With no wind at this distance you should aim for a power rating of three. If the wind's against you then it might be as much as the full hit. With the wind behind you put on proportionately less power. Remember the ball will roll on more.

HOLE TWO - and your first chance at a hole in ONE!

This is an iron shot. The hole is either left or right of the bunker and the green slopes up away from it. Your best chance here is usually a power shot rating 3 1/4 but if the wind's with you then I've found it easier to bunker the ball and then chip in from there. If you're into the wind rated between 4 - 9 it'll hold the ball almost where it drops and the power might have to increased according. This is when you're likely to get your hole in one. Remember to account for wind direction though. Here's how I calculate it. The distance on your marker line to the hole is just over three dots. If the wind is at a right angle, multiply 3 x wind strength. Let's say that's 8. Placing the line right over the hole, click 24 to left or right as required. (If the angle of the wind is say 45 degrees then halve this number) This should give you the compensation required and the ball should be pretty well on target. (Some holes it varies but I'll mention when when we're there!) Putting on this green will usually find you going downhill. Use the A button to get a line on the ground and account for the angle of incline. The other important thing is to get the putting power just right. Overpowering will make the ball skip out of the hole. This hole with a 12 - 15 wind from the right will mean putting your line of shot right out over the water and I've found that with practice I undershoot the shot so that the ball bounces at the side of the bunker. The wind then picks it up and pushes it across to the hole.

With the wind coming from the left (pic) this is where I would aim the ball with a power of just over the three mark. This would drop the ball just to the side of the bunker and the wind and incline should take it towards the hole but having said that this is one of the trickier shots and requires a bit of luck!

HOLE THREE. With the lft-hand dogs leg this is your chance to EAGLE or DOUBLE EAGLE although more often than not you'll birdie this par five hole with four strokes. When teeing off it's most important to get the wind-speed compensated by the power of your stroke to get to the corner of the dogs leg. However, you can cut that corner off by taking your shot between the trees to the left. Aim the ball to go through the gap towards the right hand tree. Don't try this if the wind is dead against you at more than 8k/s. In a lot of cases with an oncoming wind a full power shot will lift the ball high enough to go over the trees even if your calculations are out! You're now close enough to get that double eagle if you've got the wind even just slightly going your way. Remember that there's an uphill gradient just before the green which will often stop you from making it onto the green. However, with luck you can make the green by two shots and with a good putt you're there with an eagle. I'll talk more later about putting and accounting for gradients. On emore thing. Even if you land on the rough with your first shot you can still easily birdie. The essence is to get your ball on the fairway just before that centre island of rough. From here a good iron shot can place you nicely on the green for a birdie.

Pic shows how you can cut the corner PROVIDED the wind is zero or even just slightly with you. Compensating for the drift if any you should aim to get your ball just to the left of the right hand tree. If you drift even slightly left you'll hit the branchesof the tree on the left of your line. A well aimed shot will put the ball on the fairway making the second shot possible to reach the green (again depending on that wind). If the wind is against you, you have no option but to aim for the open fairway at the corner.

HOLE FOUR. Here's another iron shot from the tee. The hole can appear either on the hill on the right of the green or on the left. When it's on the left hand side take into account a slight incline to the left. If the wind is strong against you don't expect to get near the hole. I've tried the driver when it's like this and unless you're exremely accurate with your power shot you'll go over the top and down the cliff. Stick to an iron for now. When it's on the hill on the right you'll need to give it a bit more power and again allow for the slope of the hill. A hit of 3 and a half will be enough with a medium wind and compensate for the drift. This was my first hole in one and I've done it regularly since on the left but never on the hill!

HOLE Five. Another dog leg par 5. I've had a number of double eagles here. Tee off to drop the ball on the rough grass at the inner elbow to slow it down before it rolls across the fairway. If you have a following wind be careful not to overshoot. IF YOU UNDERSHOOT, even though your ball may reach the fairway, a following wind means that you'll have to compensate with shot two. Not getting deep enough across the fairway with your first shot means that the trees will be in your way for shot two when you'll need to be aiming to that right hand side. Shot two is generally around the number three mark on your power gauge. The only tme I've had the double eagles from this second shot is when the hole is on the hill to the left of the green. When it's positioned on the right of the green the bunker is in the way. With the hole in this position the ideal is a slight headwind and a good shot to bounce the ball just before the bunker so that it's carried over the bunker and onto the green. Practice will teach you.

HOLE SIX. Tee off across the river then back again to the green for a possible eagle although more luck is required here for that. Nine times out of ten you can get a birdie though. First shot. Bear in mind that the land slopes towards the river so compensation should be made for that once the ball starts bouncing. It's best to get as far down the fairway as possible to allow a clean second shot to the hole avoiding the bunker. The easiest way to an eagle is when the hole appears at the top of the green on the hill. Allow for the angle of the slope though when taking the second shot. In a strong wind from left to right, you'll find that takin a shorter stroke and keeping the ball nearer rather than further away will help your second shot as the angle will be easier to compensate for. Back to tee-off. Landing on the rough between fairway and river isn't always a bad thing in slight to moderate wind especially if the hole is on the left of the green but allow for the slope again.

HOLE SEVEN. Here you're faced with another dog-leg fairway. Driving off from the tee, you won't get into a good position for your second shot if you go for the elbow with your first shot. To do this you need some following wind to help and if it's against you of any strength, forget it. Instead, calculate your shot to drop you by the bunker, ideally between the two protruding curves. This leaves you a clear shot across the rough to the green. Watch out though for your ball over the trees. This can take you out of bounds ocassionally but more often than not will leave you in the rough. It's quite possible, taking this short route, to drift the ball into the hole for an eagle. If you are taking your second shot from the bottom of the elbow, you're more than likely to have a strong wind from the right.(That's why you shot down here anyway!) Don't forget to compensate when taking the iron shot to the green. Later we'll discuss the finer ways of calculating that compensation.

The seventh green can be quite tricky too with a double knoll at the top half and a nasty slope to the bottom. Putting here can be devilish but again, later there's a chance to discover the finer points of these putts.

HOLE EIGHT. Very often the make or break hole. A poor shot now will drop your score down. Ideally, you want some strength of headwind between 8-12. This lets you apply enough force behind your shot to place the ball more accurately and slow it once on the green. It is possible to use the wind force here to help the ball uphill when the hole is situated to the right on the top hill. There's a good flat stretch to the left though which can be helpful in long putts and from the far edge of the green you can use your putter from OFF the fairway to get that birdie. Be careful if you're teeing off with a following wind. Better to drift the ball onto the green leaving a long putt than drive the ball over the cliff edge or into a bunker. Bear in mind too the the green slopes from right to left. Note the winddirection depending on whether the hole is upper(right hand side) or lower (on the left).

HOLE NINE. The islands. Check the wind. From zero to 15 WITH the wind (when the arrow is pointing upwards even from either side) You can drive across to the laft hand island from where it's possible to use an iron shot 2 to get onto the green. If the wind is any other direction/strength go acroos to where the guide line points compensating for any directional drift. Aim to get the ball in the bowl-shaped area for a second shot to the green. If you're facing a head wind of anything from 8 upwards consider taking the second shot anot the right hand island then third shot to the green. If when taking this second shot the wind is too much from the left, you might not make the green because the ball will hit the cliffs. On the green, watch out for the slight slope on the far side which you need to account for when putting. The near side of the green is fairly level even for a put from the dge of the green.

NEXT WE'LL GET DOWN TO SOME OF THE FINER POINTS. If you have any ideas or suggestions please mail them to me. Thanks

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