Tips and Strategy

TOP 10 Links 2003 Tips

1. Strategy
Don't give away strokes. Play smart, high-percentage shots. Aim for the fat parts of greens and the wide sides of fairways. Avoid the hazards by aiming long when aiming for flags located at the front of greens, and short of the flagsticks when playing to holes placed at the back of greens. Aim a little left if a pin on the right side of a green and to the right when the cup is on the left.

2. Putting
Ninety percent of missed putts wind up short of and on the low side of the hole. Play a little more break than you see and try to hit ball 1.5 feet past the hole. To develop the touch needed to gauge the speed needed for a putt, practice your technique on all green combinations.

3. Chipping
The club used for chipping will affect how the ball will roll. The length of a shot hit with a pitching wedge will divided 50-50 between flight and roll (it will travel half of its length in the air and the other half on the ground). A sand wedge shot will get 60 percent of its length in the air and 40 percent on the ground. Expect a lob wedge shot's distance to be divided 70/30 (70 percent in the air, 30 percent on the ground).

4. Setting the Aiming Marker
Make sure you have the aiming marker placed on the correct side of the green so the wind pushes the shot towards the hole. Get in the habit of always placing the aiming marker so that it is even with the pin.

5. Select the Proper Club
When hitting into a head wind, the ball will not roll out. The correct club is the one that will carry to entire distance to the hole. Even crosswinds will have an effect on the roll out of your shot.

6. Don't Swing Too Hard
Keep the swing meter from traveling beyond 100 percent (don't allow it to past the 12 o'clock-position). The additional yardage gained by allowing the power meter to go beyond 100 percent is minimal, while the penalty for a missed snap is severe when swinging too hard. If you are in between clubs, select the longer club and hit 100 percent. See the loft tip below.

7. Use the Proper View Cameras
These are the preferred view cameras of the top LS golfers: Top camera (for determining the obstacles in the ball path and for placing the aiming marker): Green cam (for checking pin placement and for placing the aiming marker on approach shots): and Landing cam (to get a look at the shot from the back of the hole towards the ball). In the game, select Menu, Display, Cameras. Display them along the right side of your screen.

8. Learn to Read the Rises and Drops in Elevation for Approach Shots
On uphill shots, take the rise (in feet) and divide by two, then add that result (in yards) to the shot. Example: rise of 20 feet, (20/2=10), add 10 yards to the shot. For downhill shots, take the fall (in feet) and divide by three, then subtract that result (in yards) from the shot. Example: drop of 21 feet, (21/3=7), subtract 7 yards from the shot.

9. Use Loft to Control the Distance of Your Shots
In the game, select Menu, Clubs, Setup. You will see a graphic of two feet and a ball. You can adjust the ball up and down. By moving the ball up, you add loft to the club and it will fly higher and travel a shorter distance. If you move it down, it subtracts loft and the ball will fly lower and farther. It is much easier to control the distance of your shots with this method versus trying to vary the strength of your swing with the swing meter. Check out the Bubsnews charts section (see below) for an excellent loft chart, among others.

10. Mistakes
Be sure you know which club you have selected. Turn off the caddy so you have to select the club manually before each shot. Don't make the mistake of thinking you have the PW chip when you, in fact, have the full PW.