HB Studios Next-Gen golf game: The Golf Club

[MUTTS]

Well I need a self imposed timeout. Call it sour grapes, being a poor sport or whatever you want to call it.

After a zillion rounds there is no learning curve. I shot -2 this morning b4 work and came back and shot +22 on the ps4 daily. No rhyme, no reason. Tempo is always perfect perfect or slow and perfect. No matter which of our four controllers I use, its the same thing. There is no way to discern between a good swing and a shank and tonight was all shank. On a real golf course when things go bad, I have the ability to work it out. I sure as sh*t don't shoot 22 over either.

Trash me all you want...just not feeling it.

Tony

[J_Cauthen]

Well I need a self imposed timeout. Call it sour grapes, being a poor sport or whatever you want to call it.

After a zillion rounds there is no learning curve. I shot -2 this morning b4 work and came back and shot +22 on the ps4 daily. No rhyme, no reason. Tempo is always perfect perfect or slow and perfect. No matter which of our four controllers I use, its the same thing. There is no way to discern between a good swing and a shank and tonight was all shank. On a real golf course when things go bad, I have the ability to work it out. I sure as sh*t don't shoot 22 over either.

Trash me all you want...just not feeling it.

Tony

Tony, if I'm being honest, I'd probably be right in there with you if I was having to play the PS4 version with a stock DS4 controller, especially as a left thumbstick swinger. The lower mounting position of the left thumbstick on the DS4 controller does not lend itself well to my long thumbs.

I bought a Nacon Revolution Pro controller off Ebay a few months ago, and its left thumbstick is mounted at the same height on the controller body as the XBox 360 and Elite controllers. I'm much more familiar with the feel of this arrangement and the controller feels great! They're usually between $90 and $100 though, but I snagged mine for $74.

If I had to play a round of golf in TGC 2 right now using the left thumbstick of the stock, DS4 controller, I doubt I could break 95 at Brookledge GC using Tour clubs. I shot a 64 with the Nacon Revolution Pro, mostly because the ergonomics are so much better suited for my thumb. Some of it was because I don't think the Nacon Revolution Pro is as sensitive all the way around, as the DS4. That winds up hurting my feel a little bit in the short game though.

BTW, are you a left or a right thumbstick swinger? I ask because even though I prefer playing with the left thumbstick as the swing stick, I can hit the ball much straighter with the right thumbstick on the DS4. I fall apart in the short game with the right thumb though, and that's why I don't use it. Another thing to keep in mind is that Brookledge GC is setup with firm/fast greens. I normally don't like to play those as casual rounds, but this course needs to be seen. The view of that first tee is nothing short of breathtaking. It ought to be the box cover art for the game!

[MUTTS]

I'm left handed but swing with the right thumb stick. I also play golf right handed. Go figure

[ddtrane]

We could just schedule a night and time.

However I think I'm the only one not using Tour Clubs..

Quit crying, im using standard clubs and shooting in the 80's and 90's.

[TCrouch]

I used Tour on PS4, and Player on XBox. I don't shoot anywhere near what Tim does, but I rarely feel handcuffed by distance. I might have the occasional 200 yard par 4 approach, but for those I just loft a hybrid to the moon and pray I got the distance right, and I don't end up with a bunch of 50 foot putts each round.

Tour clubs get you the distance, but you lose the margin for error. I'll take that and just accept that I won't be posting -30 scores for 4-round tourneys

[pk500]

I'm perfectly happy with Player clubs and make no apologies. They provide the perfect blend of performance and of a match for my skill level. Challenging but not impossible.

I'll get to Tour clubs someday. Today is not that day.

[Danimal]

Can someone explain to me why my handicap keeps going UP now that I'm shooting better scores? I was a 4.1 and now up to a 8.2.

Not that it plays any affect in the game as all, just curious why this is happening

[dbdynsty25]

Can someone explain to me why my handicap keeps going UP now that I'm shooting better scores? I was a 4.1 and now up to a 8.2.

Not that it plays any affect in the game as all, just curious why this is happening

Because you're playing easier courses. The easier the course, the better you need to score to keep your HC in the same range.

[Danimal]

Can someone explain to me why my handicap keeps going UP now that I'm shooting better scores? I was a 4.1 and now up to a 8.2.

Not that it plays any affect in the game as all, just curious why this is happening

Because you're playing easier courses. The easier the course, the better you need to score to keep your HC in the same range.

I don't really feel like I'm playing easier courses, do the courses have a slope and rating on them like a real course?

[dbdynsty25]

Can someone explain to me why my handicap keeps going UP now that I'm shooting better scores? I was a 4.1 and now up to a 8.2.

Not that it plays any affect in the game as all, just curious why this is happening

Because you're playing easier courses. The easier the course, the better you need to score to keep your HC in the same range.

I don't really feel like I'm playing easier courses, do the courses have a slope and rating on them like a real course?

Yup, if you look at your handicap history inside of your profile, you can see that info and how each affected your HC.

[FifaInspected]

I'm perfectly happy with Player clubs and make no apologies. They provide the perfect blend of performance and of a match for my skill level. Challenging but not impossible.

I'll get to Tour clubs someday. Today is not that day.

Couldn't agree more. I struggle enough with the player clubs and birdies are a rare and pleasant surprise for me. The beauty of this game is that it's.... a game. I look forward to playing and it's really damn fun.. once a game stops being fun I stop playing.

[J_Cauthen]

You guys have the right attitude about club sets... there's nothing wrong at all with playing with the club set that best fits your current skill set. For a long time (months in the beta and two weeks into the release version, I used Player clubs and it was a great way to become acclimated with the game and its nuances.

My goal is to find a skill level and controller combination that puts me in the 65% FIR and 62% GIR range. I come closest to meeting that goal with Tour clubs and the XBox 360 Silver Edition controller in the PC version. That combination nets me an average score of ~70, and requires me to play every shot type and every club in the bag, in an average round. There's a fresh challenge to every round because of this.

I think I'm coming close to finding that balance with the XBox One Elite controller on the XBox One, but need some more seat time with it. I'm finding my Nacon Pro Revolution controller might not be the best fit for the PS4 version, but the stock DS4 controller would only work for me with Standard clubs. I don't know of any other PS4 alternative controllers that have XBox controller type thumbstick mounting. More work needed here, but I still hit enough wild strays with the Nacon to keep it interesting.

[J_Cauthen]

I'm left handed but swing with the right thumb stick. I also play golf right handed. Go figure

I'm right handed, play golf right handed, but I've always used the left thumbstick in golf games, primarily because it feels like an analog of my left arm in a right handed golf swing. I can't get that perception out of my head.

[Naples39]

Player clubs for me (that's the middle one right?). I'm equally likely to shoot an 80 as a par and find the game rewarding and challenging. No regrets.

[Danimal]

This game is so infuriating like the real game. I was playing one of the official society events at Ethiland (sp?) and I'm going into 17 and I'm going to place in the top 10, 6 to be exact if I par out. On 17 in round 1 I drove the green which is a risky and lucky proposition so I went for it in round 2. Ended up in that pot bunker and it took 4 shots to get out. I ended up dropping to #25 but finally shot under par for the first time in a 2 round event.

I also almost had my 1st hole in one earlier on 17 Sawgrass of all courses. Hit and 8 iron in and it one hopped, hit the flag stick and dropped right next to the hole. Has anyone had an ace yet?

I sat down 3 hours ago to play 1 round and do something else and played like 6 rounds of this game. So addicting.

[Gangrel]

I played the xbox daily last night and was going on fine until i got greedy and tried to drive the 295ish par 4 and put it in the water next to the green. then my second attempt bounced into the water as well. My own fault, no problems.

The greens however I find ridiculously fast. As someone else mentioned here, i feel like i'm barley moving the putter, and on a slight downhill putt the ball goes 10-15 feet past? I know i haven't played much lately and am probably rusty, but it seems a bit extreme. The same as an approach shot that hit, then rolled backwards down hill off the green probably 10 yards or so.

I get that green speeds is how lots of designers make this "challenging", but I guess more would just use the other green speeds other than "insane".

BTW, i'm using Tour clubs you wusses. I have slow backswing/perfect downswing 90% of the time. Occasionaly i get excited and have fast downswing, which lets me explore other parts of the course I wasn't intending........

[RobVarak]

Player clubs for me (that's the middle one right?). I'm equally likely to shoot an 80 as a par and find the game rewarding and challenging. No regrets.

Same here. I was away for a few weeks and my HCP went from 1.0 to like 10 and now it's back down to a 6 or so. Shows you how much muscle memory comes into play.

[Teal]

Yep. Player here too. I'm not one for getting kicks out of making things frustrating... Lol. It's already frustrating enough...

[FifaInspected]

First round in the books for PS4. 3 double bogeys on the back nine made an already difficult round worse. My approach game was horrible today and as a result, i was left with far too many 30ft+putts for my liking.

[Teal]

Wintergreen is a joy to play. -2 for the round, and no complaints.

[vader29]

Wintergreen is a joy to play. -2 for the round, and no complaints.

Yep it is a fun and beautiful course. Played Terry's ghost last night and finally caught up to his score near the end before birdies on the last two holes put me ahead by 2 strokes.

[10spro]

Wintergreen is a joy to play. -2 for the round, and no complaints.

Yep it is a fun and beautiful course. Played Terry's ghost last night and finally caught up to his score near the end before birdies on the last two holes put me ahead by 2 strokes.

NIce Vader. Now get on to the weekend tournament will ya.

[TCrouch]

Yep I had been - 11 after 12 or something and thought it was got to be ridiculous. Then fell apart the last few holes.

But how do you play a ghost? I just playing in a vacuum.

[dbdynsty25]

Yep I had been - 11 after 12 or something and thought it was got to be ridiculous. Then fell apart the last few holes.

But how do you play a ghost? I just playing in a vacuum.

You have to add players to your "group" before the round starts. It's absolutely a HORRIBLE way to do it, and confusing as hell, but you can do it.

[DivotMaker]

Was going to play the PC event today but I saw who the designer was and decided to skip. Long sordid story.....