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Hit the virtual green with new ‘Tiger’ golf game

While EA Sports’ “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09” is similar to last year’s golf simulation, the folks at Florida’s EA Tiburon studio have added a golf cart-full of new features and improvements to justify the purchase.

For one, the controls have been enhanced, making it easier for novices to get in the game. The recommended way to play is to use the controller’s dual analog sticks, where the left stick is pulled back and then pushed forward to hit the ball. “Old school” players, however, might opt for the classic “tri-click” method found in older golf games. The Nintendo Wii version, called “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09: All-Play,” takes advantage of the Wii’s motion-sensing remote by letting you hold the controller like a club while thwacking the virtual ball.

Wannabe pros, you can now have your own coach — Tiger Woods’ real-life instructor, Hank Haney, no less — who will analyze your performance and suggest areas of improvement after every shot. And if you want more control over your shots, you can now “tune” your clubs by tweaking individual drivers, wedges, irons and woods.

The game ships with 16 courses — same as last year — but some of the less-stellar offerings in the past have been replaced with new ones including Bay Hill (in Florida), Wolf Creek (Nevada), Wentworth (England), Sheshan (China) and The Gary Player Country Club (South Africa). Along with quick games, a lengthy career mode and minigames (including Haney’s coaching drills), back again is “Tiger Challenge,” a number of situational scenarios to test your skill.

“Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09” also offers a few new online features. One is a bonus “instant challenges” option, such as longest drive and closest-to-the-pin competitions, earning you GameNet points to increase your rank on the worldwide leader board. Even more impressive, however, is a new multiplayer mode for up to four players who want to engage in a round of golf simultaneously. Yes, now you no longer have to wait for your buddies to take their shot — you’ll just see their colored ball trails in the air while you play. When you make a great shot, you can save it as a video clip and upload it for the GamerNet community to see and challenge.

Unfortunately for PC players, this is the first year a “Tiger Woods” golf game won’t be available for the personal computer. This is especially disappointing, as golf games translate well to the PC as a platform (more so than, say, soccer or football). Gannett News Service contacted EA Sports twice to find out why no PC version is available, but no response was provided.

Oversight aside, console gamers keen on hitting the green year-round won’t be disappointed in EA Sports’ latest golf simulation. While the core game play is the same, the addition of better controls, helpful advice and new modes and courses all make it worth catching this Tiger.