Hole Slope

Immediately below the hole graphic is the cross section of the hole. This shows the overall slope of the hole and the relative positions of one or both players on the hole. An uphill shot will decrease the distance a ball is hit and a downhill slope will increase the distance it is hit.

To Flag

This tells you how far you have left to go to the flag from where your ball is.

Lie

This shows whether the ball lies on the fairway, rough, green or on a bunker. If the ball lies anywhere other than the fairway or green then this will reduce the effect of any spin and the distance a club can be hit. Rough and desert reduces the distance a club can be hit by 15%, bunkers by 40% and trees or bushes by 50%.

Wind

The wind will affect the flight of the ball in the direction shown. A direction gauge will show the wind direction relative to the view of the hole from the user's perspective. For example an arrow pointing right will mean a wind going left to right across the screen.

Club

Select the club you wish to use using the blue arrows on either side of the club image. The game will automatically select a club appropriate to the distance and display the distance each club should go. On longer holes, try to leave a full shot into each green as this will make scoring easier. If you are hitting from rough, trees, sand or any other hazard, take more club than you need as the distance the club goes will be reduced by effect of the hazard. You select the clubs in your golf bag when you register and you can change them at any time by clicking on Edit Details in the menu bar.

Spin

This affects the reaction of the ball in flight and on landing. Clicking on the centre imparts no spin, clicking on the left puts slice spin on the ball and it will move from left to right in flight, relative to the direction of play. Clicking on the right of the ball creates a hook with the opposite effect. Clicking top or bottom puts top-spin or back-spin respectively on the ball when it lands. Clicking on buttons in between these points puts a combination of spins on the ball as appropriate.

Hitting A Shot

The shot direction is controlled by the arrow on the rim of the power meter. To move the arrow, place the mouse cursor over the arrow, click and hold the mouse and move it clockwise or anti-clockwise.

The shot power is set by placing the mouse cursor over the inner circle of the power indicator and clicking three times. Clicking the first time will start the yellow band of the power meter 'rising' in power.

The second click will set the power of the shot. For a full shot you should aim to make the second click in the green section of the power meter. If your second click is in the red area of the power meter at the top of the swing, the power of the shot will be reduced.

After the second click the power meter will start to return to the 'ball', which is the white line at the bottom of the power meter where it started. The third click will determine how straight the flight of the ball is. Aim to click the mouse on this white line at the foot of the power meter. Clicking too early on the third click will cause a hook and clicking too late will cause a slice.

In a two-player game, the power meter is only displayed when it is the player's turn and the inner circle will be either white or red depending on whose turn it is to play. The ball will then fly through the air to its destination and the process will repeat again.

Downhill Slope

This shows the direction of the downhill slope of the green relative to the view of the hole from the user's perspective. For example, an arrow pointing right will mean a downhill slope going left to right across the screen. The steepness of the slope in degrees is shown below the direction arrow. The slope will affect the speed of the putt if you are going up or down the slope and the direction of the putt if you are going across the slope.

Club

In this view, the game will automatically select the putter if you are on the green and a wedge if you are not on the green. If you are off the green and not in the rough or a bunker, you may still select a putter to hit the ball. It is usually easier to putt from just off the green instead of playing a chip shot. Use the blue arrows on either side of the club image to select the club you want.

Hitting A Shot

If you are hitting a wedge, then the shot process is exactly the same as before.

Putting

To use the putter, set the aim with the arrow in front of the ball. This will automatically aim at the hole, but you may need to adjust it to take any slope into account. To move the arrow, place the mouse cursor over the arrow, click and hold the mouse and move it clockwise or anti-clockwise.

When you have set the aim, place the mouse cursor over the inner circle of the power indicator. Click and hold the mouse (the arrow will disappear at this point) and pull the putter away from the hole to set the power of the putt. The power increases the further you pull the putter back, as shown by the increase in the number of arrows between the putter and the ball. When you reach the power required, simply release the click on the mouse and the putter will move forward to strike the ball - hopefully into the hole!

Holing Out

When you have completed each hole, the next hole will automatically load.