Scoring how?????

[MrT]

The grid lines are sometimes difficult to see, especially for the aging eyes. Using the BLI solves that problem. It only took about a month to switch over and shoot the same or better scores.

The biggest problem with not being able to see the grid lines is the greens texture color. Some of them have too much yellow in them which tends to match the grid color and make them look faded out.

I agree 100%.. I always wondered why some "authors" do that... It would have been great to be able to choose the color of the grid lines so that it could be adapted to different courses. There have been instances where if I did not pay enough attention I would have been misled from the similarity of colors. I tried to play without grid lines completely, but I cannot really see the contours of most greens well enough to decide how to hit the ball. I even tried to switch the gridlines on and off and often I realized that I was reading the green wrong by quite a bit.

[MrT]

Mr T, I enjoy your posts because they are well thought out, thorough and entertaining. And I don't mean to be insulting, but it appears that you might get bored too easily.

At 73 years old, I have played Links since the 90s. There have been a few breaks for whatever reason, but I've always come back to it. What has really drawn me to continue playing is the unbelievable job the designers have done in replicating real courses which are the only ones I play. Even many of the older courses have largely stood the test of time, as I have checked the yardages against actual tournaments in recent years (2016 to present)

I do. I will not deny it. Some say that smart people get easily bored. Maybe I am too smart for my own good Or maybe I just have a short interest span..

The only thing that never bored me (so far) is Mathematics.

I think that what happens for me is that in the beginning hard work gets rewarded well. Then one reaches about his or her "limits" and any further improvement costs "blood and tears" and it is really by small margins. In addition, golf is not a kind sport: there is a difference in missing the hole by 1 inch or 1 yard, but it still counts +1 in the final score. So, you see, when I go from missing the hole by 1 yard to missing it by 1 inch, there has been a lot of improvement, but not one that shows in the scoring cards. That makes the game a chore to some extent. It was no different in skiing, but at least when I clocked a faster time, it was recorded as a faster time, even when my placement may have remained the same in the end. That is the aspect of golf that makes it hard for m, both in Links and in real life, to stay interested.

Perhaps the hardest part of golf for me, in general not just in Links, is that I live it as a track meet: I want to score a personal best every time, I want to hit the longest drive, the longest putt, etc.... and that makes the game mentally exhausting. In real life it is worse: in Links when I have a bad game, I can quit and start over or do something else. In real life I cannot set the golf cart on fire, bulldoze the greens and make them "anatomically correct", or just leave the group and go home to do something else.

My last game in real life was memorable: I was having the game of my life.. I was still at even after 12 holes (not the most difficult course, no, I was not playing Augusta or Oakmont, of course) then on a short par 5 I wanted to fly the ball over the big pond and maybe get on the green in 2. Well I ended up in the water 3 times in a row.... Long story short, took my golf bag, tossed it into the pond and went home. I wanted to drive even the cart into the pond and drown it, but I controlled myself. Never played a real golf game ever again!

Does that count as being bored or just incredibly pissed? Same outcome though. My clubs were not precious, by the way.

[Danny D]

Mr T, I enjoy your posts because they are well thought out, thorough and entertaining. And I don't mean to be insulting, but it appears that you might get bored too easily.

At 73 years old, I have played Links since the 90s. There have been a few breaks for whatever reason, but I've always come back to it. What has really drawn me to continue playing is the unbelievable job the designers have done in replicating real courses which are the only ones I play. Even many of the older courses have largely stood the test of time, as I have checked the yardages against actual tournaments in recent years (2016 to present)

I do. I will not deny it. Some say that smart people get easily bored. Maybe I am too smart for my own good Or maybe I just have a short interest span..

The only thing that never bored me (so far) is Mathematics.

I think that what happens for me is that in the beginning hard work gets rewarded well. Then one reaches about his or her "limits" and any further improvement costs "blood and tears" and it is really by small margins. In addition, golf is not a kind sport: there is a difference in missing the hole by 1 inch or 1 yard, but it still counts +1 in the final score. So, you see, when I go from missing the hole by 1 yard to missing it by 1 inch, there has been a lot of improvement, but not one that shows in the scoring cards. That makes the game a chore to some extent. It was no different in skiing, but at least when I clocked a faster time, it was recorded as a faster time, even when my placement may have remained the same in the end. That is the aspect of golf that makes it hard for m, both in Links and in real life, to stay interested.

Perhaps the hardest part of golf for me, in general not just in Links, is that I live it as a track meet: I want to score a personal best every time, I want to hit the longest drive, the longest putt, etc.... and that makes the game mentally exhausting. In real life it is worse: in Links when I have a bad game, I can quit and start over or do something else. In real life I cannot set the golf cart on fire, bulldoze the greens and make them "anatomically correct", or just leave the group and go home to do something else.

My last game in real life was memorable: I was having the game of my life.. I was still at even after 12 holes (not the most difficult course, no, I was not playing Augusta or Oakmont, of course) then on a short par 5 I wanted to fly the ball over the big pond and maybe get on the green in 2. Well I ended up in the water 3 times in a row.... Long story short, took my golf bag, tossed it into the pond and went home. I wanted to drive even the cart into the pond and drown it, but I controlled myself. Never played a real golf game ever again!

Does that count as being bored or just incredibly pissed? Same outcome though. My clubs were not precious, by the way.

I used to play Links online with a guy that was obsessed at winning. He took it amazingly serious and would get real mad when things didn't go his way. No matter what, he just HAD to win, even if he had to cheat to do it. He was really good at the game, and he knew by his swing if he hit a bad shot. So when he hit a bad shot, he would instantly shut down the game so it would not save the shot, and then we would re-connect and he would say his machine crashed, and then he would re-hit the last shot. It was the equivalent of taking a mulligan. I never accused him of anything, but eventually I caught on to what he was doing. When I figured it out, I decided to never play with him again. After I thought about it for a while, I wondered what the heck it is that will drive a man to win at all cost, even if he has to cheat. Don't they understand that they are not actually winning, but rather manipulating the game to make it APPEAR like they actually won? I'm not wired that way. My conscience won't allow me to live with myself if I can't win on my own merit. I simply accept what I do, try to improve it, and move on. After thinking about this fella and seeing how obsessed he was with winning, I decided to play with him again, only this time I had a new challenge. I wanted to beat him just to see how pissed he would get. Many times I thought he would never play with me again when I won, but he would always show up and play again. After I won about 5 games in a row, he finally got so mad that he quit playing with me. To me, I had accomplished my goal. Still, I don't understand the anger issues people have with themselves that would lead them to wrap a club around a tree, or throw their bag in a pond. If hitting a few bad shots makes you want to give up the game, then work harder to improve your game, or learn to accept your limitations. If you can't do that then mentally you are not serious enough to try to improve. At that point it's time to find a new game to play.

Dan

[MrT]

I used to play Links online with a guy that was obsessed at winning. He took it amazingly serious and would get real mad when things didn't go his way. No matter what, he just HAD to win, even if he had to cheat to do it. He was really good at the game, and he knew by his swing if he hit a bad shot. So when he hit a bad shot, he would instantly shut down the game so it would not save the shot, and then we would re-connect and he would say his machine crashed, and then he would re-hit the last shot. It was the equivalent of taking a mulligan. I never accused him of anything, but eventually I caught on to what he was doing. When I figured it out, I decided to never play with him again. After I thought about it for a while, I wondered what the heck it is that will drive a man to win at all cost, even if he has to cheat. Don't they understand that they are not actually winning, but rather manipulating the game to make it APPEAR like they actually won? I'm not wired that way. My conscience won't allow me to live with myself if I can't win on my own merit. I simply accept what I do, try to improve it, and move on. After thinking about this fella and seeing how obsessed he was with winning, I decided to play with him again, only this time I had a new challenge. I wanted to beat him just to see how pissed he would get. Many times I thought he would never play with me again when I won, but he would always show up and play again. After I won about 5 games in a row, he finally got so mad that he quit playing with me. To me, I had accomplished my goal. Still, I don't understand the anger issues people have with themselves that would lead them to wrap a club around a tree, or throw their bag in a pond. If hitting a few bad shots makes you want to give up the game, then work harder to improve your game, or learn to accept your limitations. If you can't do that then mentally you are not serious enough to try to improve. At that point it's time to find a new game to play.

Dan

I thought about that technique, but not for a while. I wish I had known it in a few instances that were legitimate. I was having a good game and I was about to hit a delicate putt and the fixed line rang and gave me a scare as I was so intensely concentrated on the shot. I really jumped from my chair and the shot went on. Back then I had no idea one could kill the game immediately and not record the shot. And I had allowed myself zero Mulligans so I ruined my good game. That day I was pissed and a few days later I got rid of the fixed line phone! Demoted it to door stopper! Damn'd diabolical machine!

Winning or losing has never been an issue to me. Playing badly makes me mad though. Missing a putt by a couple of inches makes me super mad. When the ball lands before the green and runs up the green and goes out on the other side, I get "the incredible Hulk" mad. My clothes explodes, my shoes break apart, ... it gets ugly. If I could put my hands on the course designer, I could probably tie a knot with his legs around his neck!

[Danny D]

it gets ugly. If I could put my hands on the course designer, I could probably tie a knot with his legs around his neck!

[Kunkleman]

The grid lines are sometimes difficult to see, especially for the aging eyes. Using the BLI solves that problem. It only took about a month to switch over and shoot the same or better scores.

The biggest problem with not being able to see the grid lines is the greens texture color. Some of them have too much yellow in them which tends to match the grid color and make them look faded out.

I agree 100%.. I always wondered why some "authors" do that... It would have been great to be able to choose the color of the grid lines so that it could be adapted to different courses. There have been instances where if I did not pay enough attention I would have been misled from the similarity of colors. I tried to play without grid lines completely, but I cannot really see the contours of most greens well enough to decide how to hit the ball. I even tried to switch the gridlines on and off and often I realized that I was reading the green wrong by quite a bit.

Trying to read the greens without the gridlines or the BLI is impossible. The BLI is the answer.

[Jimbo]

Mr. T...you're in your 50's? We that explains it-you're just a baby compared to most of us!
I daresay that Tiger Woods can outhit Jack Niklaus .
Actually you can download different sets os clubs, as well as various other enhancements....but the most important "enhancement" is the contribution of our incredible of APCD designers who have mastered what is, I believe the original "Design Your Own Course" program. It's very difficult to master but we also have people who have designed new features for APCD.
That's what really keeps the game vital, even though Microsoft walked away a long time ago.

(...and Sage, if you're reading this, well...)

Anyway with "juniors" like you playing the game it will remain the best golf game long after the rest of us are "playing Links o a different tour"!
Just keep telling your friends...a d this forum always has room for more!
One more thing-if playing badly or missing a short putt makes you angry...well that's what makes Links the most realistic golf game on the net!

[MrT]

Mr. T...you're in your 50's? We that explains it-you're just a baby compared to most of us!
I daresay that Tiger Woods can outhit Jack Niklaus .
Actually you can download different sets os clubs, as well as various other enhancements....but the most important "enhancement" is the contribution of our incredible of APCD designers who have mastered what is, I believe the original "Design Your Own Course" program. It's very difficult to master but we also have people who have designed new features for APCD.
That's what really keeps the game vital, even though Microsoft walked away a long time ago.

(...and Sage, if you're reading this, well...)

Anyway with "juniors" like you playing the game it will remain the best golf game long after the rest of us are "playing Links o a different tour"!
Just keep telling your friends...a d this forum always has room for more!
One more thing-if playing badly or missing a short putt makes you angry...well that's what makes Links the most realistic golf game on the net!

Yes, my wife says that I am a big baby too! 250lbs of it. I agree with you that, without the enthusiasm and contribution of many skilled people, the game would have been dead and buried a long time ago. I made peace with some courses (I don't bother them, they don't bother me), but 90% are usually fair game even in challenging settings. I will go to my grave claiming that some hole placements should have never existed in first place (which, if you stop to ponder for a moment, would have been a minor thing to think about considering all the efforts and time that goes into making a course), but other than that I am in good terms with the game. I tried WGT and could not stand the game after 40 days because I was bored beyond what is humanly possible to bear. Plus, playing golf with an Excel spreadsheet on all the time is ridiculous and absurd. The best feature in Links is the Pro-distance version of the game. But I can only play it in CS and I do not want to click around! I click already enough times during the day when using my Excel spreadsheets. Enough clicking! RTS was not given that option, sadly.

I am not sure what you mean by "I can download different sets of clubs, as well as various enhancements". I am aware of the different .ani files. But do you mean that you can get clubs with different features, different trajectories for the balls, different max distances? If that were the case, I would have missed it. But I doubt that is what you mean, somehow. That happens in WGT where, if you reach high enough levels and do not mind to part ways with some real money, you can buy better clubs and better balls.

As I wrote elsewhere, I think that if I set the game on the very challenging settings, balls travel longer on fairways, but too many greens have holes that do not work in very challenging settings and I am not going to pick the hole placements one by one. And not just because I am lazy, but because I am afraid to give myself advantages by cherry picking the hole placements.

WGT did me in and now, for a while, I have to take a break from any golf game.

I keep coming back to visit Links for I long to see the new version of St. Andrews Old Course made using LIDAR data and that is in the works. The current one is not behaving like the real deal. Some elements of it are off. Maybe it should be played in Mc/Fc or even Fc/Fc, high winds and Champ mode or Elite mode only, but somehow when I play it and then watch the real footage on videos, they look like two different things. There are similarities, no doubts, but the way the Links's version plays is different. Some parts are too difficult, some are too easy...

Oh well.. if it is meant to be, I will see the new version of St. Andrews sooner or later.

[karnaktwo]

Been playing for 2 years??? I've played this great game since 1986 and real golf since 1975. In both cases I've improved in some areas, not in others. In Links I play RTS at elite level and usually have McMc conditions. Whoever first designed this game must geniuses at the level of Einstein. I've won a few tournaments in career mode but so far have been unable to get my winnings to my bank account--anyone any ideas how to do that? The designers creating these marvellous golf courses give us such a variety that getting bored simply doesn't exist. As in the real game my scores reflect current form sometimes good, sometimes not but in Links just at a different scoring level. -6 is very occasional, +2/3 relatively common but as in the real game the occasional good round brings you back.

[pmgolf]

Been playing for 2 years??? I've played this great game since 1986 and real golf since 1975. In both cases I've improved in some areas, not in others. In Links I play RTS at elite level and usually have McMc conditions. Whoever first designed this game must geniuses at the level of Einstein. I've won a few tournaments in career mode but so far have been unable to get my winnings to my bank account--anyone any ideas how to do that? The designers creating these marvelous golf courses give us such a variety that getting bored simply doesn't exist. As in the real game my scores reflect current form sometimes good, sometimes not but in Links just at a different scoring level. -6 is very occasional, +2/3 relatively common but as in the real game the occasional good round brings you back.

We've been playing the same games for about the same amount of time, and I also play RTS. I run a Tour over at LSPN.NET called The World Tour, and I'd like to get more RTS players to participate. The 2 weekly tournaments use challenging conditions (1.07) and are handicapped. You're welcome to come join it and see what you think!

Pete