AK, i never said release TGC 2 with no other improvement other than credible bunkers, obviously there has to be other improved features. After the first game, bunker TLC should have been top of the list considering how hideous and immersion breaking they are, how could you guys at HB be happy to just let that slide.
Instead of bunker correction you focused on improving multiplayer ( remained broken )
Implemented a tour mode ( forced you to play poor courses with wonky A.I. )
Implemented tempo ( subject to frame rate consistency, so many head scratching results otherwise )
The tempo element should not have been used for the short game either, there is very little feel to any of the short game shots, its all tempo focused. I play in real life and my short game is prob my best attribute, i played snooker at a high level for years and feel and touch is paramount in that sport, it transferred to golf's short game very well with me and became my best facet of play. I don't even think about tempo playing chip shots or flops, it comes naturally with repetition, my focus is 100% feel. With PG i can identify the short game with feel and touch to a decent degree, not so with TGC as its clunky, devoid of feel and too tempo focused.
DoGgs, I agree that the bunkers are not nearly up to current gen standards. I've read Anthony's explanation about why they are what they are. I understand the reasoning and the fact that they went with what they considered to be the more popular choice, feature wise. Apparently they have information that tells them that course platform sharing is more popular than high image quality bunkers. I can't argue with that because I don't have the data to back up either position.
I also understand that there is a demographic represented in this forum who put a high emphasis on bunker quality, but you have to realize that the PG userbase has been indoctrinated with them from the get-go, so they aren't going to be as tolerant of anything less. TGC players, OTOH, have been indoctrinated with cross-platform course sharing from the get-go. If high quality bunkers came at the cost of course sharing, there'd be a massive protest from the majority of the TGC userbase, I'd predict. Many console users are restricted to 500 GB anyway, and when you start totaling up the cost of storage space that would be required for downloaded course files that would contain the needed data for custom bunkers, it adds up quickly.
I can see your point about the way tempo is implemented in TGC 2019. I know in real life, my backswing to downswing speed ratio has far less to do with whether I hook or slice than my swing path. In TGC 2019, the swing path only affects the degree of push or pull. It really feels counter-intuitive. It really gets wonky when I think of the fact that a slow downswing tempo results in a push that carries further than if you'd hit it with perfect downswing tempo!? Still, I like the fact that they did get tempo into the mix because it calls upon the management of another variable during the swing. You're right, the current interface takes much of the stroke management touch out of the game. I find it next to impossible to play a 90/95% swing because the scaling seems to be so off. It's a little better with chipping, but I agree with you that there's too much of an impact on the chip shot from tempo.