JCat, thanks for the feedback. I play with a mouse. I find the replays in TGC very limited, You can choose to view the avatar from the left, right, or behind. Then when the ball is in flight it switches to what I call the telecast camera. There is a kind of reverse replay but it is not like PG where you start looking back at the avatar.
My opinion about computer golf games is influenced by the fact that I am an avid player of the real game. That's why I think a control method like 3C where it is merely a twitch reflex is strictly arcade. Golf is not a twitch muscle game and when you have a relatively slow meter that fills in at exactly the same speed all the time with instant feedback for your next shot it is no wonder that people can shoot 58 under. RTSM is the best swing method I have used and I go back to Amiga Golf. I'm really impressed how it incorporates elements of a real golf swing, like tempo and swing path. I've seen players hit shanks with RTSM. Mishits or offsets where you can lose as much as 25% of the indicated carry distance for a club can occur regularly. There are a lot of moving parts with a RTSM swing just like a real golf swing.
TGC is more of an in your face experience. As a friend of mine said the other evening when we were playing TGC it just feels like you're pounding the driver because of the sound it makes on contact. Also the point of view is closer than PG which gives more of an impression of actually being on the course.
The TGC full swing is a bit odd but I find it easier to hit it straight then with RTSM at Pro level which is what I play. I started at Masters Clubs level from day one but I've noticed that the majority of players us Pro Clubs. I have yet to play a round with anyone that is left handed or a female. As an example of odd, why does a slow backswing reduce power? On full shots it seems you get the longest distance with a perfect back swing and slow downswing.
On thing I forgot to mention in my previous post was that the drop option in TGC is very limited. You can't go back or forward like you can in PG.
PG is still my preferred computer golf sim but it is too bad it doesn't have features like being able to create your own avatar which is a hoot and a expanded save game function.
The courses in PG especially the top community rendered courses are vastly superior to the top TGC courses especially renditions of real courses. TGC courses regardless of how well they are done look to a degree the same because you can only use objects provided in the game. They also don't look as realistic because the terrain is too pristine. No overlay renditions or 3D grass for TGC courses. Just one example, compare the TGC version of Riviera to Bortimus' version for PG. On the first tee of the TGC version there are some large trees directly in front and you can't even see the fairway which is an example of how inaccurate some of them are. The trees are all the wrong kind. The clubhouse is a stock house that comes with the game and the well known screen net to the left of the second hole is not there in the TGC version. I could go on but I find that the fictional courses in TGC are more interesting than the real course renditions.
There are more bugs in TGC than PG which I find surprising given that HB Studios has a staff of 80 (according to their website) and this is the 3rd version. I found a new one the other day when playing a ghost round. On the first hole my ghost playing partner hit his approach shot in to a greenside bunker. However for his 3rd shot he was putting from the green. The next hole his tee shot found the fairway but when it came time to hit his second shot it was from a fairway bunker.
I have a group of about six guys that I play multiplayer with and you are welcome to join us. Five of them joined The Old Goats Tour but when the real golf season starts here I don't play computer golf as much, so haven't joined. I used to play PGLS tournaments when they had one specifically for RTSM, MS and controller only. If you ever want to play a match with either game let me know. I find multiplayer always more fun than solo. You have posted some well thought out comments in the past which I have found interesting.
