Introduction
Perfect Golf has evolved and grown since the days of the first Early Access release. Not only has the name changed to Jack Nicklaus Perfect Golf but there have also been changes to the graphics and physics as well as having more swing types and swing hardware options added.
Initially we had the good old standard 3 Click on a circular swing gauge as well as Motion Swing which was a mouse controlled pointer on the same circular gauge.
Like many other computer golfers I jumped straight in to 3 clicking. It was familiar and we were probably confident of playing the game at a good level of competence utilising a method we had used for so long. Unfortunately the old rig I was using wasn't powerful enough to maintain a smooth pointer on the gauge and I thought my Perfect Golf days had crashed to a halt within minutes.
My only other option was Motion Swing because it didn't matter if my frame rate was low - I was swinging with the mouse. I had given it a short workout out of curiosity with disastrous results and didn't like my chances of being able to control my ball striking but, as it was the only way to play PG, I tried again.
I eventually came to terms with the 4:1 tempo and slowly my scores dropped to a level that I was personally (reasonably) happy with. But, I have to say, I went straight to what we called OFF/OFF which means that all the swing assists or aids were turned off. This was the toughest level you could play. I'm not sure if it was a good idea playing at that level but it gave me a solid grounding in establishing my rhythm at the 4:1 tempo. The Motion Swing gauge was quite a simple guide for the stroking of the ball and it was (is still) helpful in keeping a straight swing path as well as gauging the power you required for each shot.
Then Real Time Swing - Mouse was introduced and it became a whole new ball game.
Why I chose RTS-M
From the first hit with RTS-M I was determined to make it work and make it my swing type. I thought it was fantastic and I had nothing but praise for Perfect Parallel and this innovation. I've made many previous posts enthusing about RTS-M and many others have expressed positive opinions so I won't go into detail. In a nutshell the praise is mainly about the natural feel of controlling the golf ball and how good it is at simulating the golf stroke.
If you think I'm trying to convince people to use this method then you are correct. If you think I would prefer to only play against other RTS-M players - you are also correct. But that's another story.
The fact that there is also a tactile way to fade or draw using RTS-M adds the icing on the cake.
It's not perfect and there are some visual anomalies in the timing connection between the mouse and the animation (and hopefully, one day, there will be improvements) but I can't see myself changing swing methods unless there is a radical new method that goes above and beyond the beauty of the experience mentioned above.
Why I chose Amateur level.
I quickly realised that RTS-M was very difficult at the Tour Pro level and after a humbling but short period I dropped back to Pro level for my regular golfing. Tour Pro by default is OFF/MIN which means the Snap Penalty Reduction Assist is OFF while the Sweet Spot Size Assist is set to MIN. Therefore, it is still not the hardest difficulty but it is still way too difficult for me.
I played a few tournaments at Pro level simply because I thought that was the level I should be playing at and that I should be striving for in competition. I was struggling to get close to par and I called myself a 5 handicapper. Not really a Pro golfer at all. When OGT introduced a new competition with four levels of play with a subsequent reduction in earned ladder points as you dropped down in level I took the opportunity to play at Amateur level. I appreciate that OGT allowed me to play tournaments at Amateur level because it showed me how enjoyable this game could be using RTS-M.
If you divorce yourself from the idea that you are classed as an Amateur you can then start to think of yourself as a golfer who can break par when you play well, score low when you get lucky and even convince yourself that you are playing like a Major winner. This is great. This is what it's all about. I have found my level.
This is the motivation to start this thread. It actually concerns me that there are some players who are struggling at Amateur or Hacker level because I believe they can become scratch golfers with a bit of tuition. I'm not saying Amateur or Hacker is easy but the assists that the game gives you and tips from more experienced players can certainly help your scoring.
