Time for a history lesson

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Time for a history lesson

Postby Mississippi on Sat Mar 23, 2019 10:08 pm

Question; What was the 1st version of the game we play as links 2003?
Answer; Leaderboard Golf for the Commodore 64..... Remember DOS?

Access Software was the driving force behind this great game we play. The 1st course offered to Windows was Pelican Hill in the later part of 1996.

Microsoft got a hold of the game in 1999.

I started playing in 2000

Then came links 2001, the Zone, Microsoft padding Paul Willey's bank account, and team play.

Links 2003 the game we all play today came out in 2002 which was used for the finals where Mr. Willey won. In those days all 512 available spots in tourneys got filled and peeps were left out!

Microsoft bailed and sold the game to Take Two interactive which was renamed Indie built in 2004 after their xbox version bombed. Take Two was made up of Access Software peeps.

Indie built was shut down in 2006, But luckily we are still here in 2019 because Mark...aka lstouradmin refused to let the game he has nurtured for 35 years die.

Links has sold nearly 3 quarters of a million copies since i started playing in 2000, but i doubt there are 100 players playing at LSPN these days.

I guess the reason of this history lesson is to inform the newer members to not have great expectations from the site. Lets just be happy we still have a site to visit.

PS; Those Access Software peeps are the driving force behind those Tru-Golf simulators.
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby RoyHiggi on Sun Mar 24, 2019 4:08 am

Amen to that :D
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby pmgolf on Sun Mar 24, 2019 4:10 am

Good read. Where did Links386 fit in the historical list?

I played in an online tour way back in those early days where they had groups or clubs of players (mine was the "Divots") connected via dial-up modems (9800 baud) to send in scores, and eventually all the club-type players competed in a qualifier to make Touring Pro status. A good friend of mine was thrilled to make it in as the last (125th) qualifier. It was great fun! Statistics were kept for everybody, and trophy plaques were awarded to event winners. (I have one - somewhere - for my lone victory at Barton Creek) Dave Lommen used to win most events. (I remember how happy I was when that 14400 modem came out! Man, that thing was fast!)

I drove out to Salt Lake City from Virginia back then, visited Access Software and met all the people there!

Pete
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby rwoodworkr on Sun Mar 24, 2019 9:59 am

Mississippi wrote:...Leaderboard Golf for the Commodore 64...

Still have the game and the machines (computer and disk drive) collecting dust somewhere in my warehouse.
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby JackRussellTerror on Sun Mar 24, 2019 1:01 pm

pmgolf wrote:Good read. Where did Links386 fit in the historical list?


aroundabout 1995 (?) and was the direct forerunner to the Links series beginning with Access's Links'97.

I cut my teeth with Sega Master System's "Golfamania" in 1995, then in 1996 having just bought my first PC - discovered LinksPro386 and Microsoft Golf V2.0. Wonderful days - wish I could do it all again :D

Access Software (LinksPro386) developed Access's Links'97 (Arnie Palmer) and that has evolved into what we play today.......

8)
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Rob
the Links Tour 1998 ------> 2024 --------->
"mmmmmmm ......birdie num num !"
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby JackRussellTerror on Sun Mar 24, 2019 1:10 pm

rwoodworkr wrote:Still have the game and the machines (computer and disk drive) collecting dust somewhere in my warehouse.


FANTASTIC !

you can still play LinksPro386 today and play it in a Windows DOS environment.............download and install DOS BOX, then download and install LinksPro386.

LinkksPro386 - http://www.bestoldgames.net/links-386-pro

DOS BOX - https://www.dosbox.com/download.php?main=1

it requires a bit of study tho to get it up and running !
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Rob
the Links Tour 1998 ------> 2024 --------->
"mmmmmmm ......birdie num num !"
.
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby MrChaucer on Sun Mar 24, 2019 3:29 pm

YES!!!! I rememcer Links 386 well! We used to kid about it that the holes were the sizeof trash can lids! You could hit some pretty poor putts.....BIRDIE! If you wanna go back to the real early days, DOD 2.2 I think came with a golf game....B & W....there were little circles for the tees....and a bigger circe with a verticle stick for the pin. Distance and wind direction shown in the corner. Played with the cursor keys. Nothing else....no scenery of any kind. An early game in color was the Jack Nicklaus one....it came with, for its time, a pretty darned good course architect. Ah, Those Were the Days, My Friends, etc., etc. :lol:
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby JackRussellTerror on Sun Mar 24, 2019 3:52 pm

MrChaucer wrote: If you wanna go back to the real early days, DOD 2.2 I think came with a golf game....B & W....there were little circles for the tees....and a bigger circe with a verticle stick for the pin. Distance and wind direction shown in the corner. Played with the cursor keys. Nothing else....no scenery of any kind. :


a bit like those "coffee-table" tennis games, where you would move your curser up and down and the ball would bounce back if it hit your curser LOL !

"Golfamania" which I started with, wayyyyy back in 1995. At the time it was "cutting-edge" technology :lol: :lol: :lol: I was HOOKED on it ! :roll:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itwDaosYfE4

:P
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https://webcamsydney.com/
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Rob
the Links Tour 1998 ------> 2024 --------->
"mmmmmmm ......birdie num num !"
.
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby rwoodworkr on Mon Mar 25, 2019 10:19 am

My first experience with video golf, "Golden Tee Golf" arcade game.
Right around 1990, I used to stop off at a bar on the way home from work to play a round. It used a trackball for hitting shots.

Golden Tee Golf.jpg
Golden Tee Golf.jpg (60.73 KB) Viewed 9743 times
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby JackRussellTerror on Mon Mar 25, 2019 12:58 pm

rwoodworkr wrote:I used to stop off at a bar on the way home from work to play a round.


to play around ? :)
.
https://www.youtube.com/@rob262
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https://webcamsydney.com/
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Rob
the Links Tour 1998 ------> 2024 --------->
"mmmmmmm ......birdie num num !"
.
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby rwoodworkr on Mon Mar 25, 2019 2:36 pm

JackRussellTerror wrote:to play around ? :)

A round... :twisted: :lol: The playing around commenced when I arrived home (wifey in residence).
And I erred on the date. It had to be more like the early 80's.
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby Mississippi on Mon Mar 25, 2019 3:56 pm

rwoodworkr wrote:My first experience with video golf, "Golden Tee Golf" arcade game.
Right around 1990, I used to stop off at a bar on the way home from work to play a round. It used a trackball for hitting shots.

Golden Tee Golf.jpg

I've dropped a quarter or two in one those myself.
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby JackRussellTerror on Mon Mar 25, 2019 8:30 pm

rwoodworkr wrote:[
A round... :twisted: :lol: The playing around commenced when I arrived home (wifey in residence).


WTG !! :P
.
https://www.youtube.com/@rob262
.
https://webcamsydney.com/
.
Rob
the Links Tour 1998 ------> 2024 --------->
"mmmmmmm ......birdie num num !"
.
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby Flop7Wood on Tue Mar 26, 2019 2:28 pm

I played a game years ago..mid 80's on an IBM AT where you had to snail male your score for tournaments. I think it was 386 Golf Started playing LS95 in 1994 and then I think it was LS97 and finally LS99 all from Access, IIRCC. Links 2000 was Microsoft, and the Zone. Prior to MS, there was Mplayer and Kali platforms online. There was Case's Ladder for LS95, 97 and 99 IIRC. I have some of the old disks.

All told, I've been playing online golf just about 30 years.
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Re: Time for a history lesson

Postby rwoodworkr on Tue Mar 26, 2019 4:15 pm

Flop7Wood wrote:...All told, I've been playing online golf just about 30 years.

It's great that there's a game like this for a bunch of old farts like us. :lol:
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