Questions for which I should know answers (but don't)

[btasmlinks]

Been playing Links since the Access days, but still don't know the answers to these simple questions:

1. What's the difference between green hardness and green speed?
2. Does any ground condition effect roll of ball on fairway? (Doubt it, not sure though).
3. Does wind impact chipping or putting? (I think the former, not the latter).

Bonus question:

How do you hit a shot from the back of the bunker with the ball below the golfer's feet?

Thanks.

[pmgolf]

Qualifier: These are my experiences with Links. Others may not necessarily be the same.

Green Hardness is the firmness of the ground's surface. When a ball hits a soft surface, the ball comes to rest more quickly than if it hits a hard surface. I am under the impression that if you set Green Hardness to Soft (challenging or not challenging) then the fairways, etc., are also Soft. Proof of this is when the Green Hardness is set to Firm (challenging), you get some great rollout on drives from level areas or from a high spot to a low spot.

If Green Speed has any effect on fairways, etc., then I haven't seen it. Green speed makes the ball move faster and farther from point A where you hit it, to point B (target area) on the green.

Wind seems to affect chipping a bit, but I haven't seen wind affect putting.

Your lie in the sand is what is most important. downhill, level, uphill or sidehill. Also whether or not the ball is imbedded in the sand, which the graphics will show. If it looks like a bank behind you will impeed your swing - it won't.

Pete

[BitLeft]

I'd go with pmgolf's qualifier - "your mileage may vary". Having said that, I would also allow that I am a 'chart guy'. Sigh - for some, I know, charts are anathema. And I remain very much an Amy-thema level player. I know there are greater minds out there, like those who design the courses, which must surely provide insights I will never have.

All that said, as far as your question goes, pm has covered things I won't repeat. I still owe a huge debt of gratitude to #119 Golfcom Tees Driving Range (and General Linkster Training Ground), and I recommend it to anyone on the learning curve. What I have learned while making the big transition from Links 99 / 2000 to 2003 during the Paindemic, has happened thanks to #119. It helped me to figure out the exact characteristics of ball behavior - taking into account not only the nine condition combinations available in both "normal" and "challenge" conditions for putting; but also the hugely good to know details of what exactly trajectory does to distance, both for chip shots and full swings. From lots of different playing surfaces, though I haven't explored these beyond fairway/fringe/rough/sand.

Granted, while #119 gives you a huge amount of insight for dead level / all conditions play, as you know there are those other nagging variables like lie and elevation - both of which matter hugely and make this golf sim experience as real now as it was for me 25 years ago. Amazin'. Oops. Did I forget wind? How could I?

[Bassmaster]

I'd go with pmgolf's qualifier - "your mileage may vary". Having said that, I would also allow that I am a 'chart guy'. Sigh - for some, I know, charts are anathema. And I remain very much an Amy-thema level player. I know there are greater minds out there, like those who design the courses, which must surely provide insights I will never have.

All that said, as far as your question goes, pm has covered things I won't repeat. I still owe a huge debt of gratitude to #119 Golfcom Tees Driving Range (and General Linkster Training Ground), and I recommend it to anyone on the learning curve. What I have learned while making the big transition from Links 99 / 2000 to 2003 during the Paindemic, has happened thanks to #119. It helped me to figure out the exact characteristics of ball behavior - taking into account not only the nine condition combinations available in both "normal" and "challenge" conditions for putting; but also the hugely good to know details of what exactly trajectory does to distance, both for chip shots and full swings. From lots of different playing surfaces, though I haven't explored these beyond fairway/fringe/rough/sand.

Granted, while #119 gives you a huge amount of insight for dead level / all conditions play, as you know there are those other nagging variables like lie and elevation - both of which matter hugely and make this golf sim experience as real now as it was for me 25 years ago. Amazin'. Oops. Did I forget wind? How could I?

Where does one get the #119 Golfcom Tees Driving Range tutorial?

[RonnieSmith]

I think pmgolf answered everything well. Just to verify, I conducted a "semi-scientific" driving experiment on #15 at Harbour Town, a reasonably flat fairway, and tested different roll outs for a 12/6 swing and I got over double the roll out (29 yards) on firm than I did on soft (13 yards). Green speed made no difference.

Ronnie (I'm not telling how many swings it took to get the 12/6 snaps)

[RoyHiggi]

I'd go with pmgolf's qualifier - "your mileage may vary". Having said that, I would also allow that I am a 'chart guy'. Sigh - for some, I know, charts are anathema. And I remain very much an Amy-thema level player. I know there are greater minds out there, like those who design the courses, which must surely provide insights I will never have.

All that said, as far as your question goes, pm has covered things I won't repeat. I still owe a huge debt of gratitude to #119 Golfcom Tees Driving Range (and General Linkster Training Ground), and I recommend it to anyone on the learning curve. What I have learned while making the big transition from Links 99 / 2000 to 2003 during the Paindemic, has happened thanks to #119. It helped me to figure out the exact characteristics of ball behavior - taking into account not only the nine condition combinations available in both "normal" and "challenge" conditions for putting; but also the hugely good to know details of what exactly trajectory does to distance, both for chip shots and full swings. From lots of different playing surfaces, though I haven't explored these beyond fairway/fringe/rough/sand.

Granted, while #119 gives you a huge amount of insight for dead level / all conditions play, as you know there are those other nagging variables like lie and elevation - both of which matter hugely and make this golf sim experience as real now as it was for me 25 years ago. Amazin'. Oops. Did I forget wind? How could I?

Where does one get the #119 Golfcom Tees Driving Range tutorial?

like you need it But i did wonder myself as i have never heard of it

[BitLeft]

It's available on that all too familiar source of all things 2K3 - Links Corner.

The spelling is a tich particular if you are entering the whole name to search it out: Golfcom Tee's, contributed by Dan Deshaney, ID #119. Keep in mind, on the surface it's a "Par 3 - What's the Big Deal?" production. BUT - dig in to Dan's detailed notes that come with the download, to start appreciating the learning opportunities available.

To get some of the feel for how the nine condition combinations "think", my Lee Trevino type tip for the day would be: find a nice location on the fairway/fringe close to the vast expanse of mirror flat green available. Take a test drive getting some easy to obtain data using what I call the 'four dot shot' (aka 'trick' shot). I don't find I use it often in play, but nice to have. It's only one small slice of the pie, but because you aren't toiling to get the snap every time you hit a shot you can map out the relative effect of trajectory and green conditions. And yes, as with most things, this process takes time. Not for everyone I know.

The guys (and girls? - gotta be careful these days) who mapped out the code for this game back in the day were pure Genius in my book. How many thousand hours did it take to pull it all together?

[Adelade]

About half a year ago I tested putting on fairways on various green firmness and speed settings, and I found that both firmness and indeed speed too do have an affect on how far the ball rolls on the fairway, the difference is just not all that noticeable, because even on the fastest settings the fairways are after all sort of sluggish. But I think I remember the difference between Fc/Fc and slower ones around Mc/Mc was at least quite noticeable when comparing. For about 95% of courses, fringes count exactly the same as fairway in terms of ball physics.

Firmness vs Speed, I would put it that speed is only about rolling, and firmness primarily effects bounces and the ball spin while also having a secondary effect on rolling alone.