From there, you choose your player. Figure C shows you that you can be one of several PGA pros like Tiger Woods, Mark O'Meara, Lee Janzen, or Davis Love III. In case you don't want to be Tiger Woods, or anyone else for that matter, you can create your own player.

FIGURE C

You too can be Tiger Woods in this game.

The final step before actually playing the game is choosing a course. There are three courses that are replicas of actual courses. You can play at Tournament Players Club (TPC) at Summerlin, TPC at Sawgrass, or Badlands Golf Club. Once you choose your course, you'll then be taken to the first tee for your first shot.

The swing
Learning how to drive the ball isn't too difficult. The hard part about making an accurate shot is the timing.

Whether you're driving the ball 200 yards or going for a two foot putt, you have to use the "Swing Meter", illustrated in Figure D.

FIGURE D

Here's what the "Swing Meter" looks like while making a putt.

To begin your swing, tap the "Swing" button or hit your scroll button. The meter will rise, and you have to hit the "Swing" or scroll buttons again to begin your backswing. Then, you hit either button a third time to complete your swing.

For an accurate shot, you should hit the swing meter at its upper- and lower-most points. Since the timing can be difficult when tapping the screen, I found it easier to use the scroll button to control my swing.

Just like in real golf, you have to be aware of wind conditions, how far certain clubs can hit the ball, and what obstacles lie in between you and the pin. As you can see in Figure E, course conditions are shown on the screen while you're preparing your next shot.

FIGURE E

You can tell what conditions you're facing when preparing a shot.

Another cool feature of this game is that it allows you to apply a topspin or backspin to your shot. You can also draw or fade your shot. If you use these options, you can sometimes avoid a sand trap or water.

Fore!
I started off by playing a few holes of Stroke Play at TPC Summerlin. I chose to play as Mark 'O Meara and Tiger Woods. I found the course at TPC Summerlin to be pretty easy.

I thought did well enough to try to play in a tournament against three other computer-controlled players. Boy, was I wrong. I played in a tournament as Mark O'Meara against PGA pros Peter Jacaobsen, Craig Stadler, and Tiger Woods. I chose to play at the Badlands Golf Club. I found it to be very difficult. I finished at +32.

Apparently, the actual golf course at Badlands is well known for its wind conditions. These conditions are simulated on the game, so watch out!

Despite taking a beating on the golf course, I still found Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf to be a lot of fun to play.

One final interesting note: This game is apparently one of the first to be provided in a Springboard module for one of the new Handspring Visor machines. If you're one of the first to get a Handspring Visor, you can play this game without sucking up extra memory.

Heather McDaniel is unique because she has experience in three important fields--real estate, handheld computing, and personal success coaching. She holds a real estate license in both Hawaii and New Jersey. Prior to starting her own personal success coaching business dedicated to helping people reach their goals, Heather is the news editor and former sales manager for ZATZ, publishers of this magazine. She's widely acknowledged as a leading expert on the handheld industry. For a free coaching session, contact Heather at heather@coachheather.com or visit http://www.coachheather.com.