A couple weeks back we released information revealing some of the new features that will be found in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10.  One of the features we unveiled was the new Precision Putting mechanic.  We’re really excited about this new way to putt in our game, so I thought it would be a good opportunity to expand upon the putter’s functionality a bit more.

One thing to note before I continue… The Precision Putter represents an addition to the other existing putting mechanics in the game.  The Classic Putting system of selecting individual putter lengths will still be available to players who prefer that style of putting.  3-Click will also still be available to those who prefer that mechanic.  You’ll be able to set your putting preference using the Game Options menu.

Now let’s dive into the functionality of the Precision Putter…

When you set up to take your putts in the game using the Precision Putter you’ll notice one main visual difference.  We’ve added a new on-screen Precision Putting Meter that will help you to dial in your power and read your putt’s accuracy.

A putter head graphic is used to help you set the putt’s power along the meter.  Unlike the Classic Putting, this new putter uses one fixed max distance.  There is no need to toggle through different putter distance ranges using the Precision Putter.  You’ll use this same putter for 1 foot gimmies and 65 foot bombs. 

It’ll be up to you to dial in the amount of power you think is necessary to execute the putt successfully.  To do this, you’ll use the existing putt aiming arrow that TW veterans should all be familiar with.  The aiming arrow is going to represent the spot on the green that you are trying to hit your ball to in order for it to go in the hole.  The aiming arrow not only represents the putt line you are choosing, it also is going to affect the recommended power for your putt.  As you move the arrow closer and farther away from you, while on the green, you’ll notice the yellow Power Recommendation Bar on the Precision Putting Meter moving.  This bar represents the recommended power you should use for the putt based on where you have set the aiming arrow on the green.  Remember, *you* set the aiming arrow location, so the Power Recommendation Bar is reflecting the power needed to roll the ball to the spot you have set the aiming arrow to, based on a level surface.   The Power Recommendation Bar does not take green elevation, increased green speed or ground soak into account.  The Putt Preview option is still available using this putting mechanic (based on difficulty level).  When enabled, the Putt Preview will use the aiming arrow’s location to show you a preview of the putt’s line.

 
Once you are comfortable with the location of the aiming arrow, it’s time to execute the putt.  To do this you’ll pull back and push forward using the Shot Stick.  When you begin your backswing, you’ll notice the putter head graphic begin traveling down the Precision Putting Meter.  You’ll also notice your golfer has also begun his putting backswing as well.  Take a look at the yellow line getting drawn in along the meter as you bring the putter head back.  This line represents the accuracy of your stroke.  Just like swinging all of your other clubs in-game, you’ll want to make sure this line stays in the middle of the meter for true and accurate putts. 

Once the face of the putter head graphic is within the yellow Power Recommendation Bar you have reached the power level you set with the aiming arrow.  You’ll then push forward on the Shot Stick and strike the ball.  Just like with your backswing, you’ll want to make sure you are as precise as possible when pushing forward on the Shot Stick to maintain the accuracy of your putting line.

Good Putting Stroke:

 
Bad Putting Stroke:

 
The speed that the putter head graphic travels at along the meter and the thickness of the Power Recommendation Bar are both tuned so that they become more challenging as you increased the game’s difficulty level.  So, the putter head will travel faster and the recommendation bar will get thinner as you make the game’s difficulty settings harder and harder. 

If you are looking for the ultimate putting challenge you can turn off the Precision Putting Meter entirely in the Game Options menu.  When you do this, the precision putting mechanic will still work the same way as described above, except that you will not have the aid of the Precision Putting Meter while putting.  You’ll have to do it all by feel and by reading the greens.  The ability to putt with the meter turned off got implemented into the game directly as a result of the TW Community Day feedback we received.  The guys that were here during the Community Day event gave us a bunch of great feedback on the putting and one of their suggestions was to allow the player to turn the meter off for an added challenge.  Take a peek at the video below for a look back at the feedback we received on this new putting mechanic and how it helped us to dial in the final implementation.

-Mike D.

Over the course of the year, we’ve read a lot of posts on the forums regarding the club distances in-game.  Most are saying that these are hitting too far and need to be scaled back a bit.  This year we gathered the feedback you all have provided and sat down to re-tune the club distances for the player’s created golfer.

I thought I would spend a little time exposing some of the distances you can expect the clubs to hit this year in Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10.  Please keep in mind that these numbers relate to the player’s created golfer.  We wanted to concentrate on the player’s golfer since the attribute levels and pro shop stats suits can greatly affect the in-game distances. 

I’ll walk you through a number of different club types and player attribute values so you can get an idea of how each will affect the distances for that club.  Please note that the numbers that I am including here do not factor in wind, power boost, spin, added or decreased loft, draw/fade, ground soak due to rain or ground elevation.

Let’s get started… I’ll include a wider variety of attribute levels for the Driver so you guys can get a better idea of how the power is getting distributed.  For the rest of the clubs I will keep it to the min and max attributes levels. 

As you’ll notice with all the numbers above, the max stats golfer can still hit the ball a good distance if they have their power turned up to 100% in the Club Tuner feature.  However, turning the power up towards 100% turns the club’s sweet spot so small that it makes the club extremely challenging to hit straight.  So the risk/reward for tuning your clubs up that high, in order to achieve those greater distances, is increased dramatically.  If you keep your clubs tuned more to the middle power ranges, you’ll still get a good amount of distance to your clubs with a good sweet spot on the club.

-Mike

Be sure to post your thoughts in the comments and drop by the Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 10 forums to discuss this post.