d0rkorg

I recently picked up Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06, being a huge fan of the 2005 version of the same. I’ve played the game since the 2003 version (which until recently I actually played weekly at my brother’s house) and I think the 2005 to 2006 jump is probably the biggest jump in gameplay.

First off, the new putting system is unreasonably difficult. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but you definately need to develop a touch for the putter. You can no longer just aim to a specific spot on the green and let it rip with a full swing. You need to adjust your backswing length to fit how far you’d like to putt the ball. The elevation guide and grid on the green seem pretty worthless for this. I’ve left it short as often as I’ve blasted it 6ft past the hole. Not once did I have a 3-putt in prior versions of the game, but I didn’t care for the caddy tips style of putting either.

The money amounts have been tamed down in this game as well. It used to be amounts under $50k were like nothing in the game. To buy a new driver, it might have cost $100k, which is just silly. Now the amount of money you get from sponsors and you win with trophy balls is much, much less and more in-line with reality.

Fade and draw shots are easier to hit. You just hold the right analog stick to adjust where your club will hit the ball. I never used to play a fade/draw in prior versions but I have quite a bit in this version. I’m more likely to play shots like you would when you’re really on the golf course instead of playing a shot firing directly at the pin because you know its going to land exactly where you’ve aimed.

The ballstriking in this game seems much more realistic too. Last night, a friend I was playing with tried to go for a long par 5 in 2, using his driver on the second shot. He ended up topping the ball, as I’d expect would happen often hitting oversized drivers off of tight lies. In 2005, every single time you’d connect with the ball on the fairway, it would be a crisp hit. I’m glad to see this bit of realism was added - maybe some par 5’s will really only be reachable in 3 (with lightning fast greens I actually rolled it over and OB with my second shot with a 2-iron).

While some parts of the game are still a little annoying, I think this version is a net improvement and a welcome upgrade for me.