Links Golf Video Game

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With a distinguished pedigree that goes back well over a decade, Links is one of the oldest and most respected series of computer golf games. Yet Links 2003 does not rest on its laurels -- this simulation is designed to offer classic Links gameplay while bringing new features such as multiplayer matching, a Green Analyzer for improved putting, and high-res three-dimensional golfers.

One of the more major changes in this year's edition is the change from digitized (essentially 2D) characters to 3D polygonal golfers. Not only does this allow in-game golfers to appear more like the athletes in other contemporary sports games, but it also allows the user many more options for customizing the on-screen persona. The ability to also fully customize the comments the golfer makes (and when he or she makes them) should allow dedicated virtual golfers to put themselves in the game like never before.

Multiplayer features are meant to be easy to use, allowing any networked Links 2003 player to start a tournament with friends and family members. A 'Match Maker' service helps single players find a game, and the Links Tour has been revamped to offer detailed statistics and lively message boards. As in past editions, a number of pro golfers are included to play as or against, such as Sergio Garcia, Jesper Parnevik, and Annika Sörenstam.

Tiger Woods might be the number one golfer in the world right now (of all time, for that matter), but Links is clearly the champion of computer golf sims. If that title was in doubt recently, especially with EA's rapidly improving Tiger Woods series giving the Microsoft's two-year-old Links 2001 a serious run for its money in the features department, it certainly isn't anymore. With the release of Links 2003, Microsoft re-establishes itself as the long ball hitter on the PC tour.

Win golf bags from your challenges and unlock a huge range of clubs and balls to improve your game. Featuring real golf courses from Wolf Creek Golf Club, Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club, Fairmont Banff Springs and Harbour Town Golf Links for a world golf tour in stunning 3D. Links 2003 is a famous golf video game containing six courses such as Gleneagles, Ocean Club, Lodge at Kauri Cliffs, Cambrian Ridge, The Tribute, and the fictional oceanside location. This game featured multiple professional players for making it exciting. For ESPN Links Golf on the Dreamcast, GameFAQs has game information and a community message board for game discussion.

The new features that stand out the most are Links 2003's new 3D golfer animations and a much overdue 'Real-Time Swing' feature. While it's true that both of these elements were readily available in Sierra's PGA Championship Golf over two years ago, it doesn't change the fact that -- when combined with the franchise's unparalleled ball physics, comprehensive online gameplay, entertaining new career mode, powerful 'Arnold Palmer Course Designer' utility, and massive library of upgradeable courses dating back to 1997 -- Links 2003 currently blows everything else away on a feature-by-feature basis.

The marvelous new Real-Time Swing completely transforms the game from tee to green. Microsoft's Links team (formerly Access Software) has always maintained that it wouldn't implement such a feature until it was satisfied that it could do it up right and, with Links 2003, it has been honed to near perfection. Although the classic two or three-click swing is still available (as well as the absurdly touchy-feely horizontal powerstroke routine and a single-click easy stroke option for newbies), once you've whacked a few balls down the fairway with your on-screen character mimicking every move you make in real time, you will never go back to that unrealistic clickfest that defined the Links experience in years past.

The actions involved are as natural as breathing. You simply draw back on the mouse to initiate the backswing -- the distance you pull back determines the percentage of power you wish to apply -- and then smoothly push forward to execute the shot. Any deviation from the straight and narrow can result in a hook or a slice and the fudge factor here shrinks considerably at the higher skill levels (the game has four selectable difficulty settings). The speed that your mouse travels has some effect on the shot strength -- albeit not as much as the windup -- and advanced players can even add fades and draws to their shots without the need to resort to a cumbersome popup menu. After a few practice rounds you will be whacking balls down the course and sinking putts with such effortless precision that you will question how you ever played computerized golf any other way. Never before has the real golfing experience been so faithfully recreated on a PC environment.

The 3D player animations are equally impressive. At up to 7500 polygons per character, the computerized golfers look every bit as good as the old digitized players but with the added ability to match the player's every movement in real-time. Links 2003 isn't loaded up with as many star players as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2002 -- Sergio Garcia, Jesper Parnevik, David Toms, and Annika Sorenstam are the only pros featured in this version -- but the smooth motion capture animations and extensive golfer customization options still add plenty of variety to the proceedings. As with previous Links versions, you can select from a variety of on-screen personas and clothing styles, and even add in your own custom WAV files to the game's extensive list of prerecorded sound scripts. On the downside, some of the post-shot reaction audio clips don't always jive with the on-screen actions of your golfer and there is no TV-style commentary offered during the game's career mode tournament play.

The absence of commentary notwithstanding, Links 2003's spanking new single-player career mode adds a great deal of replayability to the game. Three pre-installed seasons with varying difficulty levels can be entered -- from 'Qualifying School' to pro and semi-pro 'Invitationals' -- or you can create your own custom tour.

The extensive graphics overhaul goes well beyond 3D player enhancements. The game engine now supports 512 x 512 textures (double that of Links 2001) which, when combined with the new seam-blending and T&L-enhanced shading effects, dramatically improves the overall look of the game. From the individual rake marks in the sand traps to the realistic-looking tree and vegetation shadows, the visuals in Links 2003 continue to set the standard for PC golfing simulations. In fact, about the only thing that still needs work on the graphics front is the game's decidedly static water renderings, which sorely need to be jazzed up with some convincing splash and wave effects. Perhaps Microsoft should consider sending the Flight Simulator 2002 crew down to Utah to show the Links development team just how that's done.

Six unique courses are bundled with the game -- the Gleneagles Centenary Course, the Ocean Course at Cabo del Sol, Kauri Cliffs, Cambrian Ridge, The Tribute at Otsego and a fantasy African course on the Skeleton Coast -- but stalwarts will be glad to know that all of their original Links LS CRX course files (dating back to 1997) can be converted over to Links 2003 CRZ format with the game's built-in 'Course Converter' utility. More significantly, the title also ships with Arnold Palmer Course Designer 1.5. First introduced in Links 2001, this standalone course architecture program permits you to build your own custom courses with the same tools that were employed by the Links dev team.

Of course, the game wouldn't be a card-carrying member of the Links family if it didn't also boast the most realistic ball physics in the business. Combine this with a new practice course, a nifty '3D Green Analyzer,' color-coded 'Putting Assistant' and twelve interactive lessons, and even the most challenged of computerized duffers will find something to keep them coming back for more.

EA Sports definitely has a lot of strokes to make up when it releases Tiger Woods 2003 if it has any hope of cutting into the massive lead that Microsoft has just carved out for itself. As for now however, Links 2003 is in a league by itself.

People who downloaded Links 2003 have also downloaded:
Links 2001, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 07, Links LS 2000, Jack Nicklaus 5, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004, Links 386 CD, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06, Links 386 Pro

Welcome to our links golf tips special – a how-to-guide to help you enjoy playing the purest form of the game.

The world’s first golf course, The Old Course at St Andrews, sits on a flat swathe of the North East coast of Scotland and was shaped by Mother Nature not mankind or machinery.

Sheep huddled in hollows sheltering from bracing sea winds and the first bunkers were born. The earliest mowers were livestock, grazing on tough grasses and what emerged were hard running greens and fairways.

To this day, playing links golf – in Scotland and Ireland – or at one of the prestigious venues for the Open Championship, is the dream golf tour. Many golfers travel from all over the world on a pilgrimage to the world’s best links golf courses.

If you’ve never battled strong sea breezes, or aimed down a fairway lined by gorse bushes you’ll probably feel you are playing a different game.

Global Golfer founder Matthew Moore plays off scratch and lived in St Andrews for four years.

Links

He had a golf scholarship from the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews and captained the St Andrews University Men’s Golf Team while studying history.

I’ve played hundreds of rounds in the ‘Home of Golf’ and at great links courses the length and breadth of Scotland.

I’ve taken everything I’ve learned during my time playing fast-running seaside golf and shared it for you here!

Hit low knuckle ball drives

Fairways at links courses can be narrow and lined by gorse (a hard dense prickly shrub), pot bunkers and thick tall rough fescue grasses.

When the wind blows hard, it’s difficult to keep the ball in play and out of trouble, especially if you are used to driving the ball high through the air with a lot of spin and shape.

To play links courses well you need to drive the ball low and straight, under the wind, with less spin so that it lands and runs down the fairways.

You can do this by hitting the “knuckle ball” with your driver. This shot creates a low top spinning flight that releases and runs on landing.

Here’s how:

  • Tee the ball low, quite tight to the turf
  • Choke right down on the grip
  • Address the ball out of the middle of your stance
  • Stack 60% of your weight on your left side
  • Swing with a three quarter length at a smooth tempo, resisting the temptation to hit the ball hard and focusing on hitting the ball higher up the face with a slightly upward path through the strike

Remember, as with all full shots in the wind, the harder you hit the ball the more spin you create and the higher you will hit it, exposing it to the wind.

The knuckle ball drive will be shorter than your usual drives, but will make up for it by running on the hard links fairways. Best of all, it’s accurate and great for beating the wind and keeping the ball on short grass rather than in the gorse – which almost certainly equals a penalty drop.

How to play the punch shot

It’s not unusual to find yourself facing a shot of 125 yards into a tiny raised up green with a gale force wind blowing into your face. This is when you have to leave your ego behind, forget you hit gap wedge 130 yards if you swing full out, and play smart by choosing a much longer club and punching it to keep the flight down and reduce spin.

To play links golf well, you have to accept you will sometimes hit a 4-iron from 140 yards or an 8-iron when you only have 85 yards left. You do this by playing the punch shot – the links golfer’s best friend.

To punch the shot means to play with a shorter backswing, de-lofting the club for a lower flight and using your forearms and body together to shorten your follow through and punch aggressively through the ball at impact.

Top tips for punch shots:

Links golf video game download
  • Grip down the shaft
  • Position the ball further back in your stance towards your right foot
  • Move your hands slightly further ahead of the ball
  • Shift 65% of your weight onto your left side
  • Swing ¾ length and punch through the shot with a shortened follow through below shoulder height

The lower the flight the less likely it is to be affected by the wind.

Make adjustments for the ball flying in lower and aim to land it short of the flagstick and allow it to run out towards the hole.

Putting from off the green

If you usually play on inland golf courses or at golf resorts, you probably use your lob wedge and your sand wedge most when chipping around the green, throwing the ball high and landing it soft.

At a links courses the strong winds can buffet the ball from the shortest of distances and make accurate chipping difficult. Also, it’s rare to find thick rough around a links green, the most common hazards are bunkers, run offs, bank sides and hollows, which makes it possible to put the wedge away and use the putter from off the green.

At The Open Championship you will have seen top professionals putting from 25 yards off the green with great results. This is because putting from off the green is one of the best short game choices you can make on a links. The fairways are usually extremely tight making nipping the ball off the hard turf a precise skill – and it’s easy to thin, blade or skull the shot.

Your worst putt will always be better than your worse chip, so look at the slope and undulation of the land, be practical and use your putter to get the ball up and down.

How to play the Bump and Run

You will have heard about the Scottish bump and run or seen it played. This low flying shot lands short of the green or just on the green and rolls out towards the hole like a putt.

If you have nothing between yourself and the flag then the bump and run is a brilliant option because once it lands it starts to behave like a putt and can track towards the hole. Links greens can be undulating and sloping and so landing a high chip or pitch onto a hard downslope can cause inconsistent bounces and erratic results.

How to bump and run:

  • Address the ball off the right foot
  • Use anything from a five iron to a 9-iron
  • Weight 70% on the left side
  • Sternum ahead of the ball
  • Heads ahead of the ball, club sitting upright
  • Make a putting stroke and hit crisply down into the back off the ball
  • Pick a spot just on the green to land it and let it run towards the hole

Lie of the land

A caddie at The Old Course at St Andrews, Turnberry or Troon would tell you that it takes time to get to know the subtleties and nuances of links land and learn the bounce of the ball. Often slopes and natural features can funnel the ball towards the hole, squeeze extra yards from a drive or prevent a ball from going in a hazard.

Buying a yardage chart and studying the contours and slopes of each hole is a good idea but you can’t beat being alert and observant when you are playing the course. Watch how partners balls bounce, look at sloping fairways and anticipate if you need to play to the right for a kick to the left.

Sometimes on a links the last place you will aim is the flag, because you might need to hit it 30 yards right to catch a shoot that funnels the ball left to the hole.

Hybrid Heaven

The worst thing you can do when playing links golf in a wind is hit hard onto the back of the ball with a steep swing squeezing the ball up into the air and applying backspin to it. The shot will balloon and the wind will exaggerate the spin forcing it into trouble.

A good way to get around this is to have a number of hybrid clubs or utility clubs to pick from. By using a hybrid with a shallower flatter swing you can pick the ball off the top of the grass and sweep it towards the target.

It’s easier to hit lower shots that have less spin and are more accurate by hitting hybrids rather than trying to drive down hard on long irons.

Use the wind for better golf shots

The chances are that it will be windy on your links golf tour. It’s vital you make the wind your friend not your foe. The easiest way is to play with the wind rather than against it. Instead of trying to cut a three iron into a right to left wind, take a 5-iron and aim further right allowing the ball to ride the wind. It’s the same with a driver, cutting a ball into a right to left wind can take fully 80-yards off your tee shot, but, set up for a right to left draw and aim further right can result in big drives and simpler second shots.

Use the wind to your advantage and remember the harder you hit, the higher it flies and the stronger the effect on the ball and its spin.

Take your medicine in Bunkers

Our final tip for playing links golf is to be able to take your medicine and play safe when you find yourself in bunkers. Have you heard of the “Sands of Nakijima”?, more commonly called the “Road Hole” bunker at the 17th on The Old Course at St Andrews.

It’s typical of the deep pot bunkers with riveted faces common on the links courses of Scotland, Ireland and Wales. I mention it here because it’s a classic example of how a round can come unstuck when a golfer tries to execute a miracle recovery from a deep bunker. If you aren’t at least 90% certain you can clear the lip don’t risk duffing it into a riveted face and having it drop straight down into an even worse spot.

It’s no shame to play out sideways or even backwards from a links pot bunker if it means you can save a bogey or even better stop yourself making a quad or scoring in double figures.

Opt for the conservative shot that will guarantee you have at least a chance of a reasonable score – if you don’t you might find a bunker named after you.

Global Golfer’s top-tips for how to play Links Golf:

  • Knuckle ball your drives
  • Play with punch not ego
  • Be practical putt from off the green
  • Bump and run to make the game fun
  • Learn the lie of the land
  • Hybrids are heavenly on the links
  • Make the wind your friend
  • Take your medicine in the bunkers

If this guide to playing links golf has whet your appetite read about golf vacations at some of the world’s best links courses: