Here’s one man’s opinion: Nintendo Wii, as a gaming system, was meant for golf. I would have bought the thing if it was called the Nintendo Golf Simulator back when it was released. Nintendo keeps releasing non-golf games for it, yet I just wait for one game every August.
Tiger Woods 07, released in mid-March 2007, was a pretty good first crack at motion-based golf on the Wii. Then Tiger Woods 08 came out in late August 2007, less than half a year after the first Wii version.
I purchased it and found it to be an okay, albeit marginal, upgrade from the previous one but it didn’t feel much different, the putting took a step backward (if you ask me), and there still was no online multiplayer.
I knew that going in and I made my peace with it because I knew that this year – this year – would be the year that Tiger Woods on the Wii really started hauling ass. So with plenty of time to really get in there and mix it up, Tiger Woods 09 has finally shipped. I’ve been waiting for this version for a long, long time. Let’s take a look.
Video Review
Features
- All Play control scheme makes it easy for first-timers to pick up the game and play
- Wii-exclusive party game mode with short multiplayer mini-games
- Performance coach Hank Haney guides you through your career and offers feedback
- Club Tuner feature allows you to compensate for your naturally wonky swing
- Simultaneous online multiplayer
- 1-to-1 swing control synchronizes swing motions between you and your player
The Good
There’s finally online multiplayer and it works really well. The simultaneous shot mode present in online play is a great idea that allows up to four people to play 18 holes in a reasonable amount of time without being forced to watch everyone else’s shots.
The party game mode is fun to play with other people who don’t have the patience for a full round and the new All-Play swing system lets beginners pick up the game pretty easily. Finally, the menus are easier to navigate this year and Hank Haney is a solid, if somewhat gimmicky, addition to the franchise.
The Bad
The putting system is atrocious. Absolutely atrocious. I’m really confused as to why EA has made this feature worse and worse every year. I felt a pit in my stomach as I played through my first 18 holes because the putting system was ruining the entire game. We’ve put up with wonky chipping and short-iron play through the first two versions and I would have been able to begrudgingly dismiss it one more year except that the putting has now gotten so bad that it ruins the game.
Case in point; on advanced swing mode, you now have to eyeball every putt. No preview, no putting line, no nothing. The grid on the putting green does little to help you discern where your putt’s going to end up, though. It’s a leap of faith every time.
There is a putt preview feature if you use standard swing mode, but it’s different from last year’s version. Last year, you had a putt preview timer that allowed you to basically take a practice putt (or two or three). If you used up your putt preview timer before the end of your round, you had to eyeball it for the remaining holes. Some would argue that it made putting too easy.
Whatever the case, this year you have a putt preview that you can use once per putt. You basically line up your putt and hit the putt preview, which will show you your putting line. If the line leads straight to the hole, great, putt away. If not, you’ll need to exit the preview and readjust your putt. You’ll have already used up your putt preview, though, so you’ll have to trust yourself.
So you end up not sinking as many super-long putts like you may have last year, but – BUT! – it’s up close where the putting system really starts to fall apart. For some reason, EA chose to treat ten foot putts to a ten foot power gauge. So what would naturally seem like a nice, easy, soft tap-in now requires a full-bore swing just to get to the hole. You will, I promise you, miss putt after putt after putt. The short ones, especially. I miss putts in this game that I’d make in real life. That’s just wrong.
The Ugly
This 1-to-1 natural swing feature is all hype. Watch this video here starring a couple of the game developers. At the 1:17 mark, the guy says “What that’s gonna do in Tiger this year is really gonna let you to place the ball where you want it on the course.” Insanity. The partial swings are as broken in Tiger Woods 09 as they were in 08 and 07. Nothing has changed. You’ll try to play a half-swing and you’ll hit it at 80% to 90% power instead of 50%. These partial shots have never, ever worked on the Wii and they still don’t, despite EA’s claims.
The Super Ugly
Guess what feature EA’s left off of all the marketing materials for the Tiger Woods franchise? They dumped Gary McCord and David Feherty as announcers and replaced them with – ready for this? – The Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman and Sam Torrance. All the same dialogue from the previous games are there, except now Tilghman’s a comedian and Torrance sounds like a Scottish version of Robert on Everybody Loves Raymond (except not funny). Whether you liked McCord and Feherty or not, those two at least made the game seem realistic and they offered some funny one-liners every now and again. Tilghman and Torrance are just as bad, if not worse, as the decision to do radio style broadcasting for Madden 08 last year. It’s really awful.
Recommendation
If you already have Tiger Woods 07 or 08 on the Wii and you don’t care about playing online or All Play or the party mode mini-games, save your money. If you really, really, really want to play online but don’t care about five- or six-putting every hole after you’ve launched a 30-foot chip over the green two or three times, then go ahead and pick this one up. If EA can patch the putting, you could get by with this game. If they patch the chipping, it’d be a no-brainer. They’re not going to patch Tilghman and Torrance, though, so just get ready to turn that portion of the audio off right away.
All in all, a disappointing return after a year of development.
Its awful. I’ve put in 8 hours of game play because I kept thinking it would get better. The putting is so bad that I’m trading it in before gamestop notices how many tw09 are being turned in. Damn you EA.
Former long time Tiger Woods wii fan.
I’m with you on this! I’ve played it for 10-10-2 hours and doesn’t and won’t get any better! The putting just absolutely stinks! There’s no other way to describe it! Try to beat a pro, yeah right! It won’t let you!
There’s a trick to the putting on standard mode that makes it a lot easier to use. After lining up your putt and making your adjustments with the putt preview you should be able to sink most putts;
Take the putter back very slowly until you get to the percentage you want to hit it. The slower you take it back the easier it is to get the right percentage. If you go too far back don’t start the remote forward. If you just let go of the ‘B’ button you can start the putt again without having to re-aim your putt.
Here is the trick to putting in standard mode (I picked it up in the review section on Amazon).
1) you have to make all major adjustments BEFORE you preview. You tweak your aim how hard you are going to hit it after the viewing and degesting the oreview information.
2) IF you are putting on a flat or uphill green ALWAY bump up the power (hit the UP arrow quickly ONCE). You’ll know you got it right when the 100% goes to 50 or 66 or 75. This will give you enough power to hit it PAST the hole. You want this because the power meter does work pretty well on putting, and you can hit a put at a 50-60-70-etc % of total power.
2) After adjusting the power cycle thru the shot types 3x, ie - hit “1″ three times to go from putt to pitch, pitch to chip, and then finally chip back to putt. Now look at the power. It should say 100% at twice the distance it suggested before.
3) Note the break of the green (left/right/straight) and make your aiming adjustments
4) NOW hit PUTT PREVIEW. It will hopefully show your putt going past the hole, so you do not have to hit it an unnatural 100% just to barely, maybe reach the hole. You want to be able to finesse the shot.
I’ll admit, the putting really was runing the game for me until I figured this out. It makes it much better (for me) much more realistic (for a video game), and I enjoy the game now.
There is NO denying the FACT that EA should have done a much better job reading the input for the Wii controller for less than a full swing from the tee thru the fairway. There is no WAY you can swing it at less than 60-65% or so.
Something else I noticed, in standard play - if you take an approach shot to the green, and it reads around 80-89%, even thought you swung at 100+%, the ball is going IN THE HOLE. EVERYTIME. It’s one of those silly, confidence/luck shots they built in to make it more realistic. It does anything but. “OH! look!! A Full on 100% reads 86% - HOLE-IN-ONE! (or EAGLE)” Everytime.
I do like the game, though. I give it a solid B- … once I figured out the putting.
wii sport golf is the best thing out there.it needs more then 9 holes.it it is foreal.the onlything tiger has on it is more holes an the crowd.you need to borrow some tips from wiisport. stop putting that crap out.
I love the Tiger Woods franchise, but Tiger Woods 09 has so many bugs and glitches it boggles the mind.
1. The putting is ridiculous. When you line up a put, and for example the hole is up two inches and slightly over, you make your adjustments prior to using putt preview. However, your putt preview shows you need to go up ANOTHER FOOT OR SO. This happens all the time. I know everyone has 3 and 4 putted holes where you get in the 50% or lower range and use the putt preview only to find you overshooting the hole over 10+ feet. Unacceptable. Also, on some holes you can over or under hit a shot by as much as 15% and make it in the hole. On other holes if you are off even 2% you miss.
2. The iron play is horrible. Good luck hitting any iron shots with consistency. It is very unforgiving even if you are off by just a bit, you can either come up short to the green or overshoot it completely.
3. Many holes seem to be bugged. In Pebble Beack for example, there is a hole where even if you hit the shot straight at the green, it will always pull way to the right and go in the water. There are also other holes throughout the game that really seem to always have lousy iron play or putting conditions no matter how well you play.
4. There are many other things I could mention but I’ll allow others to add to the list.
My biggest complaint is that this makes online play unbearable. I have blown quite a few leads due to the above mentioned things. I really hope the new wii remote reader and TW10 make this a great game again. I refuse to play online anymore until these issues are resolved. I long for the days of TW on PS2.
Dude, what are you talking about? It’s awesome, MUCH better than last year’s. Improved graphics, menus, same good controls. Only putting is harder, but it was too easy before
NEW user…Tiger weii PGA 09….
Not knowing what the heck I am doing…and with no EA live support…I now have two profiles of me with the same name…Id like to delete one…and have no idea how to delete a player profile…for example…there are two…”Todd” profiles…How the heck do I get rid of one…
Also…the first time I played there was lots of pretty cool commentary…now there is nothing? Just birds chirping..so, there is sound…just no commentary…and yes…the commentary is all the way up…100…but nothing…any ideas here…
Ok the commentary will get better (as far as the frequency, what they are actually saying will still SUCK) and obviously u have never played ‘08 or u will be COMPLETELY disappointed with ‘09.
That is disappointing.
I wish the review spoke about things like backspin and shot control.
How does the game improve on standard Wii Golf?
The half swing must be a limitation in the Wii system, because Wii golf has the same effect. Swing down and spot at your leg and the shot is 100%
http://afewtips.com
I could tell that every shot that went long was going to go long before you hit it. You were obviously bringing the club back too far. You wanted 75% on the last one and you brought it all the way back. And they had to do the putting meter because the WiiMotes aren’t precise enough to gauge small puts. This should all improve with that WiiMote add-on next year, but they did the best they could with the hardware they had. And your first time playing a golf game you probably should hit in the 80s or 90s. Too many people seem to want the old system where you could shoot 20 or more under par after playing the game for a couple hours and that isn’t golf.
If you adjust the puting marker with up/down on the dpad so that it is the same distance away as the hole, you get a representative percentage on the power meter. Also, I don’t think the power meter is proportional. I’ve done 50% power putts that are above half way on the power meter.
This occurs when there is a slope towards the hole. You have to compensate for that too.
The putting isn’t broken at all. It’s a shame because this is the first review people are reading and it’s putting them off buying it. Putting can be adjusted, if you don’t want to do a full swing for a little dainty putt, then set the marker further back, it’s not exactly a big problem.
For those of you looking to buy this game, I would give it 9 out of 10. The swinging mechanism works well and you start to get a ‘feel’ for how to swing the club to get the desired result.
About the commentary, it’s not amazing. but you can turn it off.
Poor review.
God that review was poor. Learn to play first maybe…. I agree the putting is far from perfect but you were completely misjudging shot % on your swing and blaming on the game. LOL
Perhaps you should learn what you’re doing before posting some half-baked review. In your first example, you didn’t have a 10 foot putt, you had about a 7 foot putt, and it was downhill. So a full power 10 foot putt is going to go about 13-14 feet, exactly where it ended up. Then you’re putting back uphill, and giving it less power than you need.
I agree with this review. The putting SUCKS and was better in ‘08! One thing that wasn’t mentioned in this review is that the graphics were better in ‘08 also. The new course greens are TOO GREEN and when driving my character looks like he’s wearing Hammer-Parachute Pants!!! I WISH THAT EA PUTS OUT A PATCH SOON!!!
Also another bad thing about the game is that sometimes when you go into the trees there is no way to hit your ball out. You are facing the wrong direction and its REALLY HARD to get your bearings. The only thing that I’ve seen to do is hit the ball BACK the way you came (HOPEFULLY) and (again, HOPEFULLY) you land on the fairway.
The 09 version does not have the ability to play in the sitting mode. So when I get ready to swing the club back it shows me a picture of the remote on the screen & it tells me to bring the club down but if i try to bring it down anymore I am down to the floor thrying to swing the club. I tried hooking up the nunchuck & it is a little better but there is no sense of accuracy. I had the 08 down to perfection shooting -72 or -71 most of the time. I am disappointed in this 09.
You are just dissappointed in your own ability. Do you usualy shoot 71/72 when you play for real?? I doubht it. That is why it is actualy more acurate than before. You just dont like the reality. Sorry.
I agree, people just need to lie the putt meetr on the green past the hole to over-compensate, as far as the Pebble Beach remark, that has never happened to me. I rotate left to overcompensate and it lands right where I wanted it to go.
)(’ isn’t perfect but it’s very much nicer than 2008 I thnk, the putting was too easy on 08 and as far as graphics they are the same or better, check your TV settings etc. Sounds like mileage may vary, but composite through my 32″ HD is stunning and in surround through my receiver is pretty much as close as one would get unless on a real close, I LOVE it, and I’m 40 and an avid golfer. Just read up a bit, overcompensate when needed etc. and you’ll grow to love it!
Great revies (the real ones) ;-)
Wish I’d seen this review before buying.
Short putts can easily go astray.
Not sure this guy actually played the game for more than 5 minutes. I’ve jumped to this from PGA 07 which certainly had a few flaws, PGA 09 is miles better. OK there’s a few flaws still to the swing and on my first play about the swing setting stuck on Advanced and wouldn’t go back to All Play or Standard. Luckily I hadn’t played much and just erased the whole save game and started again, been fine since then.
The putting takes a little getting used to but after a few goes it soon becomes playable, though, yes I’ve missed a few shortish ones by playing the way I would have on the 07 version. I won my first full tournament after only a couple of practice rounds with the settings on Standard.
Admittedly the commentary is a bit dry from Sam Torrence but better than nothing!
9/10
Seriously, did this guy play the game for more than 10 minutes before making his review? What an utter and complete misrepresentation of the actual game.
I played both ‘07 and ‘08 to completion, so when I say that this year’s version is a DRASTIC improvement, I don’t say it lightly as I loved both earlier versions despite their flaws.
First, I simply disagree that the exclusion of the old announcers is a problem. After two years, I was ready for a change. And what’s up with referring to Kelly Tilghmann as ‘what’s her name’? Couldn’t be bothered to do your research before you taped your review?
Now, onto to legitimately incorrect assertions he made about the gameplay itself.
-The putting is not broken and is actually an improvement. You don’t 4 or 5 putt every hole unless you completely misunderstand how the system works. The new power meter actually works very well (I’ll admit that it took me to the second Tiger Challenge to figure out exactly how it worked, but once I did I’m easily more accurate than I was in past versions). To the author, if your putt is right at the length of your putter (10 feet for instance) and has an uphill slope, then simply change to the 20 foot putter (or even the 30 or 40 putt if you want to do a lighter tap). As for complaining that you only get one putt preview per hole, I say “And?” I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that you got to see your line every time you shifted your aim in real golf.
-The short game isn’t broken either. As with the putting, it works very, very well once you adjust to it. I can consistently hit 50, 60 and 70 percent power shots. The author’s mistake is paying attention solely to the height of the backswing. If you went through the tutorials in the game, you would see that shot power is a combination or backswing AND swing speed and the height of your follow through. Frankly, I think it feels very natural. It took me less than 6 holes to learn how to judge my swing height and swing speed completely by feel.
I’m sorry, but this is just lazy reporting. The author should step up, admit his mistakes and correct the review. I’ve never visited this site before and only arrived here because I was searching for reviews the night before I bought the game. Thankfully I listened to all the other reviews I found which correctly scored the game at around 8.5 out of 10 and acknowledged that it is easily the best golf game on the Wii so far. I’ll never bother with this site again.
I have played 08 all the way through myself, and I must say the as of right now, I still prefer the short game in 08. I to mind the partial swing querks which can be compensated by adjusting the tracjectory… however the putting does take a lot away from the game. I dont agree with using put preview at all b/c like you said…you dont get a little line in real life. But at the same time do you get a different putter for every ten feet?
The putting system as for as distance goes in 08 just made more sense and allowed for more feel. A 1.5 ft. incline on a 10 ft put, should not require you to guess that a 40% stroke on a 30 ft putter is going to get you there (with all the breaks in the green included).
I played 08 on all advanced settings and quite frankly, I can’t play this one for longer than 2 hours with turning the game off due to putting.
I TOTALLY AGREE I think im going to have to wrpa this up and give it away to someone its just simply horrible.
Well “PUTT” ;-) pun intended….great “REAL” review I concur!
Don’t buy it!!!!.
My copy is going on eBay this evening.
The putting just spoils the game as it did in 08, but 07 was at least half logical.
Surely they test these games… but with whom?…Chimpanzees?
It just doesn’t work and they know it but they have got to make sure that they get it out in time whether it is ready or not.
You certainly wouldn’t get Nintendo doing that nor would you get Capcom.
EA have blown it again, or maybe the Wii remote is just not up to the job and they can’t make it any better?
it’s all you dude! Google is your friend, you can master this with a little reading.
Don’t listen to these people. Do yourself a favor and pick up his copy for cheap on ebay.
Again, the putting system is NOT broken. I’ve played for a grand total of three nights and I can’t remember the last time I 3-putted. And I’m already more than halfway through the Tiger Challenge. The system works just fine, it just isn’t a perfect physical simulation of actual putting (but then neither is the swing). And it isn’t meant to be. This is a game, NOT a golf instruction machine. That does NOT make it broken.
I like that people seem to think controls for a golf game don’t work well enough if they don’t sink every 30 foot putt and hit every drive 300 yards. It’s called Tiger Woods ‘09, people. That doesn’t mean you’ll PLAY like Tiger Woods every time…
LMAO!! SO True, people are posting LAME, biased reviews here who have no clue how to read a few lines of helper info on Google, I had problems for 3 wholes and now master it!
“One Who Gets it”
;-)
you guys are dum the game rocks and u need to learn to play . i hate ppl bashing somthing because its diff from the game they mastered befor …
Bad review. Learn how to play the game THEN review.
agree with the putting in the review. sucks. bugs? yeah, for sure. I chipped the ball for an eagle and when it dropped in the hole, the mofo said, “out of bounds.” Screw walking on water! I wanna see Tiger Woods chip the damn ball out of the hole out of bounds!
I was told on 360 that certain equipment helps certain attritbutets…is the same for Wii and if so how can you tell?
Having never played Tiger Woods on the Wii before buying 09 I had no preconceptions of what the game should be like. I have to say that I think it is a fantastic game, lots of fun to play with friends, and having only played Links on the PC previously, I thought it was a pretty good simulation and certainly better than 3 clicking a mouse button. To clear up the bad reviews on the putting, I can only put it down to the fact that all the bad reviews are coming from people who own or have played Tiger 07 or 08. For this reason, these people are trying to play the game (putt) the same way they always have. Listen up guys…it’s a new game and a new way of putting. It is not broken at all; it just takes some getting used to. I personally think the putting is quite simple to understand, and the only challenge I am having is the alignment (playing with advanced swing so no putt preview :-().
For those of you out there who are unsure whether to buy the game because of this reason, trust me, buy it, give it some time to learn the technique and you WILL love it.
awsome
I have both 07 and 08 for the wii, out of both of them i prefered 08, once you had mastered the art of a slow steady shot to get you the partial shot you needed it was ok, then the putting with it constant putt preview helped and boosted your confidence as you putted. Then I purchased 09 thinking this is going to be the best one yet, but as everyone has said sadly mistaken. The one major fault with 09 is the putting, unlike 08 once you are use to the putt preview where you can fix your putt no matter how long you need, and the backswing and front swing meter to show the distance you might reach was a great confort, but now in 09 you don’t have any of this and it is a massive let down on all accounts
Additional to my earlier thoughts… After playing through the first season of the tour and building up enough experience points to get the putting bar well up the scale you start to notice that your putting ability improves, probably partly due to the fact that you get better but also it seems because your character skill level has increased, many less balls just stop right on the edge or go straight over the top, they drop on a much higher percentage basis.
So to those slating the putting I suggest you play a bit longer, build up the putting skill points and see if it gets any easier. Games are meant to be a challenge, not a walk in the park (or in this case course…)
Oh, and maybe the “confidence” factor helps as well…
I agree with Hank Monroe in the short review he clearly did not know what he was doing with the putting or the chipping. Also Doug Aamoth should of included more features in the game like spin, maybe a personal review on some extra features. Was it beter than 08 or 07.
Out of the short review he gave us I would give the game 8.5/10
Does anyone know how to setup the second WII controller for Tiger Wood’d Pga Tour 09??
Lol, another site with a discourage *CUSTOMER* claiming against the damn putter plus a bunch of people saying “it’s perfect, its your fault”.
If you are a lucky gamer and do you haven’t trouble with the putter then fine for you.
And if you are a unlucky game and you best score is -2 cause the damn putter, then yes its “your fault” but you are not alone!.
ps :for a while i though my wiimote was uncalibrated, good for me it was the putter in tg09.
Putting at first was a headache, but it’s pretty obvious once you figure it out. I agree that it’s a bit strange going full pelt from 8 inches, but you get used to that after a while. I am regularly sinking 20-30m puts as well as the short ones
Chipping is all about control and the speed you follow through with the swing, not just the height
Tiger Woods 09 putting was obviously created by people WHO DON’T GOLF!!! I hate the new putting. At least in the 08 version you had some feel for the ball. I think this game is a total rip-off and Tiger Woods would be ashamed to have his name to this crappy version. My guess is Tiger only gets the royalty for using his name. After this version I think EA Sports should get new game writers! DON’T BUY THIS GAME!!! IF YOU JUST GOT THE WII IT WOULD BE BETTER TO GET THE 08 VERSION!!!! I WISHED I COULD RETURN THE GAME - IT REALLY IS THAT BAD!!!
thsi review sucks the puttings amzing and its a lot easier than 08 to convert.though the team play mose isnt great the manager mode sure makes up for this.Bad review !!!
I play real golf (poorly). I thought the Wii sports golf game was fun but not very accurate to a real swing. I rented the TW09 version and loved it, based on this review I went out and got the TW08 version thinking they are probably very similar and that it would be the same experience. Well, I returned the TW08 version and shelled out the extra 30 bucks for the TW09. The putting is weird in both versions but I think that 09 is easier once you get the hang of it. Remember to look at the putter you are using and how far you want to go. Then pull back slowly to get the right amount of power. Tiger woods 09 has more realistic swing mechanics, runs faster, looks a lot better on my HD tv, and has a better soundtrack (once you turn off the commentary). Also when the new wii-mote attachment comes out next year, I hear it will be compatible with the 09 version and not earlier versions. My 2 cents is the 09 version is more fun and it is a much better investment.
The guy reviewing is a douche bag. He obviously did not take any time to learn the ins and outs of the game. I recently bought 09 and love it. This is my first go at Tiger Woods Golf……ever. No bias or reference point. The game is another solid EA product. Although I am still upset about them dropping MVP/MLB.
My advice is to play the tutorial and work your way into the game. You have to practice and concentrate to be good. For those of you who are having problems with the game, slow down and learn to play. The game is awesome and scratches my itch during the winter.
Can someone please tell me how to change profiles? Like I created a profile for me and my dad. I created my Dad’s first, then mine, now whenever I play games, it just goes to me, I tried loading up my dad’s profile, but it’s not working… !!! HELP PLEASE!
TO ROBBIE /WHOEVER YOU ARE
click on my career then click on the button that says load then a page will come up with all of your created profiles clickon the one you want to load
do this each time unless the one you want to load is already there in that case just click on where it says your name.
have fun
ALSO NEVER USE THE PUCH SHOT IT NEVER GOES THE CORRECT LENGTH!!! AND LEAVES YOU IN THE BUNKER HALF THE TIME. HOPE THIS HELPS!
how do I get the second remote working in TW09? All other games work fine, the options only give me a choice of remote 1 or CPU.
I had trouble figuring out how to add a second remote to play TW 2009 too. This is what I came up with:
Go to the page with Play Now, My Career , etc
press the Home button between - and + on your remote. select reconnect. Simultaneously press 1 and 2 on each remote in the desired player order.
The key to mastering putting is mastering the power meter. With that in mind, please note your swing does not have to flow nonstop from beginning to end. You can draw your backswing, find the appropriatte level on the power meter then follow through. There is no hurry to begin your fwd motion. Also, once you’ve lined up your putt, check your putt preview (-)before you attempt your shot. This can be checked once per shot and is a huge crutch. If the preview putt is off a bit, make slight adjustment to your aim/distance, then putt.
With a little practice, putting is not very difficult at all. It is a great game. Good Luck
all you tiger woods 09 haters out there just because you can not do it doesnt mean its crap it means your CRAP!! great game it helps to play the tutorial newcomers to the game!!
Some people here are saying that “it’s a game, and it shouldn’t have to feel like real life” or that the “wiimote may not be up for the job”…
Well, the 2nd claim is wrong, just look at the putting in Wii sports Golf : It’s feels as natural as you can get - the weight of the swing is perfect actually.
If you took the putting from that and somehow applied it to the details of the Tiger woods game, it could be seriously good.
this game is great i just bought it after reading this review. i weighed everything the reviewer said and decided he didnt know how to play. the game is just like TW 08 on PS3 (havent played 09 on ps3 yet) it just has a steeper learning curve. if you give the game a little time it gets to be really enjoyable.
thats true the putting on wii sports is brilliant and they should combine the two games
i only just started real golf and the game definitely has a brilliant driving feel of what it feels like and the pitching is pretty good too so what if the putting is hard its just as hard in real life! i htinik the putting is really clever
I am an avid golf and Just got the Tiger PGA 09 for Christmas and have to agree the putting is way off. Is there some kinda trick to it? If someone out there is making the 2 putts, please let me know. I wished the putting was more like the Wii sports golf-then we would all have a blast. Overall love it.
you aim one foot for each inch up or down, so if it’s three inches up, aim 3 feet long, and hit it at that percentage. doesnt always work but it usually gets it pretty damn close
Forget it. The putting on this game makes you pull your hair out. The only people who might like it probably have not played real golf - EVER. I’m taking it back - total junk.
I can’t believe how bad the reviews are on this game. I’ve played Links on the PC since it came out around ‘91. I tried TW 06 on the360. That was pretty good, took me a while to learn it as it was quite different than links, but still fun. I got TW 09 for the WII for Xmas. I think its a good game. Yes, its a bit of a pain when your trying to make a shot and the system doesn’t pick up on the position of the remote. I’ve had a couple of yips with putting. But I was able to figure out the distance using the formula of 1 inch of elevation equals 1 foot of distance either plus or minus. (Aprox). The guessing aspect and the bit of luck, I think, adds to the game. Also, about real feel, lets face it, there is no weight to the remote and not enough room for both my hands, so I know for myself it is difficult to use my actual golf swing. But I’ve adapted and I am having fun playing. And for all you purest, when is the last time you saw a pro hit -70 in a tournement?? Never. So the fact that you can’t hit those outrageous scores I believe adds to the reality of the game. For myself, after a few rounds, I am finishing tournements at about -20, and my character is still less than 1/2 of the skill pts earned. As was stated earlier, this is a game, not a golf trainer. I haven’t tried on line yet, as I want to get better before I compete against all you hard core gamers and not get embaressed, so I can’t comment on that part of the game. I can say that the first time playing the game my wife who is not a gamer and an even worse golfer than i am( hard to believe) shot -5 using Tiger character on her first round. So it can not be that hard to play this game. People, just give it some time to learn, don’t expect to be hittn’ -20 your first round…..
How do I delete a profile after loading?
Can anyone tell me if this Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 game allows internet play in regards to allowing 2 wii systems to connect and play against each other?
Thanks
Well after finally learning this game inside & out i must say my last review & many complaints have been hit right out the window, i’ve owned this game for a month at best won the Tiger challenge cup in 14 hours total & have a half million dollars, i have now started playing online & this game rocks solid..including the putting, my average now is -15 per round with a highest round of -24, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this game just take the time to learn it properly including the “so called” dreadful putting..which i find very easy now for me…anyway disregard my last review awhile back this games wonderful!
The putting system on this game ruins the whole game. I would rather play golf on Wii Sports, which is a more realistic simulator for golf. I am going to try to return the game. It is absolutely awful.
internet play blows!!
To all those 07 or 08 players… Just play with the 30 foot putter all the time and you get the same effect. Light swings for short shots.
I love this 09 version.
Got this game a week ago. Yes, at first the putting is different…but after an hour or so you will understand it. The second round I played, I shot a 61 at Scottsdale(standard mode, black tees). I think I had about 26 putts, so obviously the putting isn’t as bad as some say. Maybe the negative comments are from those used to going round in the mid 40’s on other golf sims. Give it a try n you will love it.
had 09 game for a week, driving OK chipping OK,
but I cannot work out the putting, played golf on the Wii version no trouble, I want to learn how to putt with this game is there any where or any one who can help me.
Try purchasing Tiger Wood 07 or 08 (may be you can find one in some bargain bin or in a discount stand), both version have not trouble with the damn putter.
To all those having the putting problems here is a nice step-by-setp as to how to use it properly:
1) adjust your left/right break according to the grid.
2) adjust the cursor to how far you wish to hit to (a good guid is that the ball should stop about 1 foot past the hole. this is true for real life also).
3) press the minus (-) button and take note of the white putt preview line.
4) Work out your corrections to the line so that it passes over the hole - remembering that less power will have the ball head further down hill, and more power will straighten the line, and that the line should not be more than 1 or 2 foot past the hole else the ball may run straight over it.
5) press the minus (-) button again and perform your corrections.
6) take note of the percentage that the game is showing you - and putt to this percentage.
Do also remember to take note of your putter strength - if you are 1 meter from the whole with a 1 meter putter you need to hit with 100%, but if you are 2 meters from the hole with a 3 meter putter then you only need 66% on a level surface.
Also don’t forget when putting uphill use more power, when going downhill use less.
All in all, having not play TW 07 or TW 08 I thought that TW 09 was an excellent game, though me and my family can’t figure out how the ‘Chip’ shot works (I just use the Lob shot instead LOL). The game plays releastically except for the putting, but if you put the putter out then even then you can get a realistic shot going.
Don’t let the poor review from someone who obviously didn’t use the tutorial feature on how to play the game influence you.