Retro Game Walkthroughs for Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004 (Gamecube)
Submitted By: Ashman
Tiger Woods 2004 - By Ashman
Heads up folks, because if you’re getting your 3 wood in a twist or finding yourself in the ocean far too often look no further than this very guide. Foolproof, and easy to digest I tell you, to make sure you’ll be hitting the greens of every one of Tiger Woods 2004’s holes as fluently as the man himself.
Note: Whilst this is written for the Gamecube format I’m sure a great deal of it applies to the Xbox PC and PS2 versions too, though I’m not making any promises.
The first thing I think to make a note of about this game, is that if you owned the previous Tiger Woods 2003, that you should transfer the data from this previous golfing title onto the same memory card that you plan to play 2004 on. ‘Why?’ I hear you ponder, well its because if done, you can start the game out with a little extra cash acquired by a quick sponsorship, a little incentive for previews Tiger lovers.
Now I’m not going to go over and cover every course of this game, but I will outline such things as tactics, so you feel so confident at the tee that you can take on any of the games challenging or perhaps easier courses. That way you, for the most part, are at the helm yourself, and haven’t just copied somebody else’s technique word-for-word. If you are new to the series, I suggest you take a glance over the information below:
DRIVING - The first and most important shot you are likely to play on a hole in this game. Now you can’t expect to get by just trickling it down the range so you then have to drive again to make the green, no, no. This shot requires little strength accuracy, so just get it in line with the fairway, and make sure you are going to land in a reasonable position on the fairway, you don’t really want to be anywhere else. On any average par 4 it’ll be an iron shot to the green, on par 5’s you may want to be a little ambitious after so experience and try and make the green in two, opening up an eagle opportunity. This will require a lot more skill, as you have to take into account the wind more, and how much the ball is likely to scuttle along after impact.
Also remember, if you are playing uphill or with the wind against you, you’re going to need more meat behind your swing, so contemplate switching up a club. The same when goes for when you are playing downhill or with the wind behind you, except obviously using a less powerful club. On tee shots you’re also going to want to hammer the Z button when completing your back swing, as this will result in your shot going at least 10 yards further.
Don’t be afraid to take a risk either, because taking risks is what will ultimately knock shots off your scores. If there is an array of trees that you are unsure whether you can clear them, have a go, you might be pleasantly surprised, and if not, at least you’ll know for next time. The last technique to do with driving is one that you must learn if you are going to ultimately master this game. This technique is the ability to either draw or fade the ball, on demand. At the start of some dogleg holes (holes which bend round to the flag) is a good opportunity to pull the analogue stick back from left to right, or right to left in order to progress close to the flag, or even straight to the green on some of the harder par 4’s in some cases. Remember though, you need to aim further to the left in order to fade and to the right if you wish to draw the ball.
APPROACHING/CHIPPING - Right, so you’ve crashed the ball down the fairway like you were Adam Sandler, you’re sitting tight, and its time to seek for the pin. Now when you were hitting down the fairways left/right accuracy wasn’t a problem, now it is. When approaching the green, precision is everything. You’ve really got to take into account the wind more than any time in the game now, because whilst winds of around 5 or 6 mph before will now often determine whether you are green bound or not. Then, when you hit the later difficulties, double figure winds will be as mischievous as anything else in the game, and often relentlessly difficult. These will force you to consider use of the less accurate ‘punch’ shot, which will most likely ensure a perch on the green, but most probably a fair distance from the hole. Likewise with driving, a strong tail wind or wind against you will have to effects you would expect. Be sure to switch a club up or down if they are particularly strong, and if the wind is angled left aim in the opposite direction slightly to balance out the wind against the force.
One other more unlikely event is if you are on a sideways slope. If you are, then the ball tends to get a kick off the direction of the slope, and fly in that path. Just aim a little in the opposing direction to compensate for this, and then let fly.
When your ball is in the air, then use the neatly designed camera angle to see roughly where it’s going to land. If it’s going to come up short, don’t just sit there like a lemon, tap the Z button and aim the little gold icon in the top right hand corner to topspin, you should gain an extra half dozen inches at least. Once your spin technique is improved you’ll find yourself using the handy feature when you have under/over hit a shot, or misjudged your angles. Spinning is one of the most ignored aspects of the game, but it’s especially vital if you aren’t good at the next area, putting.
PUTTING - Ahhhh, putting, everyone assumes it to be one of the easiest parts of the game due to the nifty ‘Caddy Tip’ that naturally guides you in the right route giving you a set of estimates of where to hit the shot. The one thing nobody thinks of is that it has some overwhelming faults. The first thing remember when “taaaapping it in” is that actually, and inch left or right is shorter than an inch long or short. Crazy and disproportionate maybe, but that’s golf for you. Oh, and be sure to stick an extra inch or two on what you’d expect to be the length of your shot, its still most likely to go in anyway and compensates for an occasional margin of error. If the caddy suggests you hitting it between 1 and 5 inches short, just leave the indicator where it already is, lengthwise. The same goes for times when the caddy suggests whacking it ‘straight in’. Just nudge the cursor a tad forward to be safe.
When you have mammoth puts on your hands, don’t worry so much about getting them in, worry about getting them close. Its better to be able to two putt successfully than try and have it all, and end up with a bogey. Extreme figures are to be combated with caution; it’s ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry in this game.
A COUPLE OF OTHER TIPS - Whilst it may be severely tempting to go and spend all of your prized winnings on cash always consider the future. Chances you are going to want to go and place another wager in ‘Match Play’ with another golfer in order to win more and more currency. This will, at the end of the day, earn you more money, more quickly, so this is a wise thing to do rather than blowing it instantly on stats or items. And when out on the courses, never fear in under hitting a shot with a more powerful club. Just don’t pull back the analogue stick the full way, and it will simulate a swing just under the 100% mark. By the same token, if going for gold, always remember to persistently tap the Z button, not only in your backspin, but in mid air flight, to give you those extra few yards either end that could make a huge difference.
Good luck my friends, have fun, and remember; golfing isn’t just for gibbering gimps that like to wear cardigans and stripy trousers. No, no.
*Dons stripy trousers and a cardigan*
By Ashley Phillips – I don’t mind people using my no doubt, uber-tastic guide, but would appreciate it if you didn’t put their name to it. Thanks.
Heads up folks, because if you’re getting your 3 wood in a twist or finding yourself in the ocean far too often look no further than this very guide. Foolproof, and easy to digest I tell you, to make sure you’ll be hitting the greens of every one of Tiger Woods 2004’s holes as fluently as the man himself.
Note: Whilst this is written for the Gamecube format I’m sure a great deal of it applies to the Xbox PC and PS2 versions too, though I’m not making any promises.
The first thing I think to make a note of about this game, is that if you owned the previous Tiger Woods 2003, that you should transfer the data from this previous golfing title onto the same memory card that you plan to play 2004 on. ‘Why?’ I hear you ponder, well its because if done, you can start the game out with a little extra cash acquired by a quick sponsorship, a little incentive for previews Tiger lovers.
Now I’m not going to go over and cover every course of this game, but I will outline such things as tactics, so you feel so confident at the tee that you can take on any of the games challenging or perhaps easier courses. That way you, for the most part, are at the helm yourself, and haven’t just copied somebody else’s technique word-for-word. If you are new to the series, I suggest you take a glance over the information below:
DRIVING - The first and most important shot you are likely to play on a hole in this game. Now you can’t expect to get by just trickling it down the range so you then have to drive again to make the green, no, no. This shot requires little strength accuracy, so just get it in line with the fairway, and make sure you are going to land in a reasonable position on the fairway, you don’t really want to be anywhere else. On any average par 4 it’ll be an iron shot to the green, on par 5’s you may want to be a little ambitious after so experience and try and make the green in two, opening up an eagle opportunity. This will require a lot more skill, as you have to take into account the wind more, and how much the ball is likely to scuttle along after impact.
Also remember, if you are playing uphill or with the wind against you, you’re going to need more meat behind your swing, so contemplate switching up a club. The same when goes for when you are playing downhill or with the wind behind you, except obviously using a less powerful club. On tee shots you’re also going to want to hammer the Z button when completing your back swing, as this will result in your shot going at least 10 yards further.
Don’t be afraid to take a risk either, because taking risks is what will ultimately knock shots off your scores. If there is an array of trees that you are unsure whether you can clear them, have a go, you might be pleasantly surprised, and if not, at least you’ll know for next time. The last technique to do with driving is one that you must learn if you are going to ultimately master this game. This technique is the ability to either draw or fade the ball, on demand. At the start of some dogleg holes (holes which bend round to the flag) is a good opportunity to pull the analogue stick back from left to right, or right to left in order to progress close to the flag, or even straight to the green on some of the harder par 4’s in some cases. Remember though, you need to aim further to the left in order to fade and to the right if you wish to draw the ball.
APPROACHING/CHIPPING - Right, so you’ve crashed the ball down the fairway like you were Adam Sandler, you’re sitting tight, and its time to seek for the pin. Now when you were hitting down the fairways left/right accuracy wasn’t a problem, now it is. When approaching the green, precision is everything. You’ve really got to take into account the wind more than any time in the game now, because whilst winds of around 5 or 6 mph before will now often determine whether you are green bound or not. Then, when you hit the later difficulties, double figure winds will be as mischievous as anything else in the game, and often relentlessly difficult. These will force you to consider use of the less accurate ‘punch’ shot, which will most likely ensure a perch on the green, but most probably a fair distance from the hole. Likewise with driving, a strong tail wind or wind against you will have to effects you would expect. Be sure to switch a club up or down if they are particularly strong, and if the wind is angled left aim in the opposite direction slightly to balance out the wind against the force.
One other more unlikely event is if you are on a sideways slope. If you are, then the ball tends to get a kick off the direction of the slope, and fly in that path. Just aim a little in the opposing direction to compensate for this, and then let fly.
When your ball is in the air, then use the neatly designed camera angle to see roughly where it’s going to land. If it’s going to come up short, don’t just sit there like a lemon, tap the Z button and aim the little gold icon in the top right hand corner to topspin, you should gain an extra half dozen inches at least. Once your spin technique is improved you’ll find yourself using the handy feature when you have under/over hit a shot, or misjudged your angles. Spinning is one of the most ignored aspects of the game, but it’s especially vital if you aren’t good at the next area, putting.
PUTTING - Ahhhh, putting, everyone assumes it to be one of the easiest parts of the game due to the nifty ‘Caddy Tip’ that naturally guides you in the right route giving you a set of estimates of where to hit the shot. The one thing nobody thinks of is that it has some overwhelming faults. The first thing remember when “taaaapping it in” is that actually, and inch left or right is shorter than an inch long or short. Crazy and disproportionate maybe, but that’s golf for you. Oh, and be sure to stick an extra inch or two on what you’d expect to be the length of your shot, its still most likely to go in anyway and compensates for an occasional margin of error. If the caddy suggests you hitting it between 1 and 5 inches short, just leave the indicator where it already is, lengthwise. The same goes for times when the caddy suggests whacking it ‘straight in’. Just nudge the cursor a tad forward to be safe.
When you have mammoth puts on your hands, don’t worry so much about getting them in, worry about getting them close. Its better to be able to two putt successfully than try and have it all, and end up with a bogey. Extreme figures are to be combated with caution; it’s ALWAYS better to be safe than sorry in this game.
A COUPLE OF OTHER TIPS - Whilst it may be severely tempting to go and spend all of your prized winnings on cash always consider the future. Chances you are going to want to go and place another wager in ‘Match Play’ with another golfer in order to win more and more currency. This will, at the end of the day, earn you more money, more quickly, so this is a wise thing to do rather than blowing it instantly on stats or items. And when out on the courses, never fear in under hitting a shot with a more powerful club. Just don’t pull back the analogue stick the full way, and it will simulate a swing just under the 100% mark. By the same token, if going for gold, always remember to persistently tap the Z button, not only in your backspin, but in mid air flight, to give you those extra few yards either end that could make a huge difference.
Good luck my friends, have fun, and remember; golfing isn’t just for gibbering gimps that like to wear cardigans and stripy trousers. No, no.
*Dons stripy trousers and a cardigan*
By Ashley Phillips – I don’t mind people using my no doubt, uber-tastic guide, but would appreciate it if you didn’t put their name to it. Thanks.