************************************************************** HOT SHOTS GOLF 2 - DETAILED COURSE GUIDE - BALATA COUNTRY CLUB ************************************************************** Platform: Playstation Version: 1.1 Written: 7 January 2001 Author: Jason Lawson (rangitamoe) Email: todd28@ihug.com.au ***************** TABLE OF CONTENTS ***************** 1. Introduction 2. Legal Stuff 3. Revisions 4. What's in this FAQ 5. Course Guide 6. Tips to better scoring 7. Credits 8. Comments And Suggestions 9. Coming Soon *************** 1. INTRODUCTION *************** Welcome to my first, and hopefully first of many FAQs. After toying with the idea for ages, I decided that I would do something a little different from the norm when it came to this excellent golf game. If you have ever played golf, you know that course knowledge is important if you want to shoot low scores. For the pros, this comes in the form of a caddy. What I wanted to do was the same thing in print form so players can know what to expect before actually hitting the course. ************** 2. LEGAL STUFF ************** I don't have too much of a problem with my FAQ being used on other sites, so long as you email me for permission, and give me due credit on the site on which it is placed. Anyone who does NOT ask my permission and blatantly rips off my FAQ will find themselves facing serious legal action. This FAQ will appear on: GameFAQs Playstation Cheat.net Game Advice Anyone who spots this on another site can contact me via email at: todd28@ihug.com.au ************ 3. REVISIONS ************ Version 1.1 - Added new sites on which FAQ appears. Added scoring tips Version 1.0 - Basic course guide ******************** 4.WHAT'S IN THIS FAQ ******************** This FAQ contains a hole-by-hole synopsis of the Balata Country Club course, and a few very general tips for better scoring. I am assuming that players are familiar with the controls and general gameplay. If you are after specific tips for the game itself you may want to have a look at either BYouns or Nemesis' FAQs in GameFAQs. *********************************** 5. BALATA COUNTRY CLUB COURSE GUIDE *********************************** This a very straightforward course that beginners can use to get a handle of the basic controls and tactics. *** PLEASE NOTE *** This guide gives a general synopsis on what I believe is the best way to play each hole. Factors you will need to consider and adjust to accordingly include wind direction and strength, ball lie, and the golfer you have selected. HOLE 1 - PAR 4 - 360y This is not an incredibly challenging or difficult hole. Its essentially straight up and down. The only dangers are the bunker on the right hand side of the fairway, and the water to the left of the green to a much lesser extent. If you can keep the ball straight, you shouldn't have any trouble making birdie. Your second shot will be played slighty above the green. HOLE 2 - PAR 4 - 374y This hole features a slight dogleg to the right, followed by a straight run into the green. The ideal position off the tee is to be on the right hand side of the fairway, which involves using one of two techniques depending on your choice of golfer. If your chosen golfer has a high trajectory and a lot of power (e.g Rocco) you can aim just right of the large tree right in the middle of the screen and hit it straight over the mound that cuts the corner. If you don't have either the power or trajectory, you can aim the ball slightly left of that same tree and press left on the D-pad as you make the shot. This will start the ball left, but curl it right to follow the dogleg. This should leave you in a perfect position for the approach to the green. HOLE 3 - PAR 5 - 496y This hole has a long downhill fairway which doglegs right at the end to an uphill green. From the tee use a power shot and try to steer the ball between the tree on the left and the second bunker on the right of the green. It is a very narrow area, so accuracy is paramount. The first bunker on the right can come into play here depending on wind conditions so be wary. There are two options for the second shot. It is most likely that no matter where you have landed on the fairway, there is no clear shot at the pin in two. The safest option is to take a middle iron and aim the ball left of the green and onto the fairway. This will set up a short pitch to the green on your third shot. For the more adventurous, it IS possible to reach in two, but you may need to curl the ball around the trees on the hill directly in your line. The direction you choose to curl depends on wind conditions and golfer choice. My personal preference is to curl it from left to right by pressing down+left on the D-pad. In most cases though it is hard to get the ball close as you are usually using a wood and also due to the raised green. HOLE 4 - PAR 3 - 135y This hole is a basic straight par 3. The tee shot is slightly above the green. There is a bunker short and left of the green, but it shouldn't come into play unless you really duff the shot. The green is very flat, so you shouldn't have any trouble putting backspin on the ball. A straight point and shoot hole. HOLE 5 - PAR 4 - 380y This is rated the hardest hole on the course, although I don't really know why. It has a slight dogleg to the left, but no major hazards to speak of. Ideal drive is to the right of the fairway, as it opens up the entire green. If you do hit the ball left, the trees that jut out on the left side can come into play, meaning a hit over or around them. From the right side, its a straight shot at the flag, however if you stray left a little the is a bunker waiting to gobble your ball. HOLE 6 - PAR 4 - 373y This hole doglegs to the left after a relatively easy tee shot. Left side of the fairway is paramount, as the right side has a large clump of trees that can come into play and block the view of the pin. From the left side, the only annoyance is a lone tree that seems to place itself directly in the line of the green. There is a big enough gap to go between it and the forest though, and depending on pin placement should be an easy birdie. The green is sloped from left to right on the approach, so backspin may be a problem. HOLE 7 - PAR 3 - 168y Similar to the 4th hole except the green is a lot lower than the tee. It is imperative that you have enough power to easily land in the heart of the green, as there is a large slope short of the green that will take your ball back towards a small lake if the ball is not hit well enough. Apart from that the hole is relatively easy to birdie. Green slopes from back to front and slightly right to left. HOLE 8 - PAR 4 - 330y This hole has a slight dogleg right, and the only real threat off the tee is a bunker to the left and rough on the right. The second shot is blinded by a small hill in the fairway, but using the cameras to look over it shows that its just a straight shot to the flag. The green slopes from front to back so there won't be much backspin if you over hit. HOLE 9 - PAR 5 - 505y This is my favourite hole on the course. Its pretty easy to see the hazard here, a giant lake in the middle of the screen. You have to play this hole carefully to be able to get an eagle. From the tee, you have to be careful that you don't just blast away down the middle, because the fairway runs out at about 250 yards, which is easily reachable with a golfer of average power. If you overhit, you either land in the rough, or break out the scuba gear! The closer you can get to the edge of the rough, without actually landing in it the better. The second shot offers two choices, you can either play right following the fairway and lay the ball up, or you can go all guns blazing with your driver towards the green, which looks oh so appealing right in front of you. A word of warning though, if you do go for the green in two, you MUST hit the ball perfectly and with enough power. There is a slope almost exactly like the one on the 7th hole in case the ball comes up short. If you play the safe option then the only worry is a tree that places itself in the middle of your view, but a simple curl shot would avoid it. Green slopes front to back again, so stopping the ball quickly is very difficult. HOLE 10 - PAR 4 - 366y So we've hit halfway. How are you travelling so far? This is another hole you need to think about. Its a dogleg left, but with a very wide landing area to the right, which is where you want to go. Power hitters may have to drop back a club here to tee off as the fairway runs out at about 240 yards. Best option is to lay up on the right with a 3 wood and take the nice easy shot to the green. If you feel like taking a risk, you can aim the cursor to the middle of the fairway past the bunker and press right on the D-pad and try and curl the ball around the corner. If you succeed you have a much easier shot to the green. Screw it up and your in the bunker that sits right on the corner. This green is very flat in the back right corner, but slopes viciously to the left otherwise. HOLE 11 - PAR 4 - 365y From the tee this looks like a nice straightforward drive down the middle. Beware! There is a big bunker on the right that comes into play, as the fairway slopes towards it. Best thing to do is to aim slightly left of centre and you should be OK. The approach to the green is simple, you only have to compensate for the lowered green. The green itself slopes slightly left to right, but more severely towards the front left. HOLE 12 - PAR 3 - 131y Another straight up and down par 3. This green is a lot lower than the previous par 3's but there a few hazards if any that come in to play. Green slopes slightly from left to right. HOLE 13 - PAR 5 - 466y This is probably the easiest Par 5 on the course. If you have a power hitter you can make eagle on here practically every time (I have albatrossed this hole 3 times). From the tee there is a dogleg to the left, and a copse of trees between the tee and the ideal landing area. With a power hitter you can aim over the trees on the right, and just let it rip. With the downhill slope of the fairway in that area a 290 yard drive is possible, leaving you a longish iron to the flag. For the non power hitter, you can also go oer the top if you can (use backspin to give the ball some extra height) or you can try curling the ball from left to right. Either way, you should still have a chance in reaching in two. The further to the right of the fairway you are, the better your approach. If you can't reach in two, then lay the ball up short and to the right of the green. The green itself slopes from back to front and left to right. HOLE 14 - PAR 4 - 367y This is another very attractive hole. The fairway is long and straight, but the green lies to the right of the fairway with a giant lake between them. Off the tee, aim the cursor to the centre of the crest in front of you. This should put you in a perfect position for the second shot to the green. With the lake between you and the green, there is really no obstructions. Green slopes from back to front ond from right to left. HOLE 15 - PAR 4 - 349y This hole has a slight dogleg left, but a huge driving area to work with. The only danger is the bunker on the right hand side of the fairway. The ideal place to be is left of the fairway, but be careful as the fairway has a severe right to left slope itself, and aiming too far left might put you in the rough. More than likely, your second shot will be played on an uneven fairway sloping right to left, so you need to aim accordingly to allow for that. The green is a raised green and it slopes slightly from back to front. HOLE 16 - PAR 3 - 161y Depending on pin position, this could be one of the more difficult holes despite the short length. The green is very small and slopes severely from left to right. You have to carry part of a large lake to reach the green, and you need to hit the ball hard enough to hit the green on the full. The problem with that however, is due to the small landing area, you may go over the back. Finding the right balance here is important. HOLE 17 - PAR 4 - 358y This is another slightly doglegged hole, but is predominantly straight. The middle or slightly left is the place to land the tee shot, which can be achieved by aiming just on the edge of the bunker on the right of the fairway. The bunker itself doesn't come into play. The approach is to a raised green which slopes from right to left. HOLE 18 - PAR 5 - 475y As the sun sets over Balata Country Club, what better way to finish the round than with an eagle. This hole has a big dogleg left, which also travels down a moderate slope. You can use this to your advantage. Simply place the cursor directly in the middle of the tree that juts out on the left corner of the fairway, put the power shot on, hold right on the D-pad and let the big dog eat. You should find the ball dancing happily down the slope and in the middle of the fairway, leaving you a 200 yard shot or so. The second shot however needs to be hit spot on to make the green in two. It has a setup similar to that of the 9th hole, with a large slope ready to drag any short balls back in the rough. If you are way short... SPLASH! The green has a varying slope but its from front to back slightly. ************************** 6. TIPS FOR BETTER SCORING ************************** Here are a few basic tips to help you get that handicap down, and to also win a few tournaments. (a) Putting is THE most important skill in the game PERIOD. Its no point putting the ball 7 feet from the cup if you can't sink the putt. Constant practise is the best way to learn how to read greens, and know where to aim and how hard to hit. Master this skill and scores will plummet. (b) Know the limitations of the golfer you choose. There's no point in trying to go for the green in 2 on a par 5 if your golfer only barely has the power to get there. (c) Use the cameras to your advantage. Before teeing off I ALWAYS raise the camera (up on D-pad) and zoom it forward (triangle) to the landing area of the tee shot. Sometimes there are hazards that are hidden from the tee that you will see with cameras. Take notes on the slope of the fairway, and the potential dangers off the fairway. ********** 7. CREDITS ********** First and foremost, a big thanks to CJayC for putting together the best gaming site around. Thanks also to Al Amaloo and Chris Wirth for letting me place this FAQ on their sites. Thank you's also to Nemesis and BYoun for writing the general FAQs for this game and giving me the idea to write a course guide. Thanks to the makers and programmers of this fine golf game. ********************** 8. COMMENTS & SUGGESTIONS ********************** This is the first FAQ I have ever written, and I hope you find it useful. I would like to write more in the future, but any feedback or suggestions you can give me on how to improve my FAQ writing skills, please email me at: todd28@ihug.com.au NOTE: I will NOT tolerate any unconstructive criticism or plain outright stupidity. ************** 9. COMING SOON ************** In the near future I would like to do course guides for the remaining courses on Hot Shots Golf 2. Time and work committments pending. This concludes my FAQ. Good luck and happy golfing!