Looks like your short game is a bit...short
That brings us on nicely to another good alteration in PGA Tour 09, namely that of the dynamic skill progression. A change was definitely needed in this department after last year’s ‘issues’ and EA have responded pretty well. Now you’re assessed on (just) driving, accuracy, short-game and putting and your score is based on each shot you make, with the final changes being made at the end of a round. Haney gives you the chance to get a few points back temporarily at the end with those drills but like I said, they’re not the most compelling and the reward is slight.
However, this simpler system is a success, especially since it keeps on your toes for every single shot you play. If you lark about on a bad hole and hit a few horrors without thinking, you’ll get punished and it will take some time to rectify the damage. My only real issue is that sometimes the changes made can feel erratic because the way the game works out how well you’ve played is pretty specific, but more often than not a good rounds results in some rewards and vice versa.
Further proof that EA have been listening to the fans complaints of PGA Tour 08 is found in the new real-time shot feedback. Instead of finding yourself wondering why your shot’s drifting towards the murky pond rather than towards the pin, you’ll be able to see clearly how you miscued your approach with typical reckless abandon thanks to the on-screen meter which shows the path your club took as it hit the ball. Whilst opinions on PGA Tour 09’s slightly awkward (and mandatory) analog controls for the harder difficulties and rather-too-simple traditional three-click controls for the easier settings will always be divisive, an advancement like this goes a long way to shushing the naysayers. Overall the core gameplay has been improved, not hugely, but definitely improved.
It’s once again in PGA Tour 09’s online department where things feel a little sticky. Yes, the inclusion of simultaneous online play which allows opponents to play a hole all at the same time, reducing the time of a game significantly, is more than welcome. Yes, EA’s Gamernet is as enjoyable as ever. Yes, there are good changes here and there but ultimately the whole thing still feels clumsy and soulless. Just getting into a game takes longer than it should thanks to awkward implementation and pales in comparison to the more visual, user-friendly and far simpler system found in Everybody’s Golf: World Tour. Whilst there are rankings, daily tournaments and of course, the Gamernet, it still feels like more could have been done to give the game a bit more longevity and I haven’t even yet mentioned the multitude of glitches to be found at the moment. At the end of the day you can still get online and play a game with your friends or with some randoms and that will probably be enough for most people.
The grass is yellower on the other side
Maybe it would make things more interesting if this year’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour wasn’t up to scratch, just like it would probably make real-life golf a bit more interesting if the strongest opposition to Tiger’s complete supremacy wasn’t his own physical fitness. Them the facts though, and once again EA have made enough good quality improvements to an already enjoyable game to ensure that Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 doesn’t have too much to worry about. It’s a green jacket and celebratory drink in the clubhouse for PGA Tour 09 (I couldn’t hold out on the analogies any longer. Sorry).
Shoinan
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Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 
