Originally published Saturday, September 27, 2008 at 12:00 AM
Video-game reviews | Swing into action with the latest golf games
Video-game reviews of "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09", " We Love Golf!" and "Golf: Tee It Up!"
The Associated Press
Even if you can't afford the clubs and the greens fees on a real course, you can still play 18 holes thanks to video golf.
This week's roundup features three new golf games. All are rated "E" for everyone.
"Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09"

Tiger Woods isn't the only familiar face in his namesake game: You'll also compete against pros like Vijay Singh and Annika Sorenstam. But the guy you'll see a lot of is Woods' coach Hank Haney, who pops up after every round with exercises to improve your game. Haney is a welcome addition, and I found that his drills actually did improve my performance.
The big improvement in "PGA Tour 09" is in the mechanics of swinging the club. The analog controls in last year's edition made it too difficult to gauge the power and accuracy of shots. This time, EA has added on-screen indicators to give you a better idea, before you make the shot, of whether the ball is going to slice off into the woods. EA has also added a club tuner that allows you to adjust the controls to compensate for your own tendencies.
"PGA Tour 09" also offers simultaneous play, with everyone taking shots at the same time. And the GamerNet instant challenges, in which you're asked to outdo achievements by other online golfers, add a nice element of unpredictability.
New courses include China's Sheshan Golf Club and South Africa's Gary Player Country Club. Longtime fans of the series, however, may be rattled by the new announcers, Sam Torrance (dull) and Kelly Tilghman (annoying). Still, "PGA Tour 09" looks better than ever, and it's fun for newcomers and veterans alike.
System: Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable
Price: $39.99-$59.99
"We Love Golf!"

![]()
The Japanese studio Camelot has years of experience developing lighthearted golf games like "Mario Golf" and the original "Hot Shots Golf." So it's surprising that its "We Love Golf!" is somewhat of a misfire.
The big disappointment is that "We Love Golf!" doesn't make good use of the Wii remote. Yes, you have to swing the remote to strike the ball, but the motions don't match the back-and-forth of a golf swing. Once you nail the timing, however, the game's awfully forgiving, making eagles and long putts too easy.
"We Love Golf!" does deliver the flamboyant courses and wacky minigames that Camelot is known for.
System: Wii
Price: $49.99
"Golf: Tee It Up!"

You get what you pay for in "Tee It Up!": two courses, a small selection of character options and a fairly bare-bones experience. If you're looking for a cheap golf game to play with friends, it's not bad, but it won't hold a solo player's interest for very long.
"Tee It Up!" does have one distinctive feature: a "focus" meter that lets you influence the path of the ball while it's in flight. It's a gimmick but I'd like to see it duplicated in a more full-bodied golf game.
System: Xbox 360
Price: $10
Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company
Movie review: 'The Adjustment Bureau': Hats off to a fine fantasy
Movie review: 'Beastly': Fairy-tale misfits who look like models
UPDATE - 08:57 AM
'Glee' could cover more Michael, Janet ... and ABBA
Movie review: 'Rango': Johnny Depp nails his role as the lizard hero in this wild Western
UPDATE - 09:14 AM
Carey 'embarrassed' over Gadhafi-linked concert

nwautos
Turismo upgrade "Gran Turismo 5: XL Edition" for PlayStation 3 has features such as new car-tuning settings, new NASCAR vehicles, better replay video...
Post a comment
- Council members get briefing on arena proposal, minus details
- Lakewood cop accused of embezzling $150K meant for slain officers' families
- Social worker recounts minutes before Powell fire
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Washington men walloped by Oregon, 82-57
- Agency set to investigate handling of 911 call about Josh Powell
- Quick decisions: How Washington hired its new football staff
- Historic day for gay marriage as another fight looms
- Justin Wilcox's versatile defensive style is the right fit for Huskies | Jerry Brewer
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
- Gay-marriage bill passes House, awaits Gregoire's signature
510 - Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
421 - AP Source: Obama to change birth control rule
421 - Council members get briefing on arena proposal, minus details
395 - Rough road again
111 - A few late-night notes
98 - Marijuana legalization initiative set to go on Nov. ballot
77 - USA Today further spells out how Mariners, handful of clubs next in line for huge cash windfall
76 - New TV deals won't guarantee everlasting success; that part will still take work by Mariners and others
69 - UW throttled at Oregon
68
- Wanted in Seattle classrooms: more teachers of color
- State Medicaid program to stop paying for unneeded ER visits
- 3 big health insurers stockpile $2.4 billion as rates keep rising
- Economy, blogs give survivalists new reason to look to Northwest
- Bellevue College adds a third bachelor's degree program
- State's share of mortgage settlement: $648 million
- Darren Berg gets 18-year sentence for Ponzi scheme
- One man's audacious pursuit of sailing history
- $25B settlement reached over foreclosure abuses
- 'Gauguin and Polynesia': dazzling mix-and-match | Art review












