Bruce Von Stiers

The folks at EA Games have got a real good thing going. They picked up Maxis Studios as part of its game development family. This group develops the Sims titles. Now EA has went a step further. They have gotten together with Sid Meier’s Faraxis studios. The result is Sid Meier’s SimGolf. It is the best golf simulation of its type.

In SimGolf you won’t get to play great golf like in Links or one of the other golfing games. You will, however, get to design a fantastic golf course. And a character you choose can play on the course. For money even.

I have to mention something right away. Even though this has the Sims name attached to it, SimGolf is a standalone game. You don’t need to own the Sims in order to play it.

When you begin a game, there are sixteen different courses to choose from. Well, actually, you are limited to a few choices. The game only starts you out with so much money. You can only choose a course that that doesn’t exceed the money that you have. Once you become successful, go out and buy a bigger, better course to develop But be forewarned. If you choose a new course, you can’t go back to the old one.

After buying your course, its time to start developing it. You will have to add terrain. This includes the Tees, the Fairways, Roughs, Sand Traps and Greens. Begin by figuring out how the first hole will be designed. Set the Tee box area. Then set the Green where it needs to be. Add some sections of Fairway and a sandtrap or bunker.When you have completed your first hole design, activate it. Now you will have golfers trying out your brand new golf course.

You begin with a Clubhouse, but will soon have to add other facilities. Doesn’t a golf course need a Pro Shop? And what about a garage to house the golf carts? Your course will flourish better if the golfers have access to golf carts. If you don’t add a Snack Bar up around the third hole, you will have some very thirsty and unhappy golfers. Add a Driving Range and some tennis courts. But watch how your money is spent. If you spend too much money, needed improvements or new holes can’t be paid for.

You will need personnel as well. A Soda Vender will keep golfers from getting too thirsty. A Club Pro can help beginning golfers get started. The Groundskeeper will keep the candy wrappers off the fairway. A Ranger will keep golfers speeded up on a course. And if you hire a Celebrity, he or she can greet golfers and bring in new business.

Once you've built the course to a certain level, you will be allowed to hold a few events. Hold a tournament and earn some extra money to put back in the course coffers. There are also Pro-Challenges that earn money and prestige for the golfer you choose, and the course itself.

Playing the course can be a little tedious till you get the hang of it. You can take five different shots. All of these shots, with the exception of the Low Punch Shot, have an arch to them. Find out which one works the best for a specific hole. You get an overhead view of the game, so the shots are really miniaturized.

The default golfer is Gary Golf, but you can customize your golfer early on in the game.

You can have memberships to your course. The more members, the more money pouring in. Try to make all of your golfers happy and reap great benefits. One bit of advice, though. Make sure that your holes follow an easy traffic flow. Don’t have Hole number 5 going one direction and the tee box for Hole 6 be 400 yards in the opposite direction. Too many sand traps or trees make unhappy golfers. But so do too many straight fairways or short holes.

Even if you think you won’t like Sid Meier’s SimGolf, you will end up loving it. When I first installed the game my son didn’t want to even check it out. But when I started playing the game it was “hey dad, move on over so I can play.”

Check out other information on SimGolf at www.simgolf.ea.com