Tag: golf

playing Tiger Woods golf game online

Occasionally we’ve posted links to online games for your gaming enjoyment and for comparing high scores, and this time we have a great one for you.  It’s Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online.   In the demo, you get to play 3 holes.

Now you may be thinking this will look generic, like many Flash games, but it’s better than normal.  You have to install a plug-in called Unity 3D, which allows for 3D graphics to be rendered in your browser.  After that, there’s nothing to (permanently) install.  The data for the game streams to your computer as needed.  Some think this may be the future of game delivery.   Anyway, you can try it here for free.

Here’s the link to the free demo.

I’m not an avid golfer, but I can enjoy playing golf games, if they allow me freedom to hit bank shots off trees and buildings.  I like flexing my creativity to make a shot.   Below is a picture of a building I hit, and the ball actually landed on the upper deck balcony, then rolled off.  This was out-of-bounds, of course, so the next time I cranked it over the clubhouse.

Apparently the windows are unbreakable.

There are plenty of sites that have full reviews of this game, along with “normal” screenshots.  I decided to have some fun with it, by seeing what it would allow me to do.  Following are a few more screenshots of some other interesting areas, including one where my golfer was trying to hit a shot while crouching, and his hands and the club would have to pass through his knees to pull off this angle.  But somehow he hit it.

I'm sure they tried to recreate realistic physics, but something here ain't right.
Believe it or not, this was the default view after one of my shots.

Feel free to post your high scores (or low scores) here for everyone to contemplate (and/or talk smack about).

As far as my review of the game (based on the 3-hole demo), I would prefer better graphics.  (I know, realistic graphics aren’t the most important thing — no need to start that rant.  But I’ve played older golf games with better graphics, so I expect more, especially since golf doesn’t require the same amount of graphics and physics processing of some other games.)  I don’t know if the full version has announcers or not.   Of course, they can sometimes get annoying, but they’re sometimes funny, and to me it was missing in the game.   I like the idea of them adding content (such as more courses) with it being online, but that can be done in the PC and console versions in most cases.  From what little I saw, I would prefer to install the game on my PC instead of having it “portable”.

Regarding gameplay, the advice it gives you on how much power to use made it easy, except on putting, where it doesn’t seem accurate.  I suppose that can be turned off, though.  Hopefully the camera angle can be adjusted, because sometimes the ball just disappeared over the horizon and I never saw where it went (even if it was onto the next hole, it should show me).

On a semi-related note, there’s a post here with numerous comments about how to make golf less boring.  If some of these had been incorporated into the game, it would be even better.  🙂

neat Star Wars themed commercials

Here’s a crossover commercial featuring Colonel Sanders from KFC, the Pizza Hut girl, and the Chihuahua from Taco Bell as they team up to battle the evil droids from Star Wars.  Can you imagine Colonel Sanders with a lightsaber?  And the three of those people battling an army?  It’s all in the video.

Would you play Darth Vader in a round of golf for money?  It seems like a bad idea.  But these guys tried it, and, well, you can see what happens.  There are several other Star Wars related commercials for Spike TV in this video.

There is much to be learned…

caption contest, golfers with bear

It’s time for our weekly caption contest.  Since I’ve been hearing a lot about golf on TV (something about Tiger Woods trying to win the U.S. Open), I figured I’d post a golf-related picture this time.   But this is golf-gone-bad, in that a bear has entered the green (putting area), and the golfers might be in for a bad day.  So figure out what the golfers might be thinking or saying, or what the bear is thinking, or what the TV announcers might say in this situation.  And share that caption in a comment, for us all to enjoy.

golfers with bear

(To see the other caption contests, click on the “Say What?” category in the sidebar.)

the special days of August, pt 1

As we’ve done in previous months, we’re going to look at the special days and holidays of this month.  As usual, this is not a complete list — those can be found elsewhere.  But I guarantee you will not find another list like this one.  This is not a mere list, because we add our own unique commentary and analysis.  In other words, we try to make it more fun.  And you are welcome to add to the discussion in the comments section.

Let’s get started with the month-long celebrations and observances in August:

  • Family Fun Month — A good family outing is a vacation, but if that’s not feasible at this time, try playing the Nintendo Wii.  🙂  This is not a joke — everyone who has tried it has enjoyed it, no matter their age or prior video game experience.
  • Admit You’re Happy Month — Go on, admit it!  Although if you really aren’t happy, you should acknowledge that, and then do something about it.  And fortunately, you’re at the right place.  My personal research has shown that reading this blog will make you happier.
  • National Catfish Month — Mmm… fried catfish…
  • National Golf Month — The sport of golf requires skill and discipline, sure, but it’s boring to many people (myself included).  That’s why I wrote a post about making golf less boring.
  • Peach Month — The best way to enjoy peaches is in cobbler, with vanilla ice cream.  Mmm…
  • Romance Awareness Month — I’m aware of romance.  So I’ve got this holiday covered already.
  • Water Quality Month — This is the month when local water municipalities strive to provide quality water.  Oh, wait, I hope they do that every month.  So what is this observance for?
  • National Picnic Month — Picnics can be a good time.  They make a good diversion from work if you take one during lunch. Just make sure the weather cooperates.  Ironically, this emphasis on picnics is in August, which is typically the hottest month of the year.  That should not be.
  • National Inventors Month — I’ve invented something before, so this is about me.  🙂
  • American Artist Appreciation Month — I’m an artist!  For real, check it out!
  • Foot Health Month — If your feet aren’t healthy, you should stay off them more (i.e., stay in bed more, sit on the couch to watch TV and/or play video games more).
  • Home Business Month — I have a home business.  I wish this meant I would automatically make more money this month.

Now let’s look at the weekly events / celebrations / holidays in August:

  • Week 1 : National Simplify your Life Week — This is actually a good idea.  Slow down, relax, focus on your top priorities, and laugh more.
  • Week 2 : National Smile Week — Smile!  You’re on Candid Cookie!  🙂  Really, studies show that smiling and laughing are good for you, and can even add years to your life.  (And of course, I have to plug my blog here, as its purpose is to make people happier.)
  • Week 3 : Friendship Week — For this week only, I’ll be your friend.  Let’s do lunch.  Have your people contact my people…
  • Week 3 : Air Conditioning Appreciation Week — This holiday is appropriately placed in August.  I’m very appreciative of my air-conditioner!  But, on the other hand, I just wrote an article on my other blog explaining why you don’t need air-conditioning.  It’s true!  Read it if you don’t believe me.
  • Week 3 : American Dance Week — All you party people out there, GET YOUR GROOVE ON!
  • Week 4 : Be Kind to Humankind Week — This is a good idea.  We are all brothers and sisters, after all.  (Well, I’m assuming all my readers are human.  If you are a non-human species and can read this, please let me know via our contact form.)

This is getting quite long (as it usually does), so I’m going to break it up into several parts.   Click here to search for the other entries for August.