RISCWorld competition
Fancy a round of virtual golf?
Dave Bradforth challenges Aaron to a game of golf - Virtual Golf, as published by The Fourth Dimension, which has recently joined the APDL-ProAction empire, they have a choice of courses and have chosen to stick close to Aaron's home and play at Wentworth...
Dave: Fancy a round of golf Aaron?
Aaron: I haven't brought my clubs.
Dave: No need, I've got 'Virtual Golf' for RISC OS!
The game was set up for a 2 player handicap attempt round, with Autumn as the season. The duo had a quick go on the driving range then a few 'pitch & putts' in practice mode, then went into their round.
HOLE 1
Dave: Call.
Aaron: Tails...
Dave: Off you go then.
The 1st hole is a 470 yds Par 4 � meaning it would take an average of 4 shots to complete. There's a strong right to left wind as they look up the hill on the 1st fairway.
Aaron: Might try a bit of 'slice' into the wind here.
Dave: You're joking, right?...
Aaron: Bang up the centre, that'll do nicely.
Dave: Ok, watch this...
Dave, it ought to be pointed out, can't play golf for toffee! His 1st shot ended up somewhere near the adjacent 18th green - out of bounds, so he had to hack his way back & made the 1st green in 6, then 4 putted - quite a start! From the 1st green:
Aaron: You've hit your form then Dave.
Dave: Very funny. Get on with it.
Aaron sinks his 3 putt for 2 over par - 'double bogey'.
Aaron: At least I stayed on the fairway!
HOLE 2
Aaron to tee off. A tricky 150 yd, Par 3 hole. No fairway, just the tee, the green, an awful lot of rough, oh yes, and 3 bunkers. Just how Dave ended up visiting all 3 is still a mystery!
Aaron: The auto caddy says a 7 iron, the back-wind is only slight so I would agree.
Dave: Oh, very technical!
Aaron: Watch & learn Dave... (thwack)... Beautiful - clean as a whistle, a few feet from the pin.
Dave: Which club was it you used?
Aaron: Not telling!
Dave: Fair enough. 3Wood I think... (thwack)...
Dave: Where's the green gone? Talk about can't see the wood for the trees!! Ok so the club selection was a little out - I'll listen to the caddy in future won't I?
So... Dave holed out in 10 shots again and Aaron managed a 'birdie" 2 (1 under Par).
HOLE 3
450 yds - Par 4. Fairly straightforward but a few tricky bunkers.Quite a strong back-wind should help with the length of shot.
Aaron: Two holes, 10 shots at each. You're consistent if nothing else!
Dave: Shut up and play your tee shot.
Aaron's ball landed just on the left of the fairway. Dave dropped into the bunker on the right.
Dave: I don't believe it! Did you see the amount of slice on that ball?
Aaron: You can't blame the mouse; I'm swinging it fine. Try using a ruler or book edge to run the bottom of the mouse along... Dave, I was only joking!
Dave hacked his way over the hill and onto the green in 4 strokes, Aaron made it in 2.
Aaron: Put the ruler away, Dave. I wasn't being serious - and, let's face it, you need more help than that - you need a miracle.
Dave: Do you want to wake up with a crowd round you?
Aaron: Touchy - Touchy!
Dave: Anyway, does that lighter green bit, near the hole, mean that it slopes more than the rest of the green.
Aaron: It looks like it. Look from the side and you'll see...
Dave: Oh yes, very clever.
After a few missed putts by each player, they eventually holed out; Aaron for 6 and Dave for 8.
HOLE 4
Aaron: Only 4 over Par that time, you're improving.
Dave: You were 2 over!
Aaron: Touche.
Dave: Pardon me?
Aaron: Never mind. Look are we playing this game or not?
Dave: It's you to go!
Aaron: Oh, sorry.
Hole 4 is a 500 yd Par 5 dogleg to the left. The hazards are a couple of bunkers and a rather large water trap (lake). These are aided by the strong right to left back-wind.
Aaron: That'll do, a nice long drive up towards the left turn.
Dave: Sounds good to me...
(Thwack)...
Get out...
Get out...
Phew. I thought that was in the water, for sure. I should be able to clear those trees and get nicely onto the green - Don't you think?
Aaron: Not a chance!
Dave: We'll see about that. Here goes, a driver (1 wood), not too hard.
Thwack... Rustle... Clank... Tonk... Splash.
Dave: I can't catch my br... Shut up laughing.
Aaron: Sorry, but your face is a picture!
Dave: I must admit it's a very realistic game.
Aaron: Your scoring as well as you do in the real game, that's for certain!
Dave: And I do like the bit about getting my feet wet - very funny.
Aaron: Right, if I take a 5 wood - thank you caddy - and really hook it round those trees. I wonder if? We'll soon see.
The ball hooks around the trees and lands in the top bunker, near the green. After a little pitching & putting on the very tricky green, Aaron is down in (Par) 5 and Dave in 8.
HOLE 5
190 yds, Par 3.The hole is placed virtually on the lip of a 3 foot drop, so your initial drive is all important.
Aaron: A bit of head-wind. A 4 iron I think... (Thwack)... There we are, nice and straight.
Dave: (Singing) Anything you can do... (Thwack)... Oh Bunker!
Aaron sinks a dream putt of 20 yards for Par, and Dave manages a bogey 4.
HOLE 6
Dave: Good hole that one. I'm really getting the hang of this.
Aaron: Hmm are you really? I'm not convinced myself. We'll see about that.
This Par 4, 340 yd hole is a left handed crescent around a woodland. The strong head-wind won't help matters and the EIGHT bunkers are beckoning!! Aaron takes a driver and tries a slice around the trees - the ball lands plum in the middle of the fairway. Dave tries the same manoeuvre, but the ball hooks, instead of slicing, into the rough.
Dave: Ok, I can still make it to the green.What you don't realise is that I've been, quite deliberately, leading you into a false sense of security.
Aaron: Really?
Dave: Yes.
Aaron: And I DO believe you!!
Dave sinks a 48 foot putt to hole out in Par.
Aaron: How the hell??
Dave: Like I said - false sense of...
Aaron: Quiet I'm playing!
Aaron holes out for bogey (1 over Par).
HOLE 7
Dave to tee off (having won the last hole). 400 yds, Par 4. A fairly easy drive,pitch and putt. The large water traps are the only real hazard.
Aaron: You don't want to drive too far off this tee, you know.
Dave: Look here, when you can sink 48 foot putts - then you can give me advice.
Aaron: Well excuse me. You fluked it anyway... I'm telling you, you want to go steady!
Thwack... Splosh...
Aaron: Told you didn't I?
Dave: False sense of...
Aaron: Rubbish!
Dave: Get on with it.
Aaron takes two 5 wood shots and land within feet of the pin. Dave takes 5 shots and lands on the top shelf of the green with a daunting 34ft downhill putt, with a 4 ft drop just before the hole. Somehow Dave manages to sink the putt.
Dave: GET IN !! What can I say - somebody book me in for the Scottish open.
Aaron: How many times can a person get lucky in a game?
Aaron holes out to Par.
HOLE 8
Dave: Look Aaron, I'm just starting to warm up, can we start again?
Aaron: Don't get cocky just because you hit a couple of lucky ones and you fancy your chances. Anyway, this hole will sort out the golfers from the caddies.
Hole 8 is 400 yds, Par 4with water left and right of the fairway and a big lake at the front of the green. New balls please?!
Aaron plays a gentle drive and the wind drifts the ball to the left side of the fairway. Dave hits a superb drive (by his standards) and lies in prime position for a pitch onto the green.
Dave: Please let's start again.
Aaron: Look I'm telling you you're a flash in the pan. Just wait 'till the really tricky holes start to come up.
Dave hooks with a wedge, far too soft, and lands on the far bank of the lake. The ball rolls, gently and agonisingly, back into the water. After which Dave lands in the single bunker to the right of the green. Aaron plays straightforward, cautious shots and holes out for birdie (1 under Par). Dave ends up 4 over.
HOLE 9
Aaron: Sorry Dave, What was that about starting again? Something to do with a 'false sense of security'. Oh, 'I'm just starting to warm up'. Dave: Kick a man while he's down, why don't you?
Two really nice, long drives are needed to reach the pin on this 440 yd Par 4. Bunkers left and right of the fairway are the only real hazard.
Aaron hits a driver clean between the bunkers. However Dave's ball is taken by the strong wind into the left hand trap. From where he plays 2 shots, only to find the next bunker on the left.
Aaron: Brought your bucket and spade Dave?
Dave: I can't catch my breath. I hope I meet this Gordon J. Key sometime. I'll give him "worth selling your clubs to buy it"!
Aaron: You're just a poor loser, I'm loving this.
Dave: LOSER? Who's a loser? There are nine holes left and I'm not giving in without a fight!
Aaron: Can we get on with it then?
Dave: You asked for it.
Dave holed out 3 over Par, Aaron for bogey.
Dave: Right I'm going to start concentrating properly now.
Aaron: Oh yes? This should be fun!
And this is where we leave the odd couple and have some fun of our own. We've got three copies of Virtual Golf (with the extra courses) available to three lucky winners. All you need do is tell us which course Aaron and Dave are playing on, sound fair? Email the answer to editor@riscworld.co.uk by the end of October 2004, and the lucky winners chosen at random will all get copies of Virtual Golf.
Last issues competition
You may remember we asked you how many activities are supplied with the DO I.T. suite in total. The answer was 20, which means that Hutch Curry is the winner. So APDL will be sending you your software pack ASAP.
We did like some of the wrong answers and one entry gets a special mention for saying the answer was eight, no sorry, that was the number of programs, not the number of activities. So better luck this time....
RISCWorld