
The Gold Tee at BIGHORN   
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   The Gold Tee at BIGHORN is a unique interactive golf game featuring lifelike graphics, physically-accurate game play, automatic scoring and course record keeping.  You control the game:  select your club; use the interactive overhead maps to plan shots; control power, direction, hook, and slice.  BIGHORN's unique desert setting makes strategy critical.  So prepare yourself for traps the size of the Sahara and roughs like rock quarries.  Step up to The Gold Tee at BIGHORN and take a long straight drive down the information super fairway.


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Amount of RAM needed for the DEMO version of The Gold Tee:         450KB
Amount of RAM needed for the COMPLETE version of The Gold Tee:         1MB

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Playing The Gold Tee at BIGHORN:

1.  In the extras drawer, tap on the "Gold Tee" icon.

2.  After the intro, choose whether you want to start on the front 9, the back 9, or start up a previously saved game.  You will be playing all 18 holes, but you decide which part of the course to start playing on.

3.  Choose the players in your party.  It will default to the Newton preferences name.  If you want another name, scrub it out and write in your own.  If you want to add another name, tap on the line and write it in.  To start playing golf, press the 'Tee Off' button.

4.  The three main screens are the action (pov) screen; the overview screen; and the score card screen.  They are described below.

   A.  Action (POV) Screen:

      1.  This is the main screen.  It is where you interact with the controls and actually                                                       
make things happen.  There are several different parts to the screen.  They are described below. 

          a.  The POV:  This contains the point of view of the golf course from just behind your golfer.  You are always facing straight toward the cup.  The flag is often seen in the distance, straight ahead of you, in the center of the screen.
        
          b.  The Wind/Lag Indicator:  This is below the POV and on the left hand side.  It indicates the strength and direction of the wind or, if you are on the green, the strength of the lags in the forwards and side-to-side directions.  

          c.  The Rubber Band:  This is the tall rectangle below the POV on the right side of the screen.  You swing by "grabbing" the rubber Band with the stylus, pulling it back, and letting go.  The strength of the swing is determined by how far back you pull the rubber Band, and the direction of the swing is determined by how far to the side you pull it (pulling it back to the left will aim you to the right).  Along the right side of the rectangle is one of three graphs:  one that goes from 0 to 1.0 for regular clubs (not a putter), representing 0% to 100% of the maximum club distance; one that goes from 0 to 24 feet in a squared relationship (for putters and short distances to the cup); and one from 0 to 128 feet in a squared relationship (for putters and long distances to the cup).  

          d.  The Swing Ring:   This is the circle in the middle below the POV.  It starts filling up clockwise (from the line straight down) when you start pulling the rubber Band back.  The second line in the circle is the recommended line to stop your swing.  Stopping before the fill gets to the line will result in a hook, and stopping it after the fill gets to the line will result in a slice.  If you let the fill go all the way around, it will automatically stop and force the swing, resulting in a severe slice.  The circle fills up faster the farther back you pull the rubber Band.  

          e.  The Info Box:  This is the rectangle on the lower left of the screen.  It contains the name of the person currently up, the stroke he/she is on, the distance to the pin, the club currently in use, and the maximum distance for the club ( if it is not the putter).  You are always given the club that best matches the current shot.  If there is a diamond next to the club name then you can tap on it and change the club.

          f. Gimme Button:  This is the button between the scoreCard button and the close button on the function bar.  It will allow you to hole out if you are on the green and within the 6 foot (one stroke automatic hole-out) or 15 foot (two stroke automatic hole out) gimme radii.

      B.   The Overview screen:      

           1.  To get to the overview screen, tap on the overview button (the round button at the bottom of the MessagePad).

           2.  The overview screen shows you the overview of the entire hole or just the green (depending on what part of the hole you are on), which hole it is, the par of the hole, the distance of the hole, the position of your ball, and the shots you made to get there (including the hazard (out-of-bounds and water) shots).  

           3.   If you press the stylus down anywhere on the screen and hold it down, a small window will appear giving you the distance that point is from the hole and to the pin.  The window will be visible only while you hold the stylus to the screen.

           4.   To get back to the Action (POV) screen, tap on the overview button again.

      C.  The Score Card:

           1.  To get to the Score Card screen, tap on the Score Card button in the center of the function bar ( the button at the bottom of the MessagePad screen with the grid).  

           2.  The Score Card lists the score you obtained on each hole, the total score so far in the game, the names of the players, and how much above and below the par the players are.

           3.  The Course Records button will show the names, dates, and scores of the top 5 players on BIGHORN.  You clear them if you'd like by pressing the Clear High Scores button.

           4.   To get back to the Action (POV) screen, tap on the score Card button again.


  When the Close Box is clicked another menu will appear  with 3 choices:  saving (saves the current game in its current state), resuming (go back to playing the game), and quitting (quitting the game without saving).  

  Between each shot there is a delay while the computer moves to the next position and prepares for the next shot.  Please be patient.

Game Hints:  

 1.  When hitting, always analyze your position first before beginning your swing.  
     a.  The overview is the best place to start.  Use it to decide which direction to hit the ball; it is usually better than the point-of-view because it gives more information.   There are times when water or out-of bounds is between you and the hole.  You must decide where to hit the ball.  You can either try to hit it over the out-of-bounds or aim for a closer part of the course as an intermediate step to where you are going.  Remember, hitting it out of bounds is a stroke + distance penalty, so be wise in your choice.  It is usually better to find an intermediate area of the course and hit there.
( Hole #2 is a good example of this, and one of the tougher holes on the course.  On the tee-off shot you should pull the rubber Band all the way back and 75% to 100% to the left so that you are aiming to the right).

     b.  Next, look at the wind or the green lag.  These will help you decide which way to alter your direction and/or your power.  

     c.  Next, look at the terrain you are lying in.  If you are in a sandtrap or in the rough, you should play it safe.  Use the recommended club and just concentrate on getting back into a better position on the course.  You can always choose another club, but using a wood in the rough or other clubs other than the sand Wedge in the sand may lead to unpredictable results.  It may work out, but it may not.  Usually best to stick with the default.

 2.  Once you have analyzed all the factors and chosen your club, then you should decide the point on the rubber Band rectangle that you will pull the rubber Band back to.  You should always pick this point first, before touching the rubber Band.  After choosing the point, pull the rubber Band back to the point as fast as possible and get your eyes on the Swing Ring, letting go at the appropriate time.  You can always make last minute adjustments if you want to (for example, compensating for a slice by aiming a little to the right) but it is almost never a good idea.

 3.  If possible, you will always want to take a full swing with the club.  This allows for a more accurate, precise shot.  Try to find a club that will allow you to do that.  Remember, though, that some clubs are better on some terrains and worse on others.  Don't force anything.  Usually the recommended club will be the best choice.  But depending on other factors, such as wind, you may want to change it.  

 4.  Anticipate the fill of the swing Ring and let go just before it gets to the line, otherwise it may go over.  Almost always you will want to get it right on the line.  There may be a time where you want to hook it a little to get a little extra distance.  In those cases, try to get as close to the line as possible without going over.  Otherwise, both direction and power will suffer.

 5.  After each shot, but especially when you go out of bounds or in the water, it is a good idea to check the overview and see the path of your last shot.  This helps you to familiarize yourself with the effects of the controls, the wind, etc. on your shots, and you will have a better feel for the game.  The Point Of View screen gives a narrow field of vision and thus it is often misleading when using it to judge shots.  

 6.  After you finish all 18 holes, the credits will start rolling.  If you want to see your score, simply press the Score Card button to get there.  When you return the credits will  resume.  To quit, press on the Quit button in the lower right of the screen.
  

FORE!

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The DEMO version of The Gold Tee at BIGHORN has the following limitations:

 Only one player, in the Player 1 name entry, is allowed to play.  
 Only Hole #1 ( first hole on the Front 9) is available to play.
 A maximum of 7 strokes are allowed.
 The Save Game and Play Saved Game features are not available.
 The Course Records feature is not available.
 The Gimme ( ball pickup ) feature is not available.


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For more information on The Gold Tee at BIGHORN contact Apple Computer's StarCore Division.


The Gold Tee at BIGHORN
The Griffin Fathom Company
1994 All Rights Reserved

BIGHORN is a registered trademark of Desert Communities.