Grand Theft Auto V

The golf game in GTA V is surprisingly detailed and complex. You could spend hours playing golf alone. All three characters are eligible to play and you can either bring along some friends, or choose from the opponents based at the course. The opponents vary in difficulty so choose whichever you like. Not all of the opponents are always available and sometimes you can only choose one.

As always, having a high strength stat will allow you to hit longer drives which is especially useful on some holes. Each game is played over 9 holes and you can play up to four players.

The key things to remember during play is wind direction, which club to use and the gradient of the green when putting. The wind direction can have a huge influence on the ball during a drive so keep an eye on that and preview your shot before you hit it so you get an idea of where it is likely to end up.

There are a choice of clubs available depending what point of the course you are on. Upon selecting one, the distance of the shot will be displayed depending on how much power you have adjusted it to. A wood club is better when you need to hit a ball further and an iron is better when you need a more precise shot such as chipping from the fairway to the green.

If you can stop the bar perfectly on the yellow, you can get a perfect hit and the ball will go as far as possible (left). The grid is not just there for show. Depending on the gradient, the grid will be coloured differently to help you decide how to hit the putt (right).

During putting, you will be given a helpful grid to show you the slope of the green Red areas are downward slopes while yellow areas are upward slopes. Remember this when deciding on how much power you will need and where to hit your putt. If hitting up a slope, you will need more strength and vice versa.

Generally, you will want to keep an eye on the radar in the bottom left at each point because you can get a general idea of where your shot will go, what kind of obstacles may be in your way and how far away you are from the hole. You can also see where your opponents’ balls are. Always check the radar before each shot and keep a close eye on the measurements every time you change something. With all that in mind, you should be able to pick up a feel for the game after a few rounds. Then it is just a case of practicing to learn the finer points.