Golf Grand Slam for NES Copyright 2008 Ross Ramsey kakarulestheworld@gmail.com Version 1.00 The following guide may not be reproduced under any circumstance for commercial use. Permission to use the guide on a web site may be obtained by email at the address listed above. Any unauthorized use of this guide is strictly prohibited and a violation of copyright. About Golf Grand Slam ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Golf Grand Slam is a golf simulation game for the NES. It was developed by Atlus Co. and released in 1991. There isn't much else that you can say about the game. It's not my favorite NES golf sim, but the interface is one of the most complex and intuitive systems that you will find on an NES sports game. Get a Tee Time ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you boot up the game, you will see the credits screen and then a helpful hint screen. The helpful hint changes every time you start the game. It doesn't apply to this game in particular. It's for those of you who play golf in your free time. You then get two options: *New Game: Start a round of golf. It can be just for fun or tournament-style. *Continue (Password): If you have the password saved from a previous round of golf, enter it here to continue that game. Start Your Game ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you select "New Game", you will have to choose how many human players are going to participate (1-4). You then input the names of each and every player. After you have finished that, select the type of game you want to play. *Tournament: This is the game's main mode. The top 30 golfers in the universe (including yourself and your friends) battle it out in one round of everything- goes golf. Judging by the names of the computer players, I think you need to be well-prepared if you want to win this one. G. Slam seems like he's going to be very good at this game. *Training Mode 1: Practice your shots on any hole on the course. This is a great way to hone your skills. *Training Mode 2: Exactly like Training Mode 1 except that you always make flawless contact with the golf ball. It won't help you at all unless you really need a confidence boost. Choose Your Clubs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here are the various sets of golf clubs. You have four to choose from. Set #1: 1W 3W 4W 5W 3I 4I 5I 6I 7I 8I 9I PW SW PT Description: A great set to drive with. No real weaknesses except maybe the mid-range shots. Set #2: 1W 3W 4W 2I 3I 4I 5I 6I 7I 8I 9I PW SW PT Description: My favorite set. You sacrifice the unnecessary 5W for a more useful 2I. Set #3: 1W 3W 1I 2I 3I 4I 5I 6I 7I 8I 9I PW SW PT Description: Not a bad set. It's better than #4 anyway. I typically have very little use for a 1I though. Set #4: 1W 2W 3W 4W 5W 4I 5I 6I 7I 8I 9I PW SW PT Description: This one is for you drivers out there. Don't get stuck in a mid- range shot though. For those who are new to golf, W= Wood. Woods are typically what you use to tee off. They're built for distance. The lower the number, the farther the ball will travel. (A 3W will hit farther than a 5W). I= Iron. Irons are for shorter distances. The higher the number, the higher the arc of the ball and the lower the distance it will travel. (A 2I will hit farther and lower than an 8I). PW= Pitching Wedge. It's for short chip shots. Use it when you are right next to the green. It's similar to a 9I but won't hit as far. SW= Sand Wedge. Use this if you are trapped in a sand bunker. You could also use a pitching wedge. PT= Putter. Use this when you're on the green. Your Carry distance is simply that...how far your shot will carry the ball in the air. Shorter distances are easier to control. Experienced players should choose one of the larger distances. The Interface (broken down into steps) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Step #1: Line up your shot. At the bottom of the screen you will see a brown figure that represents the elevation of the course at any given level. You will also see a barometer. Take into account which way the wind is blowing and how hard. If it is blowing north at 2 mph, then aim your shot slightly south. If it is blowing 8mph, aim even farther south. The blinking cursor represents where you want to place your ball. Move the D-Pad around to pick your spot. The distance to your cursor from the ball is given in white text above the elevation chart. Arrows represent which way the course is slanted. Check the arrows where you are aiming. Make sure they don't point into a bunker or into the trees. You want to keep your ball in the fairway or on the green. Press the B button when you are done picking your location. Step #2: Choose your club. You will be able to select from any of the clubs in the set that you picked earlier. Their maximum distances are listed under the picture of each club. See the above section for more information. Step #3: Choose your stance. Press right on the D-Pad to switch to the stance interface. It looks like this: <-LF-> -- -- -- -- XX -- -- -- -- <-RF-> -- LF is your left foot. RF is your right foot. XX represents the ball. First you choose the positioning of your feet. Moving your right foot closer to the ball will move your left one away. Whichever foot is farther away from the ball represents the direction you are going to hit it. Take into account that your player is facing the green by default. I usually try to keep my player's feet about even. You then select the positioning of the ball by pressing right on the D-Pad again. This has little effect on your actual shot (none that I can tell anyway). Step #4: Choose your shot type. There are four possible options here: *Normal= Average height and distance, good accuracy. *Punch= Maximum power with very little arc. *Up Blow= Maximum arc with little distance. *Down Blow= A ground shot, basically. Good for accuracy in windy conditions. Step #4: Adjust the tee (driving only). A higher tee will allow you to get under the ball, causing greater arc. If you aren't driving then this box will tell you how your ball lies. Step #5: Adjust your grip. There are three types of grips in this game: Weak, Strong and Square. A man who knows the differences between them is a better man than I. I think Square is the safest to use. Making Contact ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When you have finished customizing your shot, you come across the most important screen of all. This will judge how you make contact with the ball. A dot will move all over the ball very quickly. You must stop it where you want to make contact with the ball. Wait until the dot gets near the center of the ball for best results. Hitting the side of the ball will send you way out of bounds. The farther you aimed the ball to begin with, the more unpredictable the dot is. Putting ~~~~~~~ When you are on the green, the putting menu will appear. On the bottom is the slope of the green. There is also a number on the screen which represents the steepness of the incline. If you are hitting downhill, then aim just shy of the hole. If you are hitting uphill, shoot past the hole. Your ball will either roll back or lose momentum in time to sink into the cup. The screen gets bigger and the shots get easier when you are less than a couple yards away from the hole. Quick Notes About Golf ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ocassionally you will notice that your shot chokes. This is called a "Missed Shot" and is random as far as I can tell. Water hazards and Out-of-Bounds hazards will cost you a stroke. The unbearable noise you hear after a "Good Shot" or a "Nice On" is supposed to be an applause. I know it sounds horrible but just go with it. The Course ~~~~~~~~~~ Hole #1 Par 4 440 yds Advice: Stay to the left of the first bunker. If you make good contact with the ball, you can hit the green in two shots. Hole #2 Par 5 550 yds Advice: Aim just shy of the bunker, then to the end of the fairway. Get on the green in 3 for a birdie try. Hole #3 Par 4 363 yds Advice: Pretty much a straight shot down the fairway and onto the green in two. Hole #4 Par 3 202 yds Advice: Use a 4W to hit the green in one stroke. Hole #5 Par 4 438 yds Advice: Stay to the north of the fairway and you can land on the green with only two strokes. Hole #6 Par 3 182 yds Advice: A 5I will get you onto the green in one shot. Hole #7 Par 4 358 yds Advice: Aim over the trees instead of around them. Hit the green in two. Hole #8 Par 5 533 yds Advice: Aim north of the bunker. Make sure the wind can't blow your ball into the trees. It's possible to hit the green in two strokes. Hole #9 Par 4 433 yds Advice: Hit it north of the two fairway trees. Hole #10 Par 4 480 yds Advice: Pretty much a straight shot here. Hole #11 Par 4 453 yds Advice: Another straight shot. Get to the green in two drives. Hole #12 Par 3 156 yds Advice: An easy par three. It's best to aim past the green than to end up in the water hazard. Hole #13 Par 5 468 yds Advice: Once again, aim over the creek as opposed to around it. You can make the green in two shots, barring wind or missed shots. Hole #14 Par 4 403 yds Advice: You can use your 1W to aim over the trees again instead of taking the long way around. It may be better, however, to aim just south of the first large round tree. That one proves to be a bit of a challenge when you try to go over the top of it. Hole #15 Par 5 503 yds Advice: Aim to the northwest of the large fairway tree. As long as you stay in the fairway, you'll be able to cross the lake on your next shot. Hole #16 Par 3 172 yds Advice: A 5I will cross the lake and land you on the green in one shot. Hole #17 Par 4 402 yds Advice: Place your shot at the very end of the fairway but don't overshoot it. Hole #18 Par 4 407 yds Advice: Take a shortcut over the trees and then hit the green on your second shot. Finish with the lowest score to win. Once you get used to the interface, you will be able to consistently shoot pars and birdies on every hole. Credits ~~~~~~~ Author- The Return of Hylian SBallen and Gamefaqs Atlus Co. and Nintendo