===================
| SWING AWAY GOLF |
===================

FAQ in progress by Darrell Wong (DKW 001)

Contents
i. Stuff for CJayC
ii. Version history
iii. Introduction
1. Overview
2. The Golfers
3. Equipment
4. Events overview
5. Complete events rundown
6. Course tips
7. Wagering in Normal Mode
8. Codes
9. Final thoughts/wish list


i. Stuff for CjayC
------------------
Date completed: 5/24/04
Version: 6.0
E-mail: dkw001@hawaii.rr.com


ii. Version history
-------------------
6.0: Slight change of plans...I realized I needed to give a complete rundown of
the events, not just a bunch of tips.  It's a big change, and I still have a
long way to go before I have enough info to complete this FAQ.  So one more
update before the finale.  No hard feelings, I hope.


iii. Introduction
-----------------
I've always been a fan of "hidden treasures".  One of my favorite games for the
old NES was Mendel Palace, a completely obscure action/puzzle game from some
completely obscure company.  Absolutely loved it.  Thought it had the perfect
blend of challenge, humor, replay value, and plain 'ol fun.

Or how about Super Buster Brothers?  One of the few games that made the Super
NES even remotely worth it.  Or The Combatribes (same)?  Heck, you could even
put the underrated Final Fight 2 in that list.  And PSX games.  Klonoa: Door to
Phantomile.  Strikers 1945.  Beatmania.

So one day I get Swing Away Golf by request.  I stress that I've never been a
big fan of computer or console golf, and there have been only a handful of golf
games that didn't make me quit in disgust.  Which makes it all the more
remarkable that I almost instantly got into this game in a huge way.  From the
completely intuitive gameplay, to the ease of controls, to the many types of
equipment and games, to the ability to actually get a friggin' straight shot
off, this was just about the perfect PS2 game, let alone golf game.  Not to
mention YEARS of replay value due to the plethora of events for each golfer.

I was all set to submit a glowing review of this game to GameFAQs...and I
discovered that it was so much better than so many other PS2 games I've known
(some of which I've actually played), I couldn't even put my praise into words.
It's been a while since any game affected me like that.

So anyway, since this is such an obvious must-have for any PS2 owner, I
realized I had to do a comprehensive FAQ on this eventually.  Even more so
because I knew this wasn't the kind of megahyped media frenzy game the
magazines would cover to death 50 times over.  So here it is.


==============
|1. Overview |
==============
This is a quick overview of the gameplay for those who're just starting out.  I
won't go into the practice modes; they're easy enough to do on your own.

At the start of each hole, you'll be at the tee box with the 1 wood (driver),
unless it's a par 3, in which case your caddy will select what she/he thinks is
an appropriate club.  Your initial direction will be straight down the middle
of the fairway.  You can change direction by moving right or left and your club
with L1 or R1.  You'll see a line extending from the club; this "swing line" is
an approximation of the flight the ball will make (without taking into account
the wind, the height of the terrain, etc.).  If you want to scope out where
your ball will land, which is almost always a good idea, press triangle.  A
second press brings up a topographic grid, a tremendous help for your short
game.  You can also change your view with the analog sticks (provided your
controller has them, of course).  The right stick moves you around, and the
left changes the angle of your view.  Press circle at any time to return to the
ball.

L2 and R2 change your stance, allowing you to put draw (leftward curve) or fade
(rightward curve) on the ball.  Up and down allow you to aim higher or lower on
the ball.  High shots impart topspin, resulting in a lower trajectory and more
roll; backspin does the opposite.  All these adjustments, known as
"shotmaking", take a certain amount distance off the shot, so it's important to
compensate on the swing.  The most common uses of shotmaking are avoiding
hazards and making the ball stop on the green.  The level of control depends
mainly on the club.  In general, long irons and woods are the best for hitting
draw and fade shots, while short irons can impart the most spin.  Wedges, which
are designed to produce consistent straight shots, are the hardest to adjust.
Picking a new club removes all your shotmaking adjustments.

When you're ready to make your shot, press X to bring up the swing meter.
Press X to start the swing bar moving, a second time to set the distance, and a
third to determine accuracy.  Press triangle to remove the swing meter and go
back to setting up the shot or to cancel the swing if its started.  You can
cancel so long as you haven't set distance.

If you hit the distance setting at exactly 100%, you'll hear a ring and see
some sparks.  Anything above that is overswing.  A little overswing has a
negligible effect on distance, but half or more adds quite a bit of power to
the shot.  The downside is that it also speeds up the swing bar.  To get a
clean shot, you need to time the final press with the bar in the white "meet"
area.  With the 1 wood (only), doing this will also cause a ring and sparks.
(A "double ringer" drive will also cause your golfer to do a little animation.)
If the bar's to the left of the meet area, it results in a slice; stopping on
the right results in a hook.  The severity is determined mainly by how off you
were and how much power you put into the shot.  In addition to inaccuracy,
hooks and slices take quite a bit of distance off the ball, so avoid them
whenever possible.

If you fail to hit X before the bar reaches the top, it'll descend at an
incredible speed.  Don't be alarmed; once it hits the bottom, it'll ascend
again as normal.  Distance is *not* set until you hit the button (there is no
"automatic full overswing", as I've stated previously).  You do have to make
the second button press, or else it's automatically full right...i.e., a
monster hook.

At the start of your next shot, the process begins again.  Your caddy will
select an appropriate club for the remaining distance.  If it's more than what
you're capable of hitting, it'll be the 3 wood by default.  You can use the
driver off the tee, but it won't give you as much accuracy or loft as a fairway
wood.  When your remaining distance is less than about 100 yards (a full swing
with your shortest club), the swing line is replaced by a dashed line which
indicates direction only.

Press square to do a chip shot; the distance meter will turn red and display a
50 regardless of what club you're using.  You can chip with any club, although
a wedge works the best.  It's *much* easier to get a clean, precise shot with a
chip than a normal shot, making it ideal for when you're close to the hole and
have plenty of room to run.  Chips are subject to overswing, although the
effect isn't that much.  Shotmaking adjustments to chips are generally
ineffective.

Once you're on the green, all you have to do is aim and set the distance.  All
putts are straight and not subject to hook and slice.  Up or down resets your
position.  Triangle switches the view to behind the hole, very useful for long
putts.  Square changes the putter setting between 30, 60, and 120.  If you putt
from off the green (which is a good idea in many situations), it's handled the
same, except that you don't automatically get a topography grid and the back
view isn't available.  Also, the flagstick remains in the cup, giving you a
little less hole to work with.

Your golfer's attributes go a long way toward determining the kind of shots
you'll be able to make.  The Distance attribute, obviously, determines the
maximum distance of your shots.  At 0, you can hit a beginner driver 210 yards.
Each point you put into Distance increases this by 1.4 yards, up to a maximum
of 350 for the full 100 points.  However, the more Distance you have, the
faster the swing bar moves.  Accuracy slows down the swing bar and lessens the
severity of mishits, but with a diminishing returns effect if you build it past
Distance.  (Accuracy DOES NOT decrease your distance, despite what the game
says.) You should always maintain a good balance between Distance and Accuracy,
never letting one get too far ahead of the other.  Control is your shotmaking
ability, how far you can make the ball curve and how fast you can make it spin.
Recovery dictates the precision of your rough and sand shots.  On the tougher
courses, it's next to impossible to hit every fairway, so this is important to
have.  In general, while you don't have to make your golfer perfectly balanced
(although that's perfectly acceptable), you don't want any one attribute to get
far higher or lower than the rest.  Pinpoint accuracy isn't much use if you
consistently need a wood to reach the green; perfect recovery won't help you in
situations where it's best to stay out of trouble entirely.  You *can* start
out with very high Control (I did that with Sam), but only if you really want a
challenge.

Call up the options menu by pushing select.  Replay allows you to save the last
shot you made to memory; wait until the next shot comes up before doing so.
Unplayable Lie returns the ball to the point where you made the last shot and
adds a penalty stroke; use this only if you're in an absolutely hopeless
position.  Give up automatically ends the hole and gives you the worst score
possible, par times three.  The only time this is useful is if you fail to make
bogey in a point tournament, since you can never do worse than -3 points no
matter what.  Quit ends the game and gives you the option of saving it.  You
can save any type of game *except* survival.  When you restart the game, you'll
be on the tee regardless of whether or not you made any shots before quitting.

General tips -
* Don't ever rush your shot, even if your opponent's all but begging you to.
There's no end to the bad things that can happen with an errant shot.  Be
accurate, not fast.

* Be careful if the wind is strong.  Even an 11 mph wind will affect your shot
a lot.  Also remember that the longer the ball stays in the air, the more the
wind affects it; adjust your aim accordingly.  You might want to avoid backspin
entirely with very strong winds (15 mph and up).

* Avoid out of bounds no matter what.  Play conservatively if there's even the
slightest chance of going over.

* Learn when and how to lay up.  In particular, if you need an accurate
approach to a high or low green, leave more than 100 yards so you keep the
swing line.

* It's a good idea to spend some time practicing your short game, mainly
because getting the ball as close to the hole as possible is so critical to
good scores.  Controlling the distance of putts is considerably tougher on the
60-foot setting than the 30-foot one, and the 120-foot setting is utter chaos,
so you don't ever want to leave a very long putt if you can help it.

* Putt from off the green whenever you're close enough and have a clear line.
Note that the fairway (don't try to putt over rough or sand for obvious
reasons) takes some speed off the ball; increase the power accordingly.  The
fringe isn't considered part of the green, so remember to switch to the putter
(unless it's more than 10 yards, in which case use a chip shot).

* Rain will slow down the ball in the air and stop it almost immediately once
it hits the ground.  For your approach, you can almost aim the end of the swing
line right at the cup.  Use at least 10% more power than usual on the green.


==================
| 2. The golfers |
==================
Seven golfers, which I refer to as the "basic seven", are available from the
onset.  The hidden three, Sam, Meg, and Steven, are selectable after you play
their events (or with a code; see the "Codes" section below).  Each has a
number of events which he/she can't enter; these are indicated by white squares
in the Trophy Room screen.  Generally, "personal" events...those with an
important story element for the person you're playing as...are unplayable.
Additionally, since the Survival events are segregrated by gender, each golfer
can only enter one of them.

My descriptions for the computer-controlled players are only general
tendencies.  Some do better or worse depending on the event, course, opponent,
etc.

The golfers and caddies speak only if the Narration option is on.  Furthermore,
only computer-controlled golfers will make comments between holes and at the
end of the tournament.

RYAN
  Default type: Balanced
  Unplayable events: Pine Tree Open, Miracle Cup
Personality: Completely straightforward and even-keeled, if not outright
bland.  Never shows much excitement no matter how he's doing.  Fair amount of
competitive drive, but not passionate about winning; "I won't lose to you
again!" comments practically an afterthought.  For some reason, he calls every
failure to win "close" regardless even if he was completely blown out.
CPU player: A par-o-matic.  Almost never misses a fairway or makes bogey, but
rarely makes birdie either (and NEVER eagle).  Misses a lot of easy putts.
Typically shoots +1 to -2.

RACHAEL
  Default type: Balanced
  Unplayable event: Angel Cup
Personality: Confident, strong-willed, and short-tempered.  Always thinks she
can win even when she's losing badly.  Hates to lose and gets very agitated
when she's trailing.  Calls herself the "Queen of the Fairways" and always has
high expectations for herself.
CPU player: A solid competitor who's good for at least a few birdies every
round.  Long and accurate off the tee; better than average short game and
putting.  Can make bad shots and bogeys, but generally does better than Ryan.
Even to -3 is typical.  For some reason, she makes more incredible shots than
anyone except Steven; she the only one I've seen hit a hole in one *and* an
albatross.

BILLY
  Default type: Good recovery
  Unplayable events: Jackpot Cup, Pine Tree Classic
Personality: Cocky and completely self-confident; impossible to rattle.
Makes all kinds of dumb excuses whenever he's behind.  A real ladies' man;
never misses the chance to hit on a cutie.  Loves to fight and gamble almost as
much as golf and takes great pride in "never losing".
CPU player: Gets into trouble a lot, but usually adept at getting out of it
as well.  So-so short game and putting.  Makes a spectacular play from time to
time, like a chip-in from the sand, but that usually just compensates for his
mistakes.  Scores are comparable to Ryan's.

JULIE
  Default type: Good recovery
  Unplayable event: Angel Tournament
Personality: Southerner.  Exudes femininity and always tries to look as
womanly as possible.  Gets irritable when she falls behind.  Weak-willed and
rattles very easily; all but demands that her opponents go easy on her.
CPU player: Unpredictable; can chip in for birdie one hole and miss an up and
down for bogey the next.  Average in most aspects.  Likes to take risks; often
can't make them pay off.  Scores are comparable to Ryan's.

JOE
  Default type: Power hitter
  Unplayable events: Black Sunday Open Match, Gold Rush Match
Personality: A pathetic, irresponsible loser.  Makes wild accusations about
"cheating" every time he falls behind.  Will whine, beg, and even steal to get
what he wants.  As fervent a gambler as Billy, although he only rarely wins.
Has the weird habit of ending almost every sentence with "right".
CPU player: Plenty of muscle, but not much else.  Rarely makes more than half
of the greens in regulation.  Misjudges nearly all his first putts; more than
two one-putts in a round is a challenge for him.  Decent recovery hitter.  In
the professional ranks, he gets between 1-3 bogeys per round and *maybe* a
birdie.  He improves a little on the World Tour.

JAMES
  Default type: Power hitter
  Unplayable event: Great Old Course Cup
Personality: Egotistical, thin-skinned, and disdainful.  Thinks he's the best
golfer in the world no matter how his round actually goes.  Whenever anyone's
well ahead of him, he only admits that he's "found someone who can challenge
him", never even considering the possibility that anyone can beat him (even
after it happens).  Will loudly berate an opponent for making a bad shot or
even taking a while to make a shot.
CPU player: Streaky.  Can string together two or three birdies in a row and
follow up with an equal number of bogeys.  Strong drives and a good short game,
but his putting is as shaky as Joe's.  TERRIBLE recovery shooting; can take a
lot of shots just to get out of trouble.  Needs the "mercy rule" more than
anyone else.  Can shoot +5 (or worse) to -4 depending on how "on" his game is.

KELLY
  Default type: Accurate hitter
  Unplayable event: Pacific Open
Personality: Quiet, calm, demure, and polite almost to the point of
obsequiousness.  Never brags, taunts, or swaggers.  Looks up to other players
for inspiration.  Extremely emotional and breaks down in tears more than anyone
else.  Feels that she "has" to win for whatever reason.  Limited reaction to
just about everything (except holes-in-one and albatrosses).
CPU player: Can be good or bad depending on the event; overall, one of the
better opponents.  Usually (but not always) highly accurate with all her shots
and rarely has to make a recovery.  Scores range widely; she usually gets
between +3 and -4.

SAM
  Default type: Accurate hitter
  Unplayable events: Same as Ryan
Personality: Ornery, mellow old coot.  Full of strange wisdom, most of it of
limited practical use at best.  Sees himself as the mentor to everyone else and
is always eager to take a rising star under his wing.  Doesn't appear to have
much passion for the game, although he's around all the way to the Master
Emporium.  Good-natured and doesn't mind losing at all.
CPU player: As with Kelly, it all depends on the event; overall, he's
consistently good but not great.  Usually shoots between -1 and -3; if he's a
little lucky that day, -4 is not impossible.

MEG
  Default type: Unique
  Unplayable events: Same as Rachael
Personality: Eccentric look, eccentric talk.  Constantly plays the newbie
card.  Has the silliest overreaction to par I've ever heard.  :-)
CPU player: She has only one event, Item Match.  See Events Overview for
details.

STEVEN
  Default type: Power hitter
  Unplayable events: Same as Ryan
Personality: Silent, steel-nerved assassin.  Hardly talks at all on the
course.  Reactions, whether to good or bad results, are slow and muted.  Proud
champion who can back up his boasts.  Loves a good challenge.
CPU player: He has only two events, Master Emporium and Oldman's Open; he's
far tougher in the former.  He's also a "surprise entry" in Miracle Cup,
although you're not paired with him.  See Events Overview for details.

In Normal Mode, Ryan and Rachael are the easiest opponents, followed by Billy,
Julie, and Joe, then the rest.  In general, the better equipment the they
wager, the tougher they are.

Meet order -
                1st        2nd         3rd       5th        7th
Ryan/Joe       Billy      Julie      Rachael    James      Kelly
Rachael        Julie      Billy      Ryan       Kelly      James
Billy          Ryan       Julie      Rachael    James      Kelly
Julie          Rachael    Billy      Ryan       Kelly      James
James          Billy      Julie      Rachael    Ryan       Kelly
Kelly          Julie      Billy      Ryan       Rachael    James

  The 4th is always Joe, unless you're playing as him, then it's Ryan.
  The 6th is always Sam.
  The last (not including Meg) is always Steven, at the Master Emporium.
Meg's only event is Item Match; her initial and subsequent appearances are
different for each golfer and impossible to predict.  She usually (but not
always) first shows up during your first year as a Tournament Pro.
Sam has the same order as Ryan.  For the events where Ryan is paired with
Sam, the Sam you're playing will be paired with a computer Sam as well (who
looks exactly the same).  Weird.  Steven also has the same order as Ryan, and
Meg has the same order as Rachael.

Caddies -
Jessica: Soft-spoken woman with weird British accent.  Spells everything out
in excruciating detail.
Molly: Mindless babbling moron.  Astonishingly ill-informed and CONSTANTLY
asks stupid questions. ("Doesn't that make the ball hard to hit?" "Wouldn't
this hole be easier if it was shorter?" "What happens if you miss that putt?")
Courtney: High-spirited go getter who loves to see big shots and all but begs
for them.  Bit of a sarcastic streak.
  Carol: Bland, monotonal, spells things out even more than Jessica.
Peter: Perky boy type.  Uses unusual terminology and often sounds like he has
trouble putting his thoughts into words.
Mike: High-strung martial arts motivator type.  A little more demanding than
the others.  Really bad Japanese accent.


================
| 3. Equipment |
================
Equipment is rated in five categories, hook/slice ("H/S" on the screen), meet,
distance, direction, and trajectory.  Hook/slice is the degree to which an
errant shot hooks or slices.  The higher the rating, the more "forgiving" the
club or ball is.  Meet affects both the size of the meet area and how fast the
bar moves.  Distance is just that, the maximum distance you can get out of the
club or ball.  Direction and trajectory determine your shotmaking capability.
Direction affects how much draw or fade you can put on the ball, while
trajectory affects how much topspin or backspin you can produce (both also
subject to your control rating, of course).

Each the golfers has equipment not available in the golf shop, winnable in
Normal Mode.  Sometimes beating them in a Story Mode event will earn you this
special equipment.  (You can never get Super Lady's equipment this way.)

Prizes (a.k.a. "other items"), which can also be won in both modes, have no
gameplay value; they're just special prizes for you to collect.

HS - Hook/Slice   Me - Meet  Ds - Distance   Dr - Direction  Tr - Trajectory
Items marked with an asterisk can be obtained only by winning certain Story
Mode events.

DRIVERS          HS Me Ds Dr Tr      WOODS           HS Me Ds Dr Tr
Beginner         4  4  2  4  2       Beginner        4  4  2  4  2
Standard         3  3  3  3  3       Standard        3  3  3  3  3
All Around       3  3  3  4  3       All Around      3  3  3  4  3
Long             3  2  4  3  4       Hard Hitter     1  2  5  3  3
Extra Long       2  2  4  4  3       Super Lady's    3  3  4  4  4
Hard Hitter*     1  2  5  3  3       Classic         3  2  3  5  3
Super Lady's     3  2  4  4  4
Classic          3  1  3  5  3       WEDGES          HS Me Ds Dr Tr
                                     Beginner        4  4  2  4  2
IRONS            HS Me Ds Dr Tr      Standard        3  3  3  3  3
Beginner         4  4  2  4  2       All Around      3  2  3  4  3
Standard         3  3  3  3  3       High Spin       3  2  3  2  5
All Around       3  2  3  4  3       Easy Bunker*    4  3  2  3  4
Hard Hitter      1  2  5  3  3       Super Lady's    3  2  4  4  4
Super Lady's     3  2  4  4  4       Classic         3  1  3  5  3
Classic          3  1  3  5  3
                                     SHOES           Me Dr
UTILITY CLUBS    HS Me Ds Dr Tr      Beginner         4  2
Mid-range        3  4  3  3  4       Standard         4  3
Wood Type*       3  2  4  4  4       All Around       3  3
                                     Air Cushion*     3  4
BALLS            HS Me Ds Dr Tr      Super Lady's     2  4
Beginner         3  4  2  3  3       Classic          4  3
Standard         4  3  3  2  3
All Around       2  3  3  4  2       GLOVES          Me Dr
Double Core      3  2  4  2  3       Beginner         3  3
Triple Core*     2  2  4  2  4       Standard         3  4
High Spin*       3  3  3  3  3       Super Lady's     3  3
Super Lady's     2  4  4  4  4       Classic          4  3
Classic          2  2  3  5  3

PUTTERS (Hook/Slice only)
Pin 3, Mallet 4, L Type 4, Generic 4, Super Lady's 2, Classic 2.
H/S here seems to affect the severity of breaks.  It's certainly consistent
with the Classic (i.e. old-fashioned, no technological advances) being the
worst.

BAGS (no stats)
Beginner, Standard, Light, Super Lady's, Classic.

Equipment notes -
* Beginner equipment is good to start with, but at some point you'll want to
switch to something with better distance.  Standard is fine for most players;
if you're accurate enough, All Around is a good choice.  The Beginner iron is
ideal for closest to the pin contests.

* Hard Hitter clubs have the most distance but terrible accuracy, and they're
extremely unforgiving of mis-hits.  I don't recommend them unless absolutely
necessary (e.g. a short hitter in a long drive contest).

* All Super Lady's and most of the Classic equipment can only be obtained by
wagering items in Normal Mode.  Most of it is superior to regular equipment, so
they're definitely worth going after.

* Yes, the guys can use Super Lady equipment.  No rules prohibit it, and there
are no negative repercussions whatsoever.  There is no in-game dialogue that
even mentions Super Lady equipment.  In other words, if you want to give them
the equipment meant to "level the playing field", do it!

* Deciding on the right ball can be difficult.  Your best bets, if you don't
have the Super Lady's, are All Around or Double Core.  Classic is also fine if
you want plenty of shotmaking ability.

* The best shoes are Standard, Classic, and Air Cushion.  You won't get the
last one for some time (the 6th World Tour tournament, to be exact), so go with
Standard for that little extra direction.

* Bags don't affect your game, only your popularity.  You'll win both the
Standard and Light ones over the course of Story Mode anyway, so there's never
any need to buy either.


======================
| 4. Events overview |
======================
There are a total of 40 "official" events in Story Mode which award a trophy to
the winner.  On the trophy screen, the first row has amateur events (except for
Freshman's Cup) and the tournament pro events are in the final row; all others
are professional events.  You play from the front (red) tees as an amateur,
white (middle) tees as a professional, and blue (back) tees as a tournament
professional.

Nearly all the events award a prize as well as a trophy and/or money.
Generally, the prize will be one the person you're going against wagers in
Normal Mode (see the wagering in normal mode section for details).  You always
get the skill points no matter how you do.

After you win the Master Emporium, all the events become playable.  Every month
will have a vast selection of events taken from all ranks (including amateur).
Any inherent restrictions, however, still apply (e.g. Year-end Super Heroes is
still held only in December).

MP - match play             PT - point tournament      LDC - long drive contest
SDM - sudden death match    S - survival    CTPC - closest to the pin contest

1-1 Public Amateur Competition           1-5 Amateur Match (MP)
1-2 Int. Amateur Competition             1-6 Mid-Amateur Competition
1-3 The Pro Test                         1-7 Amateur Open
1-4 Beginner's Competition               1-8 Freshman's Cup (PT)

2-1 Sam's Long Drive Contest (LDC)       2-5 Miracle Cup
2-2 International Junior Cup (SDM)       2-6 Pine Tree Classic (PT)
2-3 Tournament Pro Test                  2-7 Jackpot Cup
2-4 Pine Tree Open (PT)                  2-8 Angel Tournament

3-1 Black Sunday Open Match (MP)         3-5 Pacific Open
3-2 Gold Rush Match (MP)                 3-6 Queen Classic Cup
3-3 Angel Cup                            3-7 Kingdom Open
3-4 Great Old Course Cup                 3-8 Monthly Tournament

4-1 Ootori Golf Tournament (CTPC)        4-5 Princess Survival (S)
4-2 Meg's Long Drive Contest (LDC)       4-6 Year-end Super Heroes (LDC)
4-3 Sudden Death Match (SDM)             4-7 Super Heroes (LDC)
4-4 Survival Open (S)                    4-8 Oldman's Open (MP)

5-1 World Tour Golf 1st Match            5-5 World Tour Golf 5th Match
5-2 World Tour Golf 2nd Match            5-6 World Tour Golf 6th Match
5-3 World Tour Golf 3rd Match            5-7 Master Emporium
5-4 World Tour Golf 4th Match            5-8 ??? (locked)

LONG DRIVE CONTEST HOLES: Forest #6, Resort #2, Lake #16, Desert #14, Classic
#8, Seaside #13
CLOSEST TO THE PIN CONTEST HOLES: Forest #11, Resort #16, Lake #8, Desert #8,
Classic #2, Seaside #3

Non-trophy events: Practice, stroke play with an old man, match play events not
listed, all skins games, all 2-ball foursome and best ball events.

Required events, in the order you'll play them -
1. Public Amateur Competition          7. 2-ball foursome
2. match play                          8. Sam's/Meg's Long Drive Contest
3. Int. Amateur Competition            9. International Junior Cup
4. The Pro Test                       10. Stroke play with an old man
5. Freshman's Cup                     11. match play (7th meet)
6. 3-player skins game                12. Tournament Pro Test

* You meet new golfers in 1, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11.
* 2 and 7 are the first events of their kind that you'll get.  Your opponent
for 11 is always the last of the basic seven you haven't faced yet.
* 6 pits you against Joe and either Ryan or Rachael.  If Joe wins the least
amount of money, it's a win for you regardless of whether you or Ryan/Rachael
has the most money.  If you're playing as Joe, you square off agaisnt both R's,
with Ryan being the man to beat.
* 8 is whichever contest shows up after the 2-ball foursome.
* 10 is a nontrophy head-to-head stroke play game against Sam which takes place
on one of three special courses (see Course Tips for details).


=============================
|5. Complete events rundown |
=============================

- AMATEUR EVENTS -
The events are presented in the order they first become available.  All except
the three required repeat for as long as you're an amateur.

Practice
These are exactly the same practice lessons freely available in Normal Mode.
There's no need to take them.

Beginner's Competition
Course: Forest       Pairing: none
As you might expect, this entry-level competiton is very easy to win.  If
you've praticed the Forest course at all, it's in the bag.

Public Amateur Competition
Course: Forest       Pairing: 1st meet
Your first taste of head-to-head action, and also a piece of cake.  Your rival
is a complete beginner and won't challenge you.

Mid-Amateur Competition
Course: Forest       Pairing: none
This event uses a special course.  Tougher than most professional events, and
the course will drive you nuts the first few times you play it (especially
since you can't play it at all in Normal Mode).  The only amateur event you
might consider skipping (or playing one time for the skill points).

Amateur Open
Course: Forest       Pairing: none
The game calls it a high-level tourney, but I never found this any tougher than
Beginner's Competition.  You shouldn't have any problems either.

Vs. Match
Course: Forest       Opponent: 1st meet
The first "official" match play.  If you can make birdies, it's a walk in the
park.

International Amateur Competiton
Course: Forest       Pairing: 2nd meet
A shade tougher than PAC, but still really easy.  In all likelihood, you'll
have it locked up before the 5th hole.

The Pro Test
Course: Forest       Pairing: none
Although you meet someone beforehand, you play this one alone.  Shoot -1 or
better and you advance to the ranks of the professionals, it's that simple.
(The person you meet will always shoot -1; no one else will do better than
even.)

- OPEN CONTESTS -
These are the "regular" events.  They become available as soon as you turn
professional and thereafter are always available on a cyclical basis.  (There
is a short stretch where none of them are available, but they return later on.)
None are required.  They can take place on any course and with any pairing or
opponent (except for Survival and Princess Survival), but only the ones you've
unlocked.  Listed in order from most to least frequent.

Monthly Tournament
An ordinary stroke play tournament.  Easy at the professional level; a little
tougher at tournament pro.

Survival/Princess Survival
Although divided by gender for some mysterious reason, they're exactly the
same.  You play this one alone.  To win, you must complete 18 holes.  Any
additional holes are "EX"; it doesn't matter how many you complete.  The holes
are actual Create Course holes...i.e., completely random...and you cannot save
in the middle of your game.  The requirements are double bogey for 1-6, bogey
for 7-12, and par from 13 onward.  The course creator, as anyone who's used it
can attest, is extremely erratic and produces a *lot* of holes where par is
virtually impossible.  For this reason, I have one tip for this event...cheat.
(Find out how in the Codes section.)

Ootori Golf Tournament
A one-on-one closest to the pin contest.  Unlike regular tournaments, your
opponent always has the same abilities no matter who it is.  My only advice is
to play this on Classic or Seaside.  Your opponents have trouble handling the
elevations and wind of those holes, so it's not too hard to beat them.  It's a
challenge on Forest, very difficult on Resort and Desert, and COMPLETELY
IMPOSSIBLE on Lake (you'll have a tough time hitting the green at all, while at
least one of their attempts will end up about one inch from the hole).

Sudden Death Match
This usually first shows up at about the same time as International Junior Cup;
afterward, there's another one every three months.  It's the same as match
play, except that winning one hole wins the match.  The difficulty is about the
same as a normal match play.

Sam's/Meg's Long Drive Contest
Whichever one shows up first isn't required; other than that, they're exactly
the same.  As with Ootori Golf Tournament, all your adversaries have identical
abilities.  Their driver distance is always either 276 or 286, usually the
latter.  Since they can't use overswing, if your distance is at least very
close, you'll win easily.

Super Heroes/Year End Super Heroes
Same as the other long drive contests, except that you need a high spot in the
popularity rankings to qualify for them.  You'll most likely have it by the
time the first one rolls around.  Year End takes place every December; the
regular event can show up anytime.

- PROFESSIONAL EVENTS -
These only become available while you're a professional, and most of them show
up only once.  Once you officially enter the World Tour, you won't be seeing
them again.  In addition to these, there are plenty of private matches,
unofficial money events, and four-way battles.  If you're striving to build the
best golfer possible (and who isn't?), you definitely don't want to pass those
up.  Starting with the required events, then the character-specific ones.

Freshman's Cup
Course: Resort       Pairing: 3rd meet
Like it says, you only get one shot.  Fortunately, this is pretty easy to win
since the best any of your opponnets do is birdie, and even that only
occasionally.  Remember that point scoring rewards aggressive play, so if you
get an eagle chance, go for it.

3-player skins game
Course: Resort       Opponents: Joe and 3rd meet
As mentioned earlier, if Joe finishes with the least money, you win.  This is
THE easiest event in the game for that reason; I'm not sure if it's even
*possible* to lose.  Joe is incredibly lackluster and will struggle to make
even one birdie.

2-ball foursome
Course: Lake         Partner: 3rd meet         Opponents: 1st and 2nd meet
Pretty simple.  As long as you do your part...hit fairways, get your approaches
close, make putts...you should win handily.  Try not to give your partner any
difficult approaches or long putts; the R's have a lot of trouble with those.

International Junior Cup
Course: Desert       Opponent: 5th meet
An extraordinarily difficult event; in fact, it's the third hardest behind
Master Emporium and the Survivals.  Your opponent is in peak form and will come
out flying.  You will need to birdie *at least* the first three holes to have
any shot of winning.  Don't be ashamed to save after each tie!

Stroke play with an old man
Course: special      Opponent: Sam
The real enemy here is the course, which, in my opinion, is the second most
ridiculous in the entire game (with Oldman's Open being #1).  If you can
successfully navigate the course and make birdies, Sam isn't too hard to beat.

Match play (7th meet)
Course: Classic      Opponent: 7th meet
This is the first time you face either James or Kelly.  They play a pretty
tight game, although   nowhere near as devastating as in International Junior
Cup.

Tournament Pro Test
Course: Seaside      Pairing: 5th meet
Unlike the previous pro test, this is a regular tournament; i.e., you need the
best score to pass (although almost no one ever does better than even, so
there's really no difference).  If you pass the test, you become a Tournament
Pro immediately, but cannot enter World Tour events until the start of the next
calendar year.  You can still enter professional events for the remainder of
the current year, although you'll be playing from the back tees.

Angel Tournament/Angel Cup
Course: Forest       Pairing: Julie (AT), Rachael (AC)
You'll get at least one of these early in your professional career.  Julie and
Rachael are a little better than usual, but nothing you can't handle.  For some
reason, Angel Cup is worth a whopping $12,000, second only to Master Emporium,
so definitely don't pass it up!

Pine Tree Open/Pine Tree Classic
Course: Resort       Pairing: Ryan (PTO), Billy (PTC)
Another pair that'll show up early.  As easy to win as Freshman's Cup.

Black Sunday Open Match
Course: Desert       Opponent: Joe
This is an Item Match, exactly like in Normal Mode (see Wagering in Normal Mode
for details).  If you win, you get one of the items Joe normally wagers.  If
you lose, Joe takes a random item from you (always something you can buy or win
back, however).

Queen Classic Cup
Course: Classic      Opponent: Sam
This shows up shortly after SPWAOM.  It's a normal match play in all respects.

Jackpot Cup
Course: special      Pairing: Billy
You won't see this unless you win Pine Tree Classic and beat Billy in a match
play afterward.  As with SPWAOM, if you can handle the course, the tourney's
yours to lose.

Gold Rush Match
Course: Classic      Opponent: 1st meet
This won't be available unless you accept *all* of Joe's challenges (including
Black Sunday Open Match), and it takes a while to show up.  It's the same as
any other match play, just with $200 at stake.

- THE MAJORS -
These don't show up until after SPWAOM.  How long afterward is unpredictable;
sometimes right away, sometimes not until you're on the World Tour.  The stakes
are high and the conditions are usually difficult.

Kingdom Open
Course: Seaside      Pairing: Sam
Sam struggles quite a bit here, so don't worry about him.  The score to beat is
usually around -3.

Miracle Cup
Course: Classic      Pairing: Ryan
This is a challenging tournament to win mainly because of Steven's presence.
He always shoots -10, the best score of the field (and far better than anything
Ryan's capable of).  Playing this event does not make Steven selectable.

Great Old Course Cup
Course: Classic      Pairing: James
For some reason, James is at his absolute *worst* here; he'll frequently get
into trouble and may even get hopelessly mired in a bunker until he's forced to
give up.  He almost never does better than +3.  So "play the course, not the
man." If you don't play this the first time it shows up, it'll reappear
periodically until you do.

Pacific Open
Course: Seaside      Pairing: Kelly
Kelly fares better than most of the other golfers in their "personal" tourneys,
but she still only rarely gets the best score of the field.  Again, just play
good, solid golf.  As with Great Old Course Cup, it'll come around again if you
give it a pass.

- TOURNAMENT PRO EVENTS -
These become available the first January after you win the Tournament Pro Test.

World Tour Golf tournaments
Courses:             Pairings:          Months:
1st - Forest         1st -              January
2nd - Resort         2nd -              March
3rd - Lake           3rd - Sam          May
4th - Desert         4th -              July
5th - Classic        5th -              September
6th - Seaside        6th - 1st meet     December
You'll be facing the toughest fields and conditions in the game; every one will
be hard-fought.  Someone almost always shoots -4 or better, and the winds can
get *incredibly* strong (22 MPH and up is not uncommon).  You need to earn 30
points from these, the equivalent of three wins, to qualify for Master Emporium.

Item Match
Course: any          Opponent: Meg
First appearance by golfer (year and month)
Ryan: 5 July      Rachael:          Billy: 6 December     Julie:
Joe:              James:            Kelly:

The eccentric shop owner will issue her first challenge completely out of the
blue; her subsequent appearances can happen at any time and follow no
recognizable pattern.  The conditions are the same as for Black Sunday Open
Match.  She's short *and* inaccurate off the tee, and her recovery hitting is
absolutely atrocious (hitting from the rough to another rough or bunker is a
common occurrence for her).  You should have no trouble at all beating her.

Master Emporium
Course: special      Pairing: Steven     Month: December
The ultimate tournament is all about one thing...the man.  The reason he's so
incredibly tough is not only because of his all-around game, which is
exceptional, but because...well, he cheats.  Every time he has a sub-average
hole, he makes up for it with a birdie or eagle on the next one, and he can get
a chip in from *anywhere*, *anytime*.  (This can be a particularly harrowing
experience if you use a code to set him back and don't go quite far enough; see
Codes for all the gruesome details.) Expect to have to shoot at least -13 to
beat him, if not -16.  Along with Survival, this is *the* perfect example of
why you should NEVER be without a cheat device if you're serious about getting
anywhere in a PS2 game.

Oldman's Open
Course: special      Opponent: Steven
This doesn't become available until you win Master Emporium.  It's an item
match, like Meg's, and it can also show up at any time.  Considering the
prerequisite, it's surprisingly managable.  Steven is much shorter off the tee
this time, 266 yards, and overall he's only about as hard as he is in Normal
Mode (he's lost that insane chip-in-at-will-when-behind ability).  The special
course for this is downright deranged, but Steven has trouble with it as well,
so don't sweat missed birdie chances.  It should take no more than 16 holes for
you to beat him.

??? [the last event!]
Sorry, I have nothing yet.  I don't know for certain if this even exists.

Extra tip - scheduling conflicts (and how to handle them):
For some nefarious reason, you'll often be faced with two or more events that
you want to enter occurring on the same month.
The first thing to do when this happens, obviously, is save your game.  Skip
a few months to get a glimpse of what the future schedule is like.  Oftentimes
an event will hang around an extra month or two, so you can safely take a pass.
If you want to play everything that's available (which I strongly recommend),
a good rule of thumb is private, unofficial games (these are mostly match plays
and the team events) over professional-only events, professional-only events
over open contests, and open contests (for the most part) over required events.
The purely private games are fleeting...you're only doing them "out of the
goodness of your heart", after all...and if you skip them, you probably won't
get another chance.  The open contests always show up again, so you can safely
give them a pass whenever you nee to.  I'd make an exception for the Super
Heroes contests, however, since they're uncommon and there's a requisite for
them (popularity).  You *definitely* should play the regular one the moment it
appears, since it can do so anytime and may only do so once before Master
Emporium.  The required events aren't going anywhere until you play them, so
they can wait as long as you need.  Once you *do* play one, you lose any
unplayed private games up to that point, so take care of business before
there's no turning back.
It helps to get an idea of the ebb and flow of the calendar.  You'll be
called upon to resolve personal problems with Rachael and Julie shortly after
winning their respective Angel tournaments, and Joe starts a pretty intense
rivalry with you right after the 3-player skins.  Sometimes the private
challenge won't arrive right away, but if you hang around for a while, maybe
play an open contest, they'll come up to you.  By timing your events right,
you'll rack up plenty of trophies and prevent emotional golfers from competing
with big events for your attention.
For the Amateur circuit, I do everything in the order listed.  I then do all
the available Angel and Pine Tree tournaments and all the private challenges
that I get as a result.  I take the non-required Long Drive Contest ASAP, but
usually hold off on Ootori Golf Challenge until it moves to a reasonable
location (i.e. Not Lake).  I get Survival/Princess Survival down whenever I
can, and I try to squeeze in a Monthly Tournament before the Tournament Pro
Test.  S/PS is by far the most tedious of the open contests, so if there's a
conflict between it and OGC, I pick S/PS just to get it over with.  And of
course, I play the professional-only events as soon as they appear.  After
International Junior Cup, it's free and clear the rest of the way.  I
occasionally get a conflict for Great Old Course Cup or Pacific Open, but they
always turn up later, sometimes in the month right after, so it's no biggie.
One final note: For a few golfers, Meg's first appearance conflicts with one
of the World Tour tournaments.  On one hand, you never know when you'll get
another chance to face her in her only event; on the other hand, you don't get
any money or tour points for beating her.  Both will be available after Master
Emporium, so it's your call.


==================
| 6. Course tips |
==================
There are six regular courses, four special courses, and the "all star" Master
Emporium course, which takes three holes from each regular course.  I'll let
you figure out the Oldman's Open course on your own; if you've made it that
far, you don't need my help (and you won't need 18 holes for that anyway).

++ FOREST ++
This is an easy course.  The fairways are wide, the greens are very level
with almost no undulations, recoveries from anywhere are easy, and hazards are
sparse.  There are plenty of trees, but they're all easy to avoid.  Every hole
is birdieable, and it's possible to put up some incredible scores (breaking 50
is definitely feasible).
  1: Completely straightforward.  An easy birdie.
2: Favor the left side of the fairway so you don't have to worry about the
tree next to the green.  It's a big fairway, so don't be afraid to aim wide.
  3: Straightforward; just shoot right at the cup.
4: The classic "contingency" hole.  If you're long enough to get it past the
hill, put a strong draw on it so it lands on the left of the fairway.  That
takes the troublesome trees out of play and gives you a good second shot for an
eagle chance.  If you don't have the length, it's best to go right, then go
straight over the trees to the green (or play it safe and follow the fairway,
nothing wrong with that).
5: Aside from the huge pine tree about halfway down the fairway, this one's
straightforward.  If the wind's blowing right, use a gentle draw.
6: Going for the green on the second shot is a major gamble.  If you're
short, you're in the water; if you're long, you have a difficult downhill pitch
from the rough.  Don't even consider it unless you can comfortably reach the
green with no higher than a 4-iron.  Otherwise, hit it as far down the fairway
as possible (the ball tends to roll toward the water on that part of the
course, so allow plenty of room), then chip it close.
7: The narrowness of the green and steep slope in front make it a challenge
to hit.  Your best bet is to target the area just in front of the green, give
the ball one or two degrees of backspin, than hit a full-power shot.  If you
miss, it's best to be long; it's easier to get a chip-in going down than up.
8: Decision time!  The right fairway is easier to hit, but the left gives you
a better line to the green.  If you go left, get it as far down the fairway as
you can without overshooting into the rough, and make sure it lands in the
middle so the trees don't mess up your second shot.  If you go right, use a
draw to keep it on a fairway and give the trees a *little* room.  The greenside
bunker will be in play for your second shot, so aim for the back and give it
plenty of backspin.  This is definitely the toughest hole on the course, so
don't be disappointed with par.
  9: Straightforward.  Lay up a bit or go down a club if you have to.
10: A short, simple par 5, and the easiest to eagle.  There's a slope in
front of the green, but it's not steep enough to cause any real trouble.
Running shots work great for reaching in two.
11: There's no avoiding the lake, so aim for the back of the green and be
generous with the backspin.  It's a big green, so don't worry about being a
little long.  Again, there's nothing wrong with par.
12: As with hole 2, avoid the right side of the fairway with those
troublesome trees.  For the second shot, disregard whatever number the
elevation indicator gives you and use the same shot you'd use for level ground,
if not a little stronger.  The green slopes very steeply away from you, and a
soft approach will always end up well short.
13: Your best bet is hitting it straight down the right side of the fairway.
Shots anywhere else usually end up in the center, and then that nasty little
greenside bunker enters the picture.  If you have 40 yards or less left, you
can chip to the green, but because of the extreme uphill slope, it's better to
pitch unless you're very close.
14: Despite the undulating terrain and irregular fairway borders, this hole
is pretty straightforward.  Hit to the middle of the fairway no matter what.
15: This is the "super dogleg", as I like to call it.  Use as much draw as
you're capable of and get it as far down as possible.  There's a good chance
that the ball will get an uneven lie, so always check the direction arrow
before lining up your approach shot.  If you have the length, go right for the
green with a straight shot.
16: When setting up your tee shot, check the area thoroughly and make sure
your drive won't hit any smaller trees on the way down.  You will almost
certainly need backspin for your approach.
17: Straightforward.  There's enough fairway in front of the green that you
should be able to run it up.
18: Both the lake and the tree guarding the latter part of the fairway are
trouble.  If you're accurate enough, you can land it close to the lake and have
a clear second shot.  Alternatively, drive the ball far enough and you can hit
under the tree without worries.  Failing that, a topspin shot is a good way to
stay clear of the tree, and if you're really daring, you can even try a soft
3-wood shot.  If none of these is an option, you'll just have to go completely
around it and try to save par.

++ RESORT ++
A little tougher than the Forest course, mainly because of all the bunkers,
but still easy to post good scores on.  This is the best course to practice
shotmaking and hitting to uneven elevations.
1: Straightforward.  Hitting the elevated green with a running shot is
difficult; it's better to stick it with a backspin shot.
2: There's a bunker protecting the right of the green, and the slope of the
fairway's going to send your drive left anyway, so hit it left.  Nothing
special about the second shot; just get it close.
3: Drive as far down the fairway as you can, fading around the trees if need
be.  Because the green is elevated and protected by water, do whatever it takes
to avoid leaving it short.
  4: Unless you're sure you can clear the bunker, go right.
5: The trees on the left turn a mildly challenging long par 3 into a tough
one.  As always, draw if you're facing a rightward wind.
  6: Straightforward; favor the left side for an easier chip to the green.
7: Golfers that are long *and* precise will score big here.  The drive is
easy; just get it as far down as possible.  For the second shot, you have to
hit to the left or right of the long bunker; use the pin placement and wind to
decide.  The green slopes very steeply toward you; don't underhit.
8: Aim for the center of the green no matter where the hole is.  It's almost
completely flat, so you have an easy birdie putt from just about anywhere.
Miss the green and it's a *very* difficult up and down.
9: Don't be too daring with your drive; keep it in the middle of the fairway
and make sure you don't hit any trees.  In fact, if you can drive it to within
100 yards of the hole, *don't*.  Lay up so you can approach the extremely high
green with a full power shot, which is *much easier than any part-swing.
Anywhere from 110-150 yards left is good.
10: A fairly short par 5.  Because of the rough in front of the green, you'll
have to bounce the ball up instead of running it up if you want to go for it in
two.  It's a good gamble because even if you don't make it, it's pretty easy to
get up and down from the short rough.
11: Give the water plenty of room, especially if the wind is blowing left.
There's a steep slope dropping into the water that continues for quite a long
stretch of fairway, and if you're even a *little* off, you're taking a splash.
If you have the length, drive directly to the green.
12: Drive over the big crossing bunker if you have the length; otherwise,
just get it close.
13: The green is a considerable distance below the tee box, so be
conservative with your shot.  Go a club down, two if you have a strong tailwind.
14: You have three options here.  1 - Play it safe and hit to the end of the
dogleg.  2 - Use a strong fade to land it on the twisty fairway past the
dogleg.  3 - Go for the green right off the tee (if it ends up in the greenside
rough, which it probably will, that's okay; it's an easy enough recovery).  Use
your driver distance and Control ability to decide.
15: Not only are the many bunkers a threat, but a too-long drive will force
you to hit a part-swing extreme uphill approach over a lot of trouble...a
serious pain for even experienced players.  Your best bet is to drive to the
extreme left and leave at least 120 yards.
  16: Just another tough par 3.
  17: Straightforward.  All you need to do is keep it right, which is easy.
18: The easiest par 5.  Fade around the trees to get in good position for
reaching in two.

++ LAKE ++
With more slopes than level ground, some really difficult greens, trees in
plenty of bad locations, and of course the ubiquitous water hazards, this is a
course that demands accurate ball placement from start to finish.  Thankfully,
the fairways are nice, wide, easy targets, and most of the greens are huge.
Par is an easy score on any hole; the challenge is making birdie (and doing it
consistently).
1: The fairway first slopes upward on the left, then on the right.  Hit to
whichever low point you can reach to keep your approach straight.
2: Despite the rolling terrain, this one's pretty simple.  The green is
absolutely crazy, so try to nail the approach close.
  3: A difficult par 3.  Take special care to avoid the greenside bunker.
4: Favor the middle of the fairway.  You have to hit far enough left to avoid
that big tree, but not too far or else it'll take a long trip downhill.
5: If you're long *and* have a good tailwind, you might be able to drive the
second fairway.  Otherwise, lay up to the end of the first fairway (favor the
left side because of the slope), hit a strong second shot to the second
fairway, and pitch to the high green.
6: Your best bet is to hit to the arched "backboard" close to the green.  The
steep slope will catch the ball and keep it on the fairway, and from there you
have a pretty easy pitch to the green.  You can even go for the green if your
recovery shooting is at least decent.
  7: Nothing of note except two easy-to-hit-around bunkers.
8: The waterfall hole.  The green is extremely narrow and easy to miss.  You
need a backspin shot to even have a chance at it.
9: Unless you have laserlike accuracy and phenomenal nerves, going for the
green through the trees is much too risky to be worth it.  Instead, hit to the
end of the dogleg and pitch to the green.
10: Just about anyone should be able to drive the second fairway.  The green
is surrounded by water, so, as with the 6th hole on Forest, don't ever go for
it if you need anything more than a 4-iron.  It's an easy birdie if you play it
safe; don't take the gamble unless it's a really good one.
11: Other than the trees at the bend of the gentle dogleg, this one's simple.
Of course, favor the left of the fairway.
12: Cutting the dogleg is *very* dangerous due to the bunkers and rough.  If
you decide to go for it, aim as close to the hole as possible and use backspin
liberally.
  13: A par 3 with the green pretty much level with the tee.  Easy.
14: Another decision, but this one's easy.  Aim for the right fairway if at
all possible, as the approach is MUCH easier than from the left.  If you have
to go left, keep the ball well away from the water.
15: Keep your drive right so you don't end up on a troublesome slope.  As
with all other high greens, pitch to it unless you're very close.
16: The more air time your drive has, the longer it'll go.  Aim for the
lowest point you can reach with your swing line (adjusting a little more for
the wind than usual).  Go for the green from wherever you end up, keeping right.
  17: Just an easy par 3, which should be quite welcome at this point.
  18: A surprisingly straightforward closing hole.  Pretty easy birdie.

++ DESERT ++
One word: putting.  That, more than anything, will make or break you here.
There is not one square inch of level green on this course, and you'll be
facing *very* sharp left, right, uphill, and downhill slopes (occasionally all
four on the same putt).  If you can read the greens perfectly and get
one-putts, you can put up a great score.  If not, simply breaking par can be a
monumental challenge.
In addition to the greens, this is a very long course, so distance off the
tee is crucial.  Accuracy is also important, as it's easy to get mired in the
soft desert earth or obstructed by one of the many rock walls.  If the wind is
strong (and it often is), it's going to be a long round no matter how good you
are.
1: You'd be astonished at how easy it is to hit that tiny little bunker in
the middle of the fairway.  Aim carefully!  A topspin shot works best for the
approach to the huge uphill green.
  2: A par 3 with a narrow green.  Hit a solid backspin shot.
3: Aiming around the rock is easy; the tough part is putting the ball on the
fairway.  Your best bet is to put the end of the swing line just off the left
of the fairway and hit a less than full power shot.  Too much power, and you'll
most likely overshoot into the rough.
  4: A highly managable dogleg right.  Good eagle chance with a friendly wind.
  5: Similar to #3.  Again, make sure your drive ends up on the fairway.
6: Most golfers should be able to drive the second fairway.  Go as far right
as you can manage to put some distance between yourself and that big chunk 'o
rock.  The twisty fairway which narrows in front of the green makes reaching in
two difficult; you might want to lay up with your second shot and play for
birdie.
7: The "mountain climb", as I like to call it, is one of the most painful
holes in the entire game.  For your drive, lay up to at least 120 yards.  Don't
worry about being a little long; the slope will take care of that.  For the
approach, aim for the back of the green and use a TON of backspin.  That should
get you past the enormous guarding bunker and put you on the green, or at least
close.  Anything else will likely result in disaster.  This hole is so
difficult, even par can be considered a major victory.
8: You'll always be faced with a tough pin placement on the extremely narrow
green, and usually a gusty crosswind as well.  Just do your best.
9: Hit to the farthest point on the convoluted fairway you can accurately
reach.  Shotmaking adjustments only makes it tougher to put the ball where it
should be; KISS with a straight shot.
  10: Same deal as #9.
11: Hit as far down the dogleg as possible without overshooting, and favor
the left of the fairway.  Or shoot straight over the rock for the green.  Even
if it lands in the rough, it's a simple up and down for birdie.  Getting a good
layup drive is tough, especially if you're facing a crosswind, so the "gamble"
is actually a better choice if you're capable of it.  Don't try to fade around
the rock; at *best* you'll overshoot the fairway.
  12: Yet another situation calling for a simple, safe straight drive.
13: The green's 20 meters down.  Use as much backspin as you're capable of,
aiming no farther than a shade past the hole.  And of course, adjust for the
wind a lot more than usual.
14: Okay, first off, the golden rule for this hole.  *Don't try to drive over
the arch*.  Again, don't...as in do not, repeat, do NOT...try to drive over the
arch.  Trust me, I learned from painful experience that it is NOT happening.
No matter how much distance you have, no matter how much control you have, no
matter what kind of wind you're facing.  So your task is to get under it and
still manage a respectable distance.  Topspin works well for this.  If you're
very strong, you might have to go down a club.  Of course, use the swing line
to see if your shot is safe.  The rest of the hole is actually pretty simple;
go right for the green on the second shot from wherever you are.
15: Aim for the center of the fairway.  If you're a bit off, the slopes will
redirect the ball to where it should be.
16: Don't overshoot the green for obvious reasons.  Other than that, this is
just a nice birdieable par 3.
17: Don't be too aggressive with your first or second shot.  Drive to the
farthest fairway you can comfortably reach, then, *if* you have a clear shot,
go for the green.  If you can reach the third fairway with your drive, go left.
18: The creek will eat your lunch if you're not careful.  Don't even think of
driving across it unless you can get it at least 10 yards past on the fly.
Keep it well right for a clear shot at the green.  If you lay up, put a *hard*
fade on it and, again, get it as far right on the fairway as you can.  Handle
the steep climb to the green like #7.

++ CLASSIC ++
The wind is absolutely howling no matter what, many drives are blind and/or
hard to hit the fairway with, there's next to no flat land, and danger is
everywhere.  If you have steady nerves, however, there are plenty of scoring
chances to take advantage of.
  1: Straightforward.  Avoid the greenside bunker and you're in the clear.
  2: An uphill par 3.  Hit firmly.
3: Don't even THINK of going for the second fairway unless you're ABSOLUTELY
SURE you can clear the bunker!  If it ends up in ANY part of the bunker, you
are *screwed*, Jack (you may even have to declare an unplayable lie).  Both
fairways slope toward the deadly bunker, so watch out!
4: Avoid that little cluster of rocks on the fairway with your drive; they
can *really* mess you up, especially if you're stymied against one.  Aim around
the dangerous greenside pot bunkers with your approach.
5: Avoiding the water is easy.  Avoiding the big pot bunker right in front of
the green isn't.  Go up a club (and use backspin) if you must.  Try not to land
in the bunker behind the green, either.
6: As with the other doglegs, lay up if you have to, go for it if it's a good
shot.  It's actually advisable to go for it if you have the length, as you then
don't have to worry about the bushes scattered all over the fairway.  Take
great pains to avoid these; guaranteed bogey or worse if you find one.
7: Nothing of note except the colossal bunker guarding the green.  The green
is uphill, so don't be afraid to swing hard.
8: Hit a full-power drive and adjust for the wind a little more than usual
because of the extended air time.  If you can reach with the second, don't
bother laying up (it'll probably just end up in the rough or sand); instead,
aim for the slope in front of the green.  Even if you don't make it, it'll land
close, and it's a simple chip from there.
9: Avoid the bushes with the first shot and the huge C-shaped bunker with the
second.  4 is a good score anytime.
10: Stay well clear of both trenches.  If you have the length to drive the
green, don't go for it unless you're confident you can land the ball within 60
feet.  The 120-foot putter setting is hellishly tricky and can very easily
result in a 3-putt.
11: If you can drive it over the ditch, make sure you don't hit it too far.
Why?  Because all the ridges on the back fairway except the first are vertical
walls, and you'll get stymied big time if you end up against one.  (The first
small hill, while steep, is okay.) If you're not that accurate, lay up to the
ditch.  Birdies are more important than "manhood".
12: Decision time again!  The fairway to the left of the ditch is safer, but
harder to hit a good second shot from.  The right is riskier, but also has a
clearer shot to the green.  As with all the other "gambling" shots, take the
right only if you're sure it won't end up in a very bad place (in this case,
the ditch).  Be especially careful if the wind is to the left!  With a good
enough drive, it's possible to make the green in two.
  13: A downhill par 3 which you should be well able to handle by now.
14: No matter what, don't be too long with your drive; 300 yards at the most.
Put it in the thick bushes and there'll be absolute hell to pay.  The green has
another pot bunker behind it, so be conservative with the approach.
  15: A surprisingly straightforward hole for this late on the course.
  16: Par 3 with a row of bunkers.  You know what to do here.
17: Avoiding the little pond is no sweat.  For the approach, check the pin
placement and be sure to put the ball where you actually have a clear line to
the green.  Favor the back of the green if you have to.  If you mess up and
actually have to putt over fairway, or even rough, it's possible, but you can
forget about making birdie.
18: If you made it this far, this hole should be a piece of cake.  Just be
careful hitting around those bushes.

++ SEASIDE ++
A long, technical, and very challenging course that loves to really punish
errant shots.  Beware especially the huge bunkers and gale-force winds.  The
wind here always blows in roughly the same direction, which I've noted.
1: [slight tail/right] The big danger here is the vertical ridge about 370
yards out.  If the wind is strong, it's possible to get stymied.  Lay up, with
a 3-wood if need be, in this case.  Otherwise, just do your best to get a good
drive.  Don't worry if your shot drifts right; the slope will catch it.
2: [slight tail/right] Watch out for the pair of trees guarding the dogleg.
If your tee shot is too long, you'll have a tough time putting your second shot
on the fairway *or* green.  Judge the distance carefully.  There's a ridge here
too, but it goes down instead of up, so don't worry about it.
3: [tail/right] The ball will spend a lot of time in the air, so aim VERY
well to the left, into the ocean if need be.  Also go down *at least* a club so
you don't have to add backspin and give the wind more time to mess up your
shot.  You *must* stay out of the bunker on the right, or it'll be a huge
battle just to save par.  Even overcompensating and missing the green to the
left is preferable to finding the bunker.
4: [head/left] Aim at least at the right edge of the fairway.  The "fish
bunker", like all the other big bunkers, is nothing but trouble, so aim well
away from it for your approach.
5: [right] Don't be frightened; this hole isn't as daunting as it looks.  Put
plenty of fade on the ball and place the end of the swing line on nearly the
end of the fairway, and it'll land on smooth cut grass every time.  If you want
to play it safe and lay up, that's fine too; simply making the green from there
shouldn't be a hassle.
6: [head/left] Unless you have ferocious power, you're not hitting it past
the C-shaped bunker.  It's best to hit a strong shot with the swing line at the
edge of the bunker, maybe a little past; the ball will drop cleanly within the
fairway.  (Sometimes you may get a straight left wind; adjust accordingly.) If
you want to play it safe, you can avoid it completely on the right, but this
gives you a tougher second shot.  Swing hard to make the green due to its
elevation and the wind.
7: [left] Precise shots are required from tee to green.  First off, lay up
far enough from the big boulder separating the fairways so you can actually
clear it.  300 yards on the drive is good; 320 only if you're a real pro.  Get
your second shot as far left as possible; take the light rough if you have to.
If you've taken out the greenside bunker, you can chip to the green for a
birdie chance.  If not, you'll just have to go for it with a pitch.  Don't
overshoot the green, or it's an almost guaranteed bogey.
8: [left] Big bunker in front, big bunker in back, paper-thin green...they
don't get much harder than this.  Do your best!
9: [slight tail/left] The fairway narrows, but you shouldn't need to lay up
here.  A good birdie chance.
10: [head] Because of the headwind, only the most powerful hitters have any
chance of reaching the bottom fairway off the tee.  It's better to hit to the
end of the first fairway (easy), then aim for the back of the green.  Swing
hard for the approach due to the wind.
11: [tail/right] Take your best aim and fire away.  If you're a little off,
the fairway slope will save you.  Take your time lining up the approach.
12: [slight head/right] The wind and trees make the tee shot dicey.  Use as
much draw as possible and aim well into the trees; the wind will, with any
luck, drop the ball right in the fairway.  Treat the "seahorse bunker" like all
the other huge bunkers.
13: [slight head/left] A surprisingly easy par 5.  Aim a little off the
fairway to put the ball in good position, then go for it from wherever you are.
It's definitely possible to get an eagle here.
  14: [right] Yet another difficult par 3.
15: [slight head/right] Aim to the left of the two tall trees close to the
fairway.  Don't worry about hitting them; the wind will prevent that.
  16: [left] One more tough par 3 for good measure.
17: [head] Go straight across the water if you have any sense.  You'll be
facing a strong headwind, but you should still have the distance to get across.
From there, it's just a routine uphill pitch.  If you *don't* have the
distance...well, you're in trouble.  Pray to make par.
18: [head/slight right] Similar to Resort #14...except that a fade is never,
ever a good idea (I found out the hard way).  By all means go for the green if
you have the muscle.

++ SPECIAL COURSE #1 ++ (Mid-Amateur Competition)
Really tough for an amateur event, and a major challenge to make pars on,
much less birdies.  You'll be going uphill or downhill for nearly the entire
course, and some of the greens are protected by incredibly steep slopes.  Ball
placement is critical due to the unevenness of the fairways.  The only good
news is that the greens are very flat, so it's usually an easy birdie if you
actually manage to make green in regulation.  You need to shoot -1 or better to
win this event.
1: Not too hard.  Drive over the creek if you can, otherwise lay up.  As long
as the ball ends up on the fairway, you're fine.
2: The tee shot is easy.  For the approach, use a lot of backspin and make
sure you don't overshoot the hole.
  3: A fairly straightforward downhill par 3.  Use plenty of backspin.
4: It's a steep uphill climb from tee to green; you might want to consider
driving with a 3 wood, which has more loft.  If you can't reach with your
second shot (which is likely), just slam it as far as humanly possible so you
at least have a fighting chance at an up-and-down.
5: The raised green is surrounded by rough.  You have to decide whether to
try to bounce the ball off the rough and on (works great, but difficult to pull
off) or try to stick it (a challenge with a long iron).  Good luck.
  6: Another big climb.  Use plenty of overswing on the drive.
7: Gah.  Drive as far down the first fairway as you can, then hit the second
shot to the left of the second fairway, leaving at least 100 yards to the pin
(you probably won't have a choice here).  AVOID THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SECOND
FAIRWAY if you value your sanity; take the rough on the left of the fairway if
you have to.  For the approach, take your best aim at the green and pray
really, really hard.  If the ball ends up on the bottom of the monster slope to
the right of the green, you're looking at a double bogey or worse.
8: Another uphill par 4 with a creek.  Keep the drive left and stay well
away from the unlevel part of the fairway.
   9: The fairway is split by a bunker; aim for the left.
10: Yeesh!  Even worse than #7; unless you have the distance to drive over
the creek (unlikely at this early stage), you have to lay up on your drive
*and* second shot.  For the second, keep the ball well left, leave enough
distance to hit the green with a full club, and do whatever it takes to NOT end
up on the bottom of the massive slope guarding the green (noticing a pattern
here?).  This is an absolutely ridiculous hole, and even bogey is a good score.
11: A long par 3 which is even longer than it looks because you're going
uphill.  You don't have a choice here; you have to try to run it up.
12: *Another* uphill par 4...this time with bunkers.  (Nice to see some
creative effort on this course. :-P) Hit the green with a running shot.
13: A par 3 with a green surrounded by walls.  Stick it on the green or you
may have to declare an unplayable lie.  You might want to lay up with your
drive and play for par.
14: If you can drive over the creek, do it; if not, lay up well short because
of the steep downhill slope.  Be careful with the approach.
  15: Just a really long par 5.
  16: Another long downhill trip.  Handle this the same as #14.
17: The fairway slopes toward the green.  This is one of the rare instances
where putting the ball on the slope actually is a pretty good idea.  Of course,
check the direction arrow before setting up the approach.
18: Surprisingly, the last hole is a piece of cake.  It's a short par 5 that,
despite the uneven fairway, is completely straighforward.  If you're at even
par or better at this point, you're almost guaranteed victory.

++ SPECIAL COURSE #2 ++ (Jackpot Cup)
An unusual course, with a few easy holes, some average ones, a few tough
ones, and one that is absolutely insane.  If you can salvage par on the hard
holes and make the most of the good scoring holes, you'll win easily.  The
winning score is -3 or better.
1: A deep bunker crosses the fairway.  Drive over it if you have the length,
otherwise lay up conservatively due to the slope.  Use plenty of backspin for
the low green.
2: The green is well-protected, so use a backspin shot.  It's a pretty easy
birdie putt from almost anywhere.
  3: The green's very low; be conservative with your shot.
4: Keep your drive right.  The green's surrounded by rough, so you're gonna
have to stick it.
  5: More or less the same as #1.  Again, use backspin for the approach.
6: Good effin' lord.  This hole is simply unbelievable.  Huh...all right, one
thing at a time.  For the drive, don't even try to hit over the massive boulder
planted right in the middle of the fairway (great design, guys...) unless you
can make it cleanly over with a 3-iron; if the ball so much as grazes it, it's
plopping in front, forcing you to waste a stroke just to get in the clear.
Otherwise, go around it to the left and be ABSOLUTELY SURE you don't hit it;
the rough on the left is better than the fairway in front.  Lay up for the
second shot and keep it well left.  Again, even the rough is preferable to the
middle or right of the fairway.  Hit a powerful shot for the approach because
of the extremely high elevation of the green.  If you miss (and you probably
will), it's best to do so on the left, so at least you have only a gentle rise
to deal with rather than a sheer 50-foot slope.  Bogey is a worthy result
anytime; give yourself a big pat on the back if you actually make par.
  7: Not too tough.  Use a bit of draw to stay clear of the big boulder.
8: Go around the bunkers to the left, landing the ball on the raised part of
the fairway if possible.
  9: Just another par 4 where you have to drive it long.
10: Another big crossing bunker here.  You can go around it to the right, but
that'll leave the ball low.  However, if you're accurate with your wedges, it
should still be possible to make the green.  It should be possible to one-putt
from just about anywhere.
11: Another low green.  Whatever you do, don't leave the ball short, or the
vertical slope in front of the green will force you to make the putt blind!
12: The green's on a plateau (bet you really hate these by now :-D) but
surrounded by fairway instead of rough, so it *may* be possible to run it up.
If you do, use a high club, and hit the slope as high up as possible.  If you
end up short (all too easy), your best bet for getting up is a soft fairway
wood shot; this will "kick" the ball upwards and onto the green.  Chipping is
very risky, and don't even *think* about bringing out the putter.
  13: Yet another long par 4.
14: It's not all that hard to drive squarely between the small fairway
bunkers, so do that.
  15: Ball placement is crucial here.  Keep it left, using draw if you have to.
  16: Nothing really dangerous.  A good eagle chance.
17: A short par 5 which can also yield an eagle if you're accurate.  Stay
left for the second shot.
18: An easy finishing hole.  A gentle draw, of course, works best.  If you're
at -2 or better at this point, it's in the bag.

++ SPECIAL COURSE #3 ++ (Stroke play with an old man)
A nerve-wracking course that will have you tearing your hair out the first
few times you play it.  The most important ability you need is the ability to
stay completely calm and never, ever let your emotions get the best of you.
Because it's so easy to overshoot or undershoot the greens, the ability to make
good, consistent recovery shots is also paramount.  There is no set winning
score; it all depends on how much Sam wants it.
1: The fairway slants to the right and doglegs to the left, so the choice is
obvious; keep your drive left.
2: Straightforward except for yet another one of those annoying plateau
greens.  Handle it like any other.
  3: Get over the lake on your drive and keep left.
4: A potential eagle, but you have to be precise with your drive and avoid
overshooting the extremely slick green.
  5: A not-too-hard par 3.
  6: Lay up on the far right; the elevations won't let you do anything else.
7: Another low par 3.  Use LOTS of backspin and be generous when adjusting
for the wind.
  8: Stay calm and drive *safely* to the fairway.
  9: A downhill par 5.  Possible eagle *if* you don't overshoot anything.
10: Check the area past the lake to avoid the bunkers there, then hit a
strong drive over the lake.
  11: Again, don't go for the green; it's just too risky.
  12: Another accurate layup needed here because of the elevations.
  13: Low par 3 again; you know what to do.
14: This one's long.  Put as much backspin on the ball as possible without
leaving the shot short.  Anywhere on the green is fine.
  15: Hit it as far down the dogleg as possible, favoring the right.
16: It's possible to drive the green, but just as easy to overshoot.  The end
of the swing line just before the green is your best bet.
17: Drive to whichever fairway you can reach, and lay up far enough to keep
the swing line, which you MUST have for your approach.
18: Don't pull nuthin' fancy here.  Aim for the highest part of the fairway
of your drive and get it as far as you can, find an open patch of fairway for
the second shot and hit it, and pitch to the green.

++ MASTER EMPORIUM ++
  1: Forest #1        7: Desert #3      13: Classic #11
  2: Forest #11       8: Desert #14     14: Classic #12
  3: Forest #15       9: Desert #18     15: Classic #16
  4: Resort #7       10: Lake #6        16: Seaside #10
  5: Resort #14      11: Lake #13       17: Seaside #11
  6: Resort #16      12: Lake #18       18: Seaside #18


==============================
| 7. Wagering in Normal Mode |
==============================
One of the keys to success is getting the right equipment, and the best way to
get good equipment is to win it in Normal Mode.  You can challenge any of the
basic seven and any of the hidden three you've unlocked (see Codes for an easy
way to make them selectable).  You can pick any event or contest you've played
on any course you've played, and any tee box.

If you're gambling for money, you have to match what your opponent's putting
up.  Against more than one opponent, you have to match the highest bet.  Item
gambles will require you to put up a certain category of equipment, Standard
for Ryan and Rachael, All Around for Billy, Julie, and Joe, and Hard Hitter for
the rest.  Against more than one opponent, you must match the highest "level"
of equipment; hard hitter is the highest, followed by all around.  With one
exception, all winnable items are either Hard hitter, Classic, or Super Lady's.
They offer prizes as well.  Prizes (in both Normal and Story Mode) are always
awarded in sequence, and you can only win one different prize per golfer per
game, even if you pick more than one of the same golfer (they'll always offer
the same prize).  Meg and Steven have the same prizes, villas.

If you don't like what your opponents are betting, press triangle twice to back
out, then select Wager item and the course again to get a new selection.  (You
may have to do this a lot of times to get exactly what you're looking for.)

Money you win in wagers doesn't count toward your winnings.

You cannot wager against other players, and all cash, equipment, and prizes are
non-transferable.

        Drive dist.   $ Bet    Prizes    Equipment
Ryan        240         100       5      C shoes, Extra Long driver
Rachael     240         200       5      SL shoes, SL putter
Billy       268         500       5      HH iron, C bag
Julie       258       1,000       5      SL wood, SL bag
Joe         326       2,000       5      C glove, HH wood
James       326       5,000       3      C wood, C ball
Kelly       260      10,000       4      SL wedge, SL glove
Sam         236      20,000       3      C putter, C wedge
Meg         321      50,000       5      SL driver, SL iron, SL ball
Steven      340     100,000       5      C iron, C driver

Wagering tips -
* Because you need All Around equipment to take on anyone other than Ryan or
Rachael, and the only way to get it is to buy it, you're not doing any serious
betting until you reach the professional ranks.  The best value is the all
around ball; at just $22, you can afford more than a few losses.

* The long drive contest can get you plenty of easy wins.  A default distance
of 270 is more than enough to beat five of your opponents every time.  If
you're powerful enough, even Steven is an automatic win every time.  Best uses:
Beat Billy for the Hard Hitter iron, then take on Julie for money and earn
enough to nab everything from the shop you don't already have.

* The sudden death match is a great way to rack up tons of equipment,
particularly from Steven.  Although he's strong overall, he's prone to slow
starts and will usually par the first hole.  Get one birdie and it's in the
bag.  (If you lose, just win another HH iron and try again.)  Meg almost never
birdies the first; she's an even easier win.  The ones you don't want to face
here are Kelly and Sam, who will play you tough; better to stick with the long
drive contest.

============
| 8. Codes |
============
There no game, no matter how good it is, that codes can't make better, and
Swing Away Golf is no exception.

However, codes are like untested weapons.  They can be devastatingly effective,
but also capricious, and it can be hard to tell what they'll do in different
situations.  Thankfully, I've done all the legwork, so all you gotta do is read
and profit from my experiences.  (It's okay...just the knowledge that other
players are using "cheats" without guilt is reward enough.)

First off, a little trick you can do at any time.  If you've played a few
rounds in Normal Mode that you'd rather not remember, it's possible to start
over with a clean slate.  Simply remove the memory card when loading the game,
restore any of your saved golfers, and save.  You'll be asked if you if you
wish to overwrite; confirm this.  All the course records will be reset, and
you'll still have all your golfers.  Unfortunately, you also lose all your
replays, courses,  modes, and hidden golfers, so don't do this unless you
really want it.

Next, two nifty in-game codes.  To make the three hidden golfers available,
press L2, R2, L2, R2, up, right, down, left, L1, R1 at the main screen; you'll
hear a confirmation chime if you get it right.  To play left-handed, press L2 +
select, then X; again, you'll hear a chime.

Now, the codes.  The device I'm using right now is a Codebreaker, and I can't
recommend it enough.  I've had *none* of the problems with this device that
I've had with the PS2 Gameshark and Pro Action Replay (yes, I bought all three,
I'm lame, I'm pathetic, blah blah blah).  It also has the most complete set of
codes for numerous games, including Swing Away Golf.  Note: I've heard that
past versions have had loading or file corruption problems, so be sure to buy
it new.  Trust me, it's money well spent.

The codes that'll help you the most in this game, of course, are the ones which
set the number of strokes.  Here's are the master codes, by player position:

1P: 1A**2972 ########          2P: 1A**296B ########
2P: 1A**2976 ########          4P: 1A**296F ########

The ** refers to the hole:

   1P   2P   3P   4P         1P   2P   3P   4P
1: E1   21   61   A1     10: F3   33   73   B3
2: E2   23   63   A3     11: F5   35   75   B5
3: E5   25   65   A5     12: F7   37   77   B7
4: E7   27   67   A7     13: F9   39   79   B9
5: E9   29   69   A9     14: FB   3B   7B   BB
6: EB   2B   6B   AB     15: FD   3D   7D   BD
7: ED   2D   6D   AD     16: FF   3F   7F   BF
8: EF   2F   6F   AF     17: 01   41   81   C1
9: F1   31   71   B1     18: 03   43   83   C3

The "########" is the number code.  All Codebreaker numbers follow hexadecimal
(base 16) format, so A=10, B=11, C=12, D=13, E=14, and F=15.  For the second
digit, multiply it by 16 instead of 10 to get the base 10 number.  10 is 16, 2A
is 42, AC is 172, etc.  The third digit is a multiple of 16x16, or 256, the
fourth is 16x16x16, or 4096, etc.  Thankfully, you'll rarely use anything
bigger than two digits in Swing Away Golf.  (For codes that involve big
numbers, it helps to have a calculator and scratch paper handy.  I'm unaware of
any calculators that can do hexadecimal numbers, unfortunately.)

The score you get for the hole is actually one *higher* than the number you put
in.  Before taking each shot, you see the score corresponding to the number you
entered.  It goes one higher after you take the shot, then returns to the code
value for the next shot.  When you hole out, the result is for the one-higher
value, not the number you entered.  E.g., if you put in 2 for a par-4 hole, the
score you get is 3, not 2, and it'll show a birdie result on the screen.  *This
is your actual score*, regardless of how it may appear anywhere else.  (If you
want a hole in one, enter 0.)

You can affect the computer's scores with these codes as well.  However, they
work for the front nine *only* (found this out the hard way against both Sam
and Steven).  Back nine codes do NOTHING.  So don't wait too long to drop the
bomb!

If you're using a Pro Action Replay, the effects are the same, although it may
take you a while to hash out the exact numbers (and I'm not going to bother
anymore).

As for how the individual events are affected by score codes, as follows:

- stroke play & point tournament -
Stroke play is pretty straightforward.  The score that appears next to your
character pic will improve by 1 stroke for each code you enter; again, this is
not your actual score.  If you've entered numerous codes, you might want to
make a mental note of how many "phantom" strokes you're going to get.  The
scoreboard will give incorrect scores for the holes you entered codes for, but
the running total will always be correct.  The exception is if you give
yourself a hole in one, which shows up as an unplayed hole (although it still
counts).  The leaderboard in Story Mode always give the correct score.

You cannot change scores for holes that are already played.  If you save the
game, then enter a code for a played hole, the number next to the character pic
will reflect the change, but the correct score will be completely unaffected
(and again, it'll show this on the leaderboard).

Point tournament is the same, but you can avoid the problem entirely by only
giving yourself 2's on par 5's.  Although they'll register as 1's, this is
worth the same as an albatross in a point tournament, so all the numbers will
be correct.

- sudden death match -
In this event, any number above zero counts as a won hole.  For an easy win,
give yourself a 1; no matter what your opponent does, you win the hole and the
match.  For an incredibly fast and easy win, give your opponents a give up
score (3x par or higher).  While everyone will get a red circle on the
scorecard, it counts as a win for you.  Not sure exactly why this works, but it
does, which is all that should matter to you.  :-)

- survival -
Pretty much the same as stroke play...with a caveat.  You *must* set a number
at least 2 below the survival requirement.  For example, when the requirement
is double bogey, if you set 4 and a par 3 comes up, you have to hit a hole in
one to pass the hole, definitely not what you want.  You're completely safe if
you set no higher 3 for 1-6, 2 for 7-12, and 1 for 13-18.  If you set it one
higher, you're essentially gambling that it's not going to be a par 3,
definitely not something I would do (especially since you can't save in
survival).  Bear in mind that when you hit out of bounds or into water, the
stroke penalty is incurrred immediately, which ends your game if you've set 2
below, so even then you have to exercise some caution.  (With 3 below, of
course, this isn't a danger.)

One more thing...EX holes use the same code you put for #18.  Therefore, if you
set a code for that hole, IT MUST BE 1, NO MORE, NO LESS!  After you complete
18, keep holing out until a par 3 comes up, then hit your drive out of bounds
to end the game.  If you set 0, there's no way to end your game; you're just
plain out of luck.  If you set 3, again, you're gambling that #18 won't be a
par 3, and a 2-in-3 chance isn't good enough to risk wasting 17 holes worth of
effort.  Do the safe, smart thing and get this damn crazy event over with.

- skins game -
The number you set is also the number of skins awarded.  Any players you
haven't entered a code for are unaffected.  So if you give yourself a 3 and an
opponent wins or pushes the hole, you still get $30 for the hole.

- 2-ball foursome and best ball -
Similar to skins game, the number you set is also the number of holes you win
for that hole.  If you actually tie or lose the hole, even with a give up, you
still win the number provided by the code.  As soon as the number of holes
you've up exceeds the number of remaining holes, you win the match; it's
possible to win before the 10th hole or even on the very first hole.

Your opponents get scored normally in accordance with the actual play.  For
example, if you give yourself a 6 and your opponents beat this score, you get 6
holes, but they also get the one they got "honestly".  Note that if the number
you put in the code is the same as the number they shoot, the game will
initially tell you that they won the hole, but when the scoreboard comes up,
it'll be changed to a push.  Likewise, if you entered one below, you'll
initially see a draw, but it'll be changed to a loss for them.  (The scoreboard
always shows a red circle no matter how many holes are awarded.)

You can affect your opponents' scores as well, although of course it's
inadvisable to give them plenty of holes if you actually want to beat them.

A couple of warnings.  First, enter codes ONLY for 1P and 3P.  Giving 2P or 4P
scores in 2-ball foursome does weird things, none of which I've found to be
good.  (It probably has to do with the way the scorecard is set up for this
event.) Second, in 2-ball foursome, if you give yourself a give up score
(you'll see the animation after your tee shot), be sure to pick your partner's
ball.  You'll notice that your ball's information will be gibberish...just a
consequence of making the game do what it wasn't meant to.

- match play -
Pretty much the same as 2-ball foursome, with a couple of caveats.  First off,
any extra holes you give yourself don't count until the start of the next hole.
Second, once you're up by as many or more holes than there are remaining, you
must then win a hole outright to win the match.  If you're up dormie (leading
by 1 less than the number of holes remaining), winning a hole outright wins the
match, just like it would normally.  You cannot win by pushing holes until the
number of holes remaining is less than the amount your opponent is down.

The fastest way to win is to set hole #1 to 16 (or higher) and hole #2 to 1.
Because of the "scoreboard correction" I mentioned earlier, even if your
opponent gets a 2 on hole #2, you win (and the CPU never gets a hole in one).
If you want the match to continue to the back nine before winning...say, for
the dialogue...set up #9 and #10 instead.  If you don't want to saddle yourself
with a big score, you can scatter a bunch of 3's and 2's around, maybe sticking
a 1 in there if you need a little help sealing the deal.  The simplest method
is to put 1 for either the back nine or any ten holes, which guarantees you a
win on the back nine no matter what.

Warning!  If you play any number of 2-ball foursome and/or best ball events in
Story Mode, then come across a match play event, *save your game and exit*
before playing it (assuming you're using the same code for both, of course).  I
ran into a weird glitch when playing the aforementioned match play where it
gave me the win on the first hole...but the postmatch said that I lost!  No
idea why the hell this happens, but it can; don't take any chances.

- closest to the pin contest -
For this event, the hole corresponds to the attempt.  Any number gives a
distance of 105 ft or a shade less, which you can beat with pretty much
anything.  For a surefire win, give your opponent a stroke number for all five
attempts.  You still have to get at least one ball on the green, of course, so
you might still want to avoid the Lake contest.  If you want to make CTPC just
a little easier instead of a guaranteed win, you can enter a code for the CPU's
later attempts, which are usually its best.

- long drive contest -
Same as CTPC; the yardage is 320 and change.  You shouldn't need it, though, as
it's easy to win all the long drive contests in Story Mode honestly (as well as
beat anyone in Normal Mode who's drives less than that distance).  320 is far
from the longest possible drive, so this is completely useless for setting
records.

- Master Emporium -
This event is unusual enough (and insanity-inducing enough) that it deserves
its own section.

Okay, first of all, as I mentioned earlier, Steven can pour it on at any time,
and there's no set score that'll beat him.  I've seen him hit -12, I've seen
him hit -15.  (I've even seen him get stuck in a bunker and forced to give up a
la James, but rest assured that this is a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence).  In
other words, if you're behind or even neck-and-neck with him, don't wait too
long to give yourself the necessary big scores.  Holes-in-one are perfectly
fine, and again, don't worry what the scorecard says, they all count.

You can affect his scores, of course, but if you're serious about taking him
out of the game, make it HUGE.  99 or even 999 is *not* too big (they're 63 and
3E7 in hexadecimal, respectively).  He can erase a single-digit plus score like
*nothing*.  And, like I mentioned earlier, he's completely immune to codes on
the back nine.

I once made the mistake of giving him a 16 on the first hole, which I thought
was nice and safe.  And then I was treated to the horror of him nailing birdie
after eagle after birdie and tearing up the leaderboard like a dragster.  All
the while I had trouble negotiating greens and missing birdie putts, which
certainly didn't help.  It reached the point where I gave myself 1's on the
back nine...three birdies and an eagle, IIRC...and managed to STILL give up
ground.  And to my greater horror, when I tried to put him back again, guess
what, nada.  Which culminated on the 15th hole with me at -12 (this after the
freebie birdies and eagle) and him at -7, me exiting and saving for the *third*
time, and desperately giving myself 1's for the rest of the tournament, and a
nice, fat retrospective 3-digit number for the first hole.  Which was when I
found out that you can't change the scores of played holes.

When it was over, I beat him by 8 strokes, and I felt like *hell*.  I almost
considered lowering the rating of my pending GameFAQs review by 1 *just because
of this*.  To take all the joy and thrill out of winning the toughest, most
prestigious tournament in the game is unbelievable, and in most cases is an
*automatic* negative review from me.

Anyway, don't let it happen to you!  If you're going to hurt him, make sure you
REALLY hurt him.  Trust me, based on my experience, he deserves no less.

(What, you didn't think I was going to lose, did you?  Give me a little
*credit* here!  :-D)


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| 9. Final thoughts/wish list |
===============================

This will be the last thing to be added.  Watch this space!

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FAQ in progress (C) 2004 by Darrell Wong
All rights reserved