GOLF Use your Joystick Controllers with this ATARI Game Program. Be sure the Controllers are firmly plugged into the LEFT and RIGHT CONTROLLER jacks at the rear of your ATARI Video Computer System. Hold the Controller with the red button to your upper left toward the television screen. Use a Joystick plugged into the LEFT CONTROLLER jack for one player games. See Section 3 of your Video Computer System Owner's Manual for further details. Note: Always turn the console power switch OFF when inserting or removing an ATARI Game Program. This will protect the electronic components and prolong the life of your ATARI Video Computer System. INTRODUCTION This Golf Game Program is patterned after the traditional game of golf. There are nine "holes" in which you must succeed in hitting the ball into a "cup." Each time you hit the ball in an effort to reach the cup it is called a "stroke." Although the number of strokes you take to hit the ball into the cup is unlimited, each hole has a designated "par." Par represents the number of strokes you are ideally supposed to take to complete the hole. Total par for this course is 36. The par for each hole is displayed at the top of the screen, next to the hole number. (See VIDEO REPRESENTATION KEY diagram #2, 3) When playing a one-player game, try to match or beat par. In twoplayer games, the player with the least amount of strokes is the winner. TO BEGIN PLAY Console Controls Depress the game select switch for a one or a two-player game. A 1 will appear in the upper left corner of the screen for a one-player game; a 2 will appear for a two-player game. To begin a game depress the game reset switch. This will also reset a game to hole number one when depressed during a game. USING THE CONTROLLER Use the Joystick to walk the golfer around the course, as well as to swing the club and hit the ball. (The left or single player uses the Joystick plugged into the LEFT CONTROLLER jack. The second or right player in a two-player game uses the Joystick plugged into the RIGHT CONTROLLER jack.) Moving the Joystick in the directions shown in the diagram moves the golfer in the same directions on the screen. The golfer's club always points toward the ball. The golfer will walk in all vertical, horizontal, and diagonal directions in accordance with the Joystick's position. To start the golfer's backswing, press the controller button. The longer you hold the button the longer the backswing, and the farther the ball will travel when hit. When you release the controller button the golfer starts the forward swing. If any part of the club (or the golfer) hits the ball while the forward swing is in progress, the ball will be set in motion. Positioning the Golfer As noted before, the golfer's club always points toward the ball. To change the angles of the club (in relation to the ball), position the tip of the club over the ball and "walk" the golfer around the ball using the Joystick. When you find the position you want, leave the tip of the club over the ball and press the controller button to start a backswing. Once hit, the ball will travel in a perpendicular direction away from the club. The direction the ball travels is set the moment the backswing begins. You may not change the direction once the swing has started in motion. Move or walk the golfer away from the ball and take a practice swing to confirm the direction of the swing when in doubt about a shot. There is no penalty stroke when you take a practice swing. PLAYING THE GAME When the ball hits a tree without sufficient momentum it will bounce directly backward. When the ball lands in a water hazard, it will be returned to the fairway closest to the point of entry, and a one stroke penalty will be added to your score. Balls that land in sandtraps are temporarily stuck. The ball loses momentum when hit while in a sandtrap. It also becomes invisible when caught in a sandtrap. You can locate the ball by noting which direction the club is pointing. Notice in the diagram that although the ball is not visible the club is pointing in a specific direction. Move the golfer and club through the sandtrap and note which direction the club is pointing, as well as when the golfer slows down. With these two clues, it should be relatively easy to find the ball. Given enough power or momentum and a certain distance, the ball can fly over (or pass through) trees, water hazards, and sandtraps. When the ball stops on the green, a green close-up view will be shown on the screen instead of the "fairway" view. With an accurate shot however, you can enter the cup directly from the fairway view without going into the close-up view. Whenever the ball enters the rough it will stop, or lose power and become invisible depending on the position of the difficulty switch. (See DIFFICULTY SWITCHES.) When hitting the ball from the rough it starts with one-half the normal momentum. It takes twice as much power as on the fairway or green. DIFFICULTY SWITCHES The left difficulty switch is used by the left player in a two-player game, or the only player ion a one-player game. The right difficulty switch is for the right player in a two-player game. The a position for each difficulty switch corresponds to an advanced skill level. The b position represents a beginning skill level. When the switch is in the b position, the cup for each hole will be large and the ball will stop at the edge of the "rough." The rough is the blue area on the screen which surrounds each fairway or green. In the a position, each hole will be smaller in size. Also, the ball will travel off the course and into the "rough" if hit too hard. The ball loses power while traveling through the rough. When hit from the rough, the ball starts with one-half the normal amount of power. The ball is invisible when in the rough. (When searching for the ball in the rough, remember that the club will always point toward the ball.) NOTE: The golfer moves at a reduced speed when traveling at a close distance to the ball in order to help you position the golfer and club more accurately. TWO-PLAYER GAMES The left player starts and plays the entire hole. Then the right player shoots the same hole, followed by the left player (or first player) shooting the second hole, etc. SCORING Scoring is done automatically by the computer. Each time your golfer hits the ball, one stroke is recorded by the computer. Your objective is to have a low score, or to match or beat the "par" for each hole, and ultimately the par for the entire course. The left player's score is displayed at the upper left corner of the screen; the right player's score is shown at the upper right side of the screen. In a single-player game, your score is displayed at the upper left. Hole No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 TOTAL Par 3 5 4 4 4 5 4 3 4 36 -------------------Atari 2600 Instructions Archive-------------------