Neo Turf Masters/System

Basics

The controls for this game are very simple. For the most succinct explanation, watch the animated how to play guide that plays when you insert a credit and start a game. It gives a great overview of 95% of the controls.

The top spin and back spin controls are hidden, but they are simple: after setting power, hold up or down while setting the height with A. This will give the ball top spin or back spin when using any iron. Spin does not appear to work with wood clubs.

The best way to learn is playing, so let’s take a shot.

Lining Up Shots

The most common beginner mistake we see with people coming into Neo Turf Masters is using the minimap and the arrow at the top right of the display to line up your shots. The minimap is a loose representation of the course, especially for the pin position it is not accurate to be used while trying to do precise aiming.

Notice the difference between the minimap locations and the locations on the render. The minimap is useful for general aiming and use as a reference but should not be trusted when trying to precisely line up approaches.

Instead what you can do is make use of other ui quirks to line up your shots. The most common way to do this is by using the arrow provided by selecting slices/hooks to line up shots.

Note that when aiming straight, the tip of the arrow does not exactly line up with the shot, it is a tiny bit off to the left, so you need to aim with the arrow pointing ever so slightly right of your intended target. The arrow is also very useful for compensating for cross wind and for applying slices.

The other popular method for aiming is to use a reference pixel on the head of your golfer while he is holding his putter.

This method is usually considered more accurate in 0-wind scenarios.

Clubs, Power and Height

Each golfer has their own bag of 14 clubs to choose from, with Woods, Irons, Wedges and a Putter. The contents of this bag varies from golfer to golfer. Woods are distance clubs that have a lower shot arc and cannot be used to apply spin. Irons are medium distance clubs usually used for approaching the green. They have more control over their shot height and can be used to apply spin to the ball. Wedges are for short distance approaches, with very high shot arcs.

The power of your shot is usually proportionate to the amount of bar you use and the club you have selected - i.e. if you shoot at 75% with your 100Y the ball will go 75Y. We mention usually because this is not always true, especially near the 100% and Max shot marks. A shot that appears to be at 99% power is actually at 96% power, there's a bit of a buffer zone where if you do not get exactly at 100% you are punished for it. Similarly if you get one pixel under Max Shot (110% power for most golfers) will be closer to 105% rather than 109%.

Playing to the max shot can be very important, however for some golfers this can be easier than others. Veteran, Power Golfer and Young Hero have a 2 frame window for hitting their max shot on the tee or fariway. Technician has a 3 frame window. Shot Maker has a massive 7 frame window for his max shot, something that can occasionally cause Shot Maker players to overshoot a shot that they meant to get at 100%. Putt Master has a punishing 1 frame window for his max shot, making some of his best routes through holes hard to obtain.

Shot height is an important consideration in many shots. Any height other than the indicated Nice height will take yardage off of your shot. Going high causes the ball to spend more time in the air and bounce later, with shorter bounces. Low shots spend less time in the air and spend more time bouncing or rolling. As a general rule higher shot creates more predictable and fewer bounces which are better for approaches and can go over obstacles, however a high shot will spend more time being affected by wind. In contrast a low shot will roll further and be less affected by wind.

Slices/Hooks

Slices and hooks can be applied to your shot by pressing B or C respectively. Slices cause the ball to curve through the air for the duration of your shot, so the more time your ball spends in the air (i.e shooting the ball high) the more curve will be applied. Golfers can use this to navigate around obstacles or sometimes to counteract some cross wind. Not all golfers have the same amount of slices, Shot Maker has the least at 2 in each direction while Veteran and Technician have the most at 4.

Spin

Spin can be applied to the ball by holding Up or Down respectively while selecting the height of your shot. Spins can only be applied when using irons or wedges, and cannot be applied when the ball lies in the bunker or water, and some golfers cannot spin out of the heavy rough.

Topspin

You can apply topspin to your shot by holding Up after selecting the height of your shot. Topspin will cause your shot to bounce and roll further, usually around 10y but it can vary with different shot heights, clubs and golfers.

Backspin

You can apply backspin to your shot by holding Down after selecting the height of your shot. Knowing how to and when to use backspin is an important tool for every player to learn. There is a distinct animation for backspin in the game, where on each of your balls first few bounces the game will show a puff of smoke. After the last bounce it will hold in place for a short time then roll for the rest of the time, if it has any momentum to do so.

The amount of "brakes" that are applied to your shot is determined by the height of the ball as it begins to bounce. The higher your shot arc is, the more aggressive the backspin will be in the opposite direction of your shot. The ball will usually roll backwards after a shot with backspin, but if it has enough forward momentum from the use of a long iron or if you use a low shot height, the ball may stop or still roll forward after a backspin. Conversely, applying backspin while using a wedge that shoots the ball very high can cause the ball to lose significant distance off of your shot (20+y of backspin from a 100y wedge shot is common). Play around with this to get a feel for it!

Because the way spin works in this game is rather naïve it can seem to behave somewhat strangely when also done in cases of high wind or when you are curving your ball. Backspin is always applied in the exact opposite direction of the direction your ball is traveling, so if you shoot your ball with a strong curve to the left, the backspin will cause the ball to go to the right, not necessarily backwards. In extreme cases with wedges and high shot arcs, it's even possible to get the ball to "curve" 180 degrees and cause your ball to "backspin" forwards away from you.