Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf
Encyclopedia
Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf is a golf
video game for the Sega "Genesis" or "MegaDrive".
It was known as in Japan. It is one of the early Sega
sports games where a celebrity athlete's name was added to the title when it was localized from Japan (the other two games being Tommy Lasorda Baseball
and Pat Riley Basketball
). Although Arnold Palmer
is shown on the box cover and at the title screen, the game makes no reference to him during the actual golf game play. The game features music composed by Tokuhiko Uwabo.
, Japan
, and Great Britain
(although the background and the scenery does not vary). As the player progresses in the tournament mode, their skill level is increased allowing them to hit the ball farther with greater control. They can also upgrade their golf clubs
from the initial black carbon club set, to glass fiber and ceramic
clubs. This also increases the distance the player is able to hit the ball. Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf has no save feature, but instead provides a password after each round of the tournament that allows the player to pick up where they left off.
In practice mode, one or two players can play a complete 18 rounds of golf on one of the three courses. Each player can set their skill level and use any of the three golf club sets available in the game.
Before each turn, the player's caddy will give advice based on its skill level. At first, the caddy can only give the distance from the ball's current position to the tee. As the game progresses, more skilled caddies can give distances to various landmarks and information about how the ball is lying. The player then selects which club to use during the shot. After this, the player can adjust their golfer's stance in order to shank the ball in one particular direction based on the direction of the wind (all golfers in the game are right-handed).
To control the swing, the player uses a power gauge to select the strength and height of the shot. When the player first presses the shot button, a marker starts to upwards to the top of the gauge. If the player hits the shot button again before it reaches the top (this controls how hard the shot will be), the marker will then move back down towards the starting position. The player then must hit the button a third time inside of a green area on the power gauge (this controls how high the shot will go in the air). If the player fails to hit the shot button a third time, the sequence will start over from the beginning.
When the ball reaches the putting green, a close-up of the screen will appear. The game will first show the distance from the ball to the tee, and then show a simple diagram of the lie on the green. The player will then be able to select how hard to hit the ball and in what direction.
series is the cursor in the pause menu. Also, a trick allows the player to play a secret Fantasy Zone level. By hitting the ball 100 times on the first hole of any course without holing out, then entering up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, and A on the game over screen can the level be accessed. However, it is impossible to return to the golf game without resetting the system. In addition, Alex Kidd
makes appearances in the Tournament Mode after nine holes have been played in each round (called "Coffee Breaks").
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
video game for the Sega "Genesis" or "MegaDrive".
It was known as in Japan. It is one of the early Sega
Sega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
sports games where a celebrity athlete's name was added to the title when it was localized from Japan (the other two games being Tommy Lasorda Baseball
Tommy Lasorda Baseball
Tommy Lasorda Baseball is a baseball game released for the Sega Mega-Tech arcade system and later the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis console.-Summary:...
and Pat Riley Basketball
Pat Riley Basketball
Pat Riley Basketball is a video game which was released for the Sega Genesis, for the Mega Drive in Japan on March 2, 1990 and Europe under the title . It was released in 1990 in the United States. It was originally also developed for the Sega Master System, but was never released. Pat Riley was...
). Although Arnold Palmer
Arnold Palmer
Arnold Daniel Palmer is an American professional golfer, who is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men's professional golf. He has won numerous events on both the PGA Tour and Champions Tour, dating back to 1955...
is shown on the box cover and at the title screen, the game makes no reference to him during the actual golf game play. The game features music composed by Tokuhiko Uwabo.
Gameplay
The game features two game play modes: tournament and practice. Tournament mode consists of 12 rounds, each with 18 holes of golf. There are three different golf courses, one each in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
(although the background and the scenery does not vary). As the player progresses in the tournament mode, their skill level is increased allowing them to hit the ball farther with greater control. They can also upgrade their golf clubs
Golf club (equipment)
A golf club is used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a clubhead. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety of shots; Hybrids that combine design elements of woods and...
from the initial black carbon club set, to glass fiber and ceramic
Ceramic
A ceramic is an inorganic, nonmetallic solid prepared by the action of heat and subsequent cooling. Ceramic materials may have a crystalline or partly crystalline structure, or may be amorphous...
clubs. This also increases the distance the player is able to hit the ball. Arnold Palmer Tournament Golf has no save feature, but instead provides a password after each round of the tournament that allows the player to pick up where they left off.
In practice mode, one or two players can play a complete 18 rounds of golf on one of the three courses. Each player can set their skill level and use any of the three golf club sets available in the game.
Before each turn, the player's caddy will give advice based on its skill level. At first, the caddy can only give the distance from the ball's current position to the tee. As the game progresses, more skilled caddies can give distances to various landmarks and information about how the ball is lying. The player then selects which club to use during the shot. After this, the player can adjust their golfer's stance in order to shank the ball in one particular direction based on the direction of the wind (all golfers in the game are right-handed).
To control the swing, the player uses a power gauge to select the strength and height of the shot. When the player first presses the shot button, a marker starts to upwards to the top of the gauge. If the player hits the shot button again before it reaches the top (this controls how hard the shot will be), the marker will then move back down towards the starting position. The player then must hit the button a third time inside of a green area on the power gauge (this controls how high the shot will go in the air). If the player fails to hit the shot button a third time, the sequence will start over from the beginning.
When the ball reaches the putting green, a close-up of the screen will appear. The game will first show the distance from the ball to the tee, and then show a simple diagram of the lie on the green. The player will then be able to select how hard to hit the ball and in what direction.
Connections to Sega franchises
Pressing the start button allows the player to change the music and also whether he hears a cheer from the gallery or not upon completing a hole. Opa-Opa, the player-character from the Fantasy ZoneFantasy Zone
thumb|Fantasy Zone arcade PCB is a surreal arcade game released by Sega in 1986. It was later ported to a wide variety of consoles, including the Sega Master System. The player controls a sentient spaceship named Opa-Opa who fights nonsensical invader enemies in the titular group of planets, full...
series is the cursor in the pause menu. Also, a trick allows the player to play a secret Fantasy Zone level. By hitting the ball 100 times on the first hole of any course without holing out, then entering up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, and A on the game over screen can the level be accessed. However, it is impossible to return to the golf game without resetting the system. In addition, Alex Kidd
Alex Kidd
is a video game character whose popularity peaked during the late 1980s and who was the protagonist of both a series of video games released by Sega and their fictional universe, as well as in numerous spin-off merchandise such as novelizations and comics...
makes appearances in the Tournament Mode after nine holes have been played in each round (called "Coffee Breaks").