Mathew Kumar has a serious case of ignoring the documentation then criticizing the product for not being what he thinks it should be. Had Mathew read the docs that are avaiable with the HUD and the various help notecards thoughout he could have avoided the mistakes of being a lazy reviewer:

1. Mathew writes "there is no information about how far each club hits". The reality is there is a chart with club distances and lofts is promenantely displayed right there in the notecard that he was told he should read to learn the game. One must assume if he missed such an obvious item and it was hit top criticism, then it is likely that Mathew wrote this review without reading any of the documentation in the game.

2. Mathew writes "Rotating your aim is incredibly slow". Had he read the documentation he would have seen that if you rotate with the shift key down you turn rapidly.

3. Mathew wrote "the shot meter, something which absolutely requires precision, always seemed to continue turning for a second or so after a click." Finally an observation that isn't due to a lack of reading the documentation. It seems as if Mathew is fairly new to the pheonomenon of time based gaming in Second Life where the desire is that, or course, there is instantaneous syncronicity between your click and the feedback. For most players that minor lag in our earier HUD was emminately repeatable and thus those that groked it simply adjusted. I am happy to say that in the newest verson of the HUD that lag has largely disappeared. For Mathew I would suggest that to compare a gaming system that runs over a networked environment that is NOT optomized for the kind of precise timing he is used to from a stand alone game, that he consider this difference and adust. All our players have done so.
We have received the praise of many many SL users including Philip Linden, as well as a major developer of the Tiger Woods golf game from EA. They groked it. Sorry that Mathew did not. Next time the reviewer should RTFM.

To Mr. Kumar's credit, the flog! system is not as easy to use the first time around as, let's say a can of Coke. To the credit of MarkTwain (the responder, not (presumably) the author), the reviewer clearly did not take the time to read the documentation. In most game reviews I've read, if the reviewer has a beef with the game, they almost always will go on to complain about the poor quality of the manual or in-game help system. I would suggest that Mathew Kumar make a habit of including the accessibility of help a point of discussion in any review which results in criticism.

The fact that the reviewer did not understand some of the basic elements of the game mechanics would not suprise me were it not for the fact that Holly Kai not only provides well-written and thorough documentation on their system, they also make readily available, at no additional cost, friendly staff who practically fall over themselves making sure you spend some time on the driving range and putting green with them (for the reduced rate of L$25 for 30 minutes) before you spend your money out on the course.

In short, Holly Kai employs three seperate tactics to make sure the new player does not get frustrated their first time out:
1. Note cards explaining not only how to use the HUD, but how to play the game
2. Staff who drool at the possibility of helping people learn the HUD & the game
3. Inexpensive practice facilities where you can try out the things you learned from the notecards and staff members who, if they could, would probably sneak into your home at night and wake you up to ask if you had any more questions.

It's clear to me and anyone who reads this review that the entirety of the opinion was based on some notes taken during the author's first round of uninstructed golf. Because I cannot be counted among the mentally well-disciplined, my mind wonders how those notes would read were the author - using the same "leap before you look" methodology - to prepare a review of RL golf?

Note 1: "Crisp" dawn air & hint of fog - hot coffee and new (expensive!) golf clubs. Ready to hear the whoosh-crack of a big hit and watch the fiery trail of my shot meander around trees at my command, landing and spinning in a direction of my choosing. Did not notice any luck-improving accessories in pro shop - must remember to inquire after round.

Note 2: First hole. Attempting to hit driver (should be the most natural thing) nearly impossible, club has no loft. Needs to be a way to have ball elevated off ground before I even swing, maybe 2-3 inches. Its my first hole, and already my driver is covered in dirt, the ball is still on the ground where it started, and my arms are vibrating.

Note 3: Gave up on driver - clearly does not work. Lack of automated club selection is disappointing. Selected 7 iron. Connected with ball, it flew about 20 yards, mostly to the right, into one of these bushes. A ball detection/locating system is clearly missing.

Note 4: Only 15 minutes in - some jerk in a red cart had the nerve to tell me to play faster! Found someone else's ball in the bush. Will turn it into the pro shop after round - perhaps the owner is still here? Still no luck finding my ball.

Note 5: The group behind me has decided to play even though I'm already playing this hole. All four managed to hit long shots. Probably non-regulation drivers. Found my ball! Not sure which club to use hitting from a bush. Probably a wood. They seriously need automated club selection.

Note 6: On the fairway! The smell of fresh cut grass and the occasional breeze makes the mid-day sun bearable. The knowing nods of other golfers reassure me that there is a camaraderie among us - an unspoken bond between men that says "we are surrounded by nature", "we hold sacred this green sanctuary from more worldly troubles" and most importantly "we understand you, fellow golfer, and though our masculinity prevents us from verbalizing our empathy, we all lose club heads in the underbrush. We know the pain of lying 27 on the first hole. We love this crazy game, win or lose, and would gladly sacrifice a limb for an automated club selector, or any information printed on each club explaining to me exactly how far it will hit the ball, or for a scorecard that automatically updates itself after every stroke, and has a rather forgivingly high stroke limit, or for a repeatable, dependable way to swing the club so that the ball always flies straight, or for the right to pick the ball up if we putt it within a very clearly defined white circle, within the bounds of which we would be able to call it a gimme, because putting from a very close distance is not as easy as it realistically should be."

At any rate - the author accurately reflects the fact that a person attempting to use the HUD without reading the instructions or asking for assistance will likely have a poor experience, and will therefore believe they have just wasted their money (I would say this is true of 90% of HUDs I've come across in SL). Also, I agree that if a person approaches the game with the expectation of comparing it to Tiger Woods 2007 for the XBox 360, they will find this humble recreation inferior to the annual multi-million dollar simulation produced by Electronic Arts. I expect comparisons of SL street racing to Need For Speed and SL gun-fighting to Battlefield 2 would have similar results.

When reviewing sports in Second Life, one must understand that the subject of the review is Second Life, and its citzens' ability to utilize the tools at hand to recreate the real life athletic experience. Had Holly Kai been designed not as a golf course, but as an arcade featuring golf simulations, then yes - compare the feature sets to other golf games. But as a golfer (and, coincidentally, a long-time golf gamer), I have to say that the Holly Kai design, engineering and management teams have done an excellent job of giving me a vehicle through which I can experience the emotional decisions, challenges and rewards that I get on a RL course.

In some ways, the emotions I experience at Holly Kai exceed those produced by playing Tiger Woods, PGA Golf, Links, or what have you. When, in those games, do I get to help console a frustrated member of my foursome by helping them search for their ball? When do I get to impress a girl I met a half hour ago at a dance club? When do I hear "NICE SHOT!" yelled across the water from a yacht? When do I get to watch my friend walk confidentally and triumphantly up the 8th fairway, knowing he crushed a high-risk drive and is in position to tie or even break the course record?

Never, that's when. And that's the trade-off of Second Life. The trees are bit-mapped (which I'm glad the author has come to accept). Lag and latency still exist, and they will occasionally influence your shot. To SL's credit, I have yet to hear a car alarm or drunk guy go off during my backswing. The putting interface is the same as the regular swing interface, which if I recall is how it was in my last RL round as well.

I'd like to invite the author to come back to Holly Kai, have a quick lesson with a pro, read the tips and give it another run. You can't judge golf in any life after your first round, and the folks at Holly have done too good a job to deserve an unfair shake in the public eye.

Mathew - ping me if you'd like, I'll show you some pointers ;-)

Amazin Jacks
Member, Holly Kai Golf Club

Condensed Summary:

1. Read the manual to learn how the game works before you complain (especially in a public forum) about it not working.

2. Holly Kai does a lot (documentation, helpful staff, practice facilities)to make sure you have a good experience even if you're new.

3. This isn't supposed to be an arcade title, so you shouldn't judge it on the same criteria.

AJ