If you are a complete beginner to PGA Tour 2K23, you might feel overwhelmed with all the things you need to learn.
Golf is a very unforgiving sport because of how bad the consequences are when you make a mistake – even a small one.
In this post, we will give you the best tips and tricks for beginners in PGA Tour 2K23. We’ll help you climb the leaderboards and possibly even win the PGA Tour.
Measuring Putts
The biggest challenge in PGA Tour 2K23 is being good with putting. Putting well is usually the key to avoiding bogeys or getting eagles or birdies.
The best tip for measuring the putt distances and angles is to first look at the terrain. If there is a big downhill slope, the ball will roll sharply to the left or right more.
If the slope is uphill, it should be a lot easier to measure the angle of the putt.
Of course, if the green is flat, it should be the easiest putt you could ever ask for.
As for the distance and power, the game will automatically give you a good target. However, it is best to reduce your distance by 1 to 2 feet and focus on hitting the perfect power swing timing.
Learning how to putt means taking all of these in your head every time you are on the green.
Learning to Chip
Learning how to chip the ball is another crucial part of the game you need to work on. Once you learn how to chip or adjust the distance to make the ball go near the hole as close as possible, you will eventually reach scores around -6 or -10 consistently on the events.
The best tip for doing a good chip is by accounting for the bounce and roll of the ball afterward the swing.
If the hole is 13 yards away, aim for around 6 or 7 yards behind the hole. If the green is uneven, you don’t have to adjust your shot as much because the ball will barely roll toward the hole.
The ball will bounce a few times, and it will unlikely turn to the left or right if your timing is perfect.
Learning When to Add Spin
When you add spin to the ball, you are either trying to make the ball roll farther or make the ball stay once it lands on the grass.
So, when do you want to add backspin or topspin to the ball? The best way to go about it is by looking at the situation first.
Is the maximum swing distance near uneven terrain?
Are there bunkers or roughs within 2 to 3 yards near the green or the hole?
Do you even need to add spin? Because sometimes, you can just lower the power and let the ball roll closer to your target.
The best tip is to always look for big slopes or holes near the roughs. These situations usually require you to add a spin so you can consistently get close to the hole.
There are some cases where fades or draws are better, which will be another tip later on. Always remember that adding spin to the ball will make your swing timing a lot harder.
Always Remember You Can Change Clubs
The default or automated distance, clubs, and shot types used in a game are usually correct. These are made by your caddie in PGA Tour 2K23.
However, you can always switch to whatever club you feel will give you the better chance.
For example, if you hit a rough 200 yards away from the hole with some lie, you will most likely be using a 5-iron club. However, you can switch to a 3-hybrid to give you a little more yardage.
There will be some 3-par holes where your default club isn’t the best club to use for the situation.
Adjust to Your Timing Errors
As a beginner, getting your timings will take a while for you to get them right. As you play the game, you will get better and better.
However, there will be some slight inconsistencies along the way. Even a player with more than 100 hours on the game will still have slight mistakes in timing.
If you can pinpoint what your errors are, you can adjust slightly for them.
When I played the game, I noticed that I tend to have a slow or late downswing. It would either be perfect or a bit too slow. If your timing is a bit slow, the ball will fly more to the right.
Because of this, I slightly aim more to the left to compensate. Since I would get perfect swings, it means that some of the shots would go more to the left.
This tip is mostly applicable off the tee. Since your aim is to get the ball to the fairway, you only have to avoid the roughs, woods, and other obstacles.
Wind Direction
Playing with strong winds is my kryptonite. The game will change drastically, with winds ranging from 10mph to 15mph.
It would feel like you are already putting on insane slopes for your drives. It will take a while to get used to; with strong winds, you want to compensate hard on the direction of your aim.
You can play around the winds by changing where you want the ball to land. In 4-par or 5-par holes, you want to avoid the wind going directly against your shot since you want to reach the green as fast as you can.
Choosing the Right Shot Type
Most beginners only use the chip off the rough, splash out of the bunker, and a normal shot on the fairway. Always remember that you can change your shot type depending on what your goal is on the fairway.
Punch shots are used to try and lessen the effect of the wind. Chip shots are used to get out of the rough. Splash shots to get out of bunkers.
They can all be useful elsewhere if you know how to use them effectively.
Pay Attention to the Lie Angles
Lie angles can be seen on the top-right corner of your screen during a game. These angles are fairly obvious to see if the ball is on a slope.
The lie can affect your shot drastically. It will be much harder to add spin to the ball as well. The timing will be a bit different from a normal shot as well.
Learning Draws and Fades
Draws are done to make the ball curve from right to left, while fades are done to make the ball go from left to right. These are for a right-handed golfer. Reverse them if you are a left-handed golfer.
These shots are usually done to avoid the trees or other obstacles. You can also use them to make the roll from left to right or right to left upon landing.
Using them effectively will help you be in better situations on the fairway. However, the timing and swing path will get much harder as well.
Equip Fittings on Each Club
In PGA Tour 2K23, you can equip fittings to improve your player. Each fitting has a different rarity and stats that they increase.
Each club can have three different fittings. For every fitting equipped, it will cost coins. You will need to earn a lot of coins to get each club maxed out.
You can also make slightly different builds to improve on your weaknesses as a player.
Swapping Archetypes to Cover Your Weaknesses
Archetypes can be changed for free in PGA Tour 2K23. You can try out each of the archetypes and see what you like best.
If you want to improve in putting, you can go for the Greensman. If you have problems with the swing path and timings, you can go for Rhythm.
You can choose the best archetype that fits your playstyle.
