What is Links Pro?

Golf is a sport that translates well to computer simulation — no teammates to pass to, no opponent to throw you a curve, just you and the course. I've played the digital-golf circuit over the years, on a variety of computer platforms, and Links Pro CD is the best golf simulation I've seen.

Links Pro deftly incorporates the innumerable variables that make golf challenging, presenting them in an understandable and playable format. You can golf alone, with up to seven other players (in person, or over a network), or choose partners from a roster of recorded players.

The disk version comes with Harbour Town Golf Links of Hilton Head, South Carolina; the CD-ROM version adds Banff Springs Golf Club, in Alberta, Canada, including hole flyovers for both courses. Nine optional courses are available for $29.95 each, including Firestone in Ohio and Pinehurst in North Carolina; a tenth, Pebble Beach in California, goes for $39.95.

The game features terrific graphics, with good close-up detail and wonderful panoramas. And Links Pro provides complete 3-D models of the actual course, not just a series of disconnected holes. You cart turn around and drive a ball sideways to another hole, play a hole back from green to tee, even bounce shots off the clubhouse — it's like really being there.

A control panel displays yardage, wind, and club information. You can choose preset shot types, such as draws, fades, and chips, or you can alter shot variables, such as stance, ball position, and swing plane, to create special shots — just like Seve Ballesteros and Corey Pavin.
To swing the club you use the mouse — press, release, and click on a gauge that registers the shot's power and the accuracy of your timing. Clicking right on the impact marker equals solidly striking the ball.

Putting is also well simulated. Unlike games that shift to 2-D view for putting. Links Pro sets you right on the green. A grid helps you read the contours, but you must pay attention to detail and stay focused over the shot — just like in real golf.

To enhance realism, Links Pro includes ambient sounds, birds chirping, and verbal comments. But the CD's recorded comments by comedian Bobcat Goldthwait can get annoying fast, even to fans. Much better are the extensive statistics the program generates. Some are so interesting I've added them to my database of personal on-course stats.

The program lets you measure line-of-sight distances with the shot-aiming stick, and the aerial view of the overall course is fine, but I'd like diagrams that would help me figure distances to bunkers, water, and obscured hazards. And I'm sure many would welcome the addition of a preset punch-shot option to negotiate those low-shots.

The Last Word Links Pro is a great golf simulation. It's accessible to novices but sufficiently challenging to keep golfing veterans entertained. In fact, some golfers will find it as addictive as the real thing.

Martinez, Carlos Domingo. (January 1996). Links Pro CD. Macworld. (pg. 73).

Download Links Pro for Mac

Architecture

68K + PPC (FAT)

System Requirements

From Mac OS 7.0 up to Mac OS 9.2

Compatibility notes

Minimum Requirements

• 4 MB RAM
• 4 MB hard disk available
• 640 x 480, 8-bit color display
• 2X CD-ROM drive
• System 7.0

Emulating this? It could probably run under: Basilisk II