Want to hear a funny joke? Tiger Woods. Ba-dum-dum-ching.
Alright, let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Yes, the last year has been a rather tumultuous one, and the once highly esteemed golfer has fallen out of public favor as a result of his, well – let’s just call it his love for the ladies. Now, as a result – the legendary golfer’s game isn’t exactly what it used to be.

His video game though is another story. Though there aren’t many revolutionary changes to the formula here, the developers have fine-tuned their already well done golf title and threw in just enough extras to keep things fresh. Be warned though, if you’ve bought any of the recent year’s editions of the franchise, there’s a strong chance you’ll be disappointed.

Undoubtedly, the game’s biggest asset is one that not everyone will experience. New this year, you’ll be able to setup online competitions much like the sport’s famed Ryder Cup. This is where I had the most fun with the game, but sadly there were rarely enough players online to do a full-fledged tournament. On top of that, the pro-golfer selection is incredibly uneven and if anyone picks the game’s cover boy, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that  player will win.

"The creation tools are mostly impressive and intuitive..."

Playing through Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2011, you can play through any of the modes with any of the golfers you choose, but you’re encouraged to create your own custom golfer instead. As you progress through the game’s courses, you’re able to assign skill points to your golfer, rather than the stagnant pros.  The creation tools are mostly impressive and intuitive, including the now EA Sports staple of being able to place your own face on your golfer – but do I really need to assign a nickname? I’m sorry, but I’d take being called “player one” over “big poppa” or “playa” any day.

Perhaps more than any other sport, golf requires more brainwork than athletic ability, and the developers have done a great job portraying this with the new focus mode feature. You start each hole with a pre-determined amount of focus points (dependent on your golfer/skill level) and you lose said points each time you don’t completely Happy Gilmore the ball. Put some spin on it? That’s a few focus points. Need to putt at a weird angle, that’ll do it too. The putting game is actually the portion of the game most affected by the new focus system, as you can choose to use some of the points to see a helpful tutorial like feature on just how you should be putting the ball. If you try a tricky shot without focus, you’re bound to get yourself into a hole that’ll be hard to dig up, and the only way to get these points back is by nailing shots without any assistance. It’s admittedly a bit unfair, but it’s also incredibly rewarding.

Another feature new to this year’s game is the true-aim control scheme.  Aimed directly at the community’s best players, true-aim takes away many of the game’s convenient tools and forces you to worry about everything a true golfer does. A fair warning, if you’re not that familiar with the game and its mechanics, you’re going to want to stay away, it’s tough – very tough. But if you’re a veteran and want more of a challenge, it’s definitely worth a try.

"...the environmental effects are incredibly detailed and animate extremely realistically."

There are more than enough gameplay modes in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 to keep even the antsiest golfer satisfied. There’s your normal match and stroke play modes as well as a slew of mini games (including a horse inspired game of T.I.G.E.R). These games are best enjoyed when playing with three or four other players, and they tend to get old fast.

The visuals in Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 are easily the best of the series, if not some of the best of this generation’s sports titles. Each of the pro-golfers is instantly recognizable and is recreated with excruciating detail.  Even better, the environmental effects are incredibly detailed and animate extremely realistically.  Sadly, these effects are often distorted as a result of a crappy camera system that can be unbelievably frustrating.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2011 doesn’t take many risky steps, rather it smooth’s out a few of the kinks found in a formula that was already solid. Golf fans and fans of good sports games will appreciate the small touches of detail that make this game so good. Sure, it has a few kinks, like the camera system and the disappointing Ryder Cup mode, but it’s still a solid experience that’s sure to stand the test of time. Just stay away from the women Tiger.