I play video games. I play video games a lot actually. I play sports games, first person shooter games, racing games, and even role-playing games if the mood strikes me. I am not into games like World of War Craft, but I probably spend as much time playing games like Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf as some of you do playing WOW. I take the game very serious and have purchased every copy of the game on the day of release since the 1999 version when it came to PC. I recently have been going to Walmart at midnight the day of the release as that allows for immediate satisfaction of the updated graphics and the new game play.
I would venture to say that I play my Microsoft Xbox 360 about 95% of the time. I am a console collector, as I have all three of the next generation consoles, but the 360 has a special place in my heart. Perhaps it is the fact that I waited in line at Walmart for over twenty hours to guarantee that I got one the day it came out. Or maybe it is because this is the first time that Tiger Woods was a launch title. Actually, I think the real reason is because of the achievement points. These points are a way for you track your progress as you play and beat games. You get points for doing things like completing a season in Madden or for running a lap in Project Gotham Racing without hitting a wall. Some of the points are easier to get than others, but with that comes smaller point totals. I currently have just over 14,000 gamer points and from what I can tell that is a lot. But again, I do play a lot. Think of gamer points as bragging rights for the rest of the gamers out there.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010 has been giving me some problems lately. I have not beat the game, I have not completed the tournament challenge, and I have only received about half of the gamer points that this game has available. However, with that being said, I do know what all of these achievements are. And not only do I know what these achievements are but I also have researched them a little deeper to know not only how to accomplish these achievements but also some of the little innuendos that go along with each task. Below you will see a complete list of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010 achievements and a little more information on each one. (These will go from the easiest achievements to obtain to the hardest and highest point valued ones.)
Team Work – Watch the Credits – 10 Points
This is a pretty simple task to complete. All you have to do is head to the main menu, choose the My Tiger Woods -10 option, then select Extras, and then Credits. Once you have watched the credits for the game you will unlock this achivement. This is an easy way to jump start your list and to learn a little bit more about the number of people that went into making this game possible.
Blammo! – Earn the Bingo, Bango & Bongo point on a single shot in the Bingo Bango Bongo Traditional game mode. – 10 Points
This is another pretty simple task to complete. Bingo Bango Bongo is a pretty fun style of play. The concept here is that you and your opponent(s) tee off. You earn a Bingo for the first person to hit the green. Then, you win the Bango for being the closest to the pin once everyone is on the green. The Bongo then comes as the lowest score on that hole. So, for instance, if you hit in the middle of the fairway, stick it to three inches, and your opponent misses his putt and is a foot away from the hole, you would in theory win all three. There are multiples ways in this game to achieve this task, but the easiest is to play you with two controllers. Set up the game to be you versus yourself. Hit the shots that you know will allow the first, or the second, player to win all three. Is it cheating? Sure it is but it beats trying to figure out a way to do this while playing in the exhibition mode.
Weather Report – Complete an online 18-hole round in the rain using the Live Weather feed. – 10 Points
Live Weather is new to the Tiger Woods franchise. This is a feature that based on GPS and the constant connection to the web that your console has (assuming you invested in an Xbox Live account) to pull the actual weather conditions as they are in the city of where the course you are playing exists. So, if you head over to St. Andrews to play a quick round before bed, have Live Weather set, and it is raining in Scotland you better believe that it is raining on the game. This feature is cool because it gives you an accurate sense of what these guys truly have to deal with from week to week out there on tour.
The Comeback Kid – Come back from a +5 or worse to finish Even or better, in any Traditional or Online game mode round. – 15 Points
This is a very easy task to complete. The idea of this is that you have to come back from being at least five strokes over par and finish the round even or under par. This is not hard as most of these courses have the potential to shoot in the low 50s once you have figured out the putting. The easiest way I know how to tell you to beat this challenge is to knock a few balls out of bounds on the first hole and start your next seventeen holes already at your target of five shots over par. Then, once you have hit that magic number just play the way you would normally play. Chances you finish even or under par are pretty good.
Tough at the Top – Compete in Play-The-Pros mode and submit your score online. – 15 Points
This is also another easy task to complete. All you have to do is log on, play 18 holes in this particular category, and post your score online. It does not matter if you shoot twenty under par or twenty over par, as long as you submit the score online you will unlock this achievement.
Play with the Big Boys – Drive the ball 400 or more yards in the fairway in any Traditional or Online game modes. – 15 Points
This is a task that takes a little bit of planning. First, your player (you could use Tiger Woods for this if you want to) needs to have a high distance rating. Once you are near a full rating on your distance category, head out to any given golf course and let the big dog eat, as they say. Some things that might help are finding a downhill down wind par four or five. If the wind is at your back it will be much easier for the ball to carry. If you do get a big down wind open the club face a little to let the ball get that extra airtime after you hit it. You will probably get this achievement on accident by just playing the game.
Maximum Power – Complete an 18-Hole round using a max stats costume in any Traditional or Online game modes. – 25 Points
There are a couple of ways to complete this task. You can purchase the bunny costume with 300 Microsoft points and get this challenge right out of the gate. But, if you are like me and find yourself on a budget, you just simply have to unlock the bunny suit to break this challenge. You can unlock this costume by making your way through the Tournament Challenge. You have to play this to be able to unlock all of the achievements anyway, so it just comes with time. But once you have unlocked the bunny suit all you have to do is play 178 holes. Easy enough.
Raindancer – Play in the rain and score an Eagle or better in any Stroke based Traditional or Online game modes. – 25 Points
This is simple. Set the weather to rain, play a round, and score an eagle or better. Once you sink that eagle you will get an easy 25 points.
Riding Spinnaz – Sink an approach shot using backspin covering a distance of 5ft or greater in any game mode. – 25 Points
You will get this just by playing the game. As you make your way through the PGA Tour season or the Tournament Challenge. Most wedges wil spin this much by default so do not worry about the distance of your spin. So just go out and play and eventually you will sink a field shot.
Taking Flight – Total 50 birdies with a created player. – 25 Points
This is a pretty simple one to break. Just go out and play and you will break this in no time. I currently have over 1,000 birdies and I am not even at 100% game completion. A harder challenge might have been 50 eagles with a created player. But make sure that you are using your created player as these do not count with the players that are already in the game.
Eye of the Hurricane – Shoot under Par through a Gale Force wind in a Traditional or Online game mode 18-hole round. – 25 Points
Gale force winds are insane on this game. You will be starring at 25+ mile an hour winds going in any given direction. Sometimes with winds this crazy rain is also thrown into the mix. Regardless, just play smart, make sure you sink a few birdies early, and you will break this achievement.
It’s All in the Hips – Use Precision Putter to sink a 30ft putt without Putt Preview, in a Traditional or Online game mode. – 30 points
For this challenge you must sink a 30 foot putt without using the putt preview. The putt preview is your one and only chance at seeing where, if you hit the ball at 100%, your putt will travel. It can be difficult not using this as the new putting is something very hard to grasp for most average to mid level players. But, there is luck! In the tournament challenge you will be matched with Tiger and are required to match him shot for shot. One of these is a putt that is 30 foot long. The first time you have this putt, line it up, and use the putt preview. Understand where the putt will break but then miss the putt on purpose. The challenge will restart leaving your putt exactly where you had it before. Adjust accordingly and sink the putt.
Bare Minimum – Play a round under Par in a Traditional or Online game mode with a Driver, SW, 5 Iron and Putter. – 30 Points
This is a fun one to break. I suggest that you use a curse like St. Andrews. The course is not that long, from the white tees, and has pretty flat greens. Also, while playing use the three click style of play. This way if you have a 5 iron going into a 130 yard shot you can guarantee you will not miss the green by very much. But the easiest thing you can do is just go out and have fun!
Big Money – Win 5 Million Dollars in Live Tournaments. – 30 Points
Good luck on this one. This is the hardest challenge in the game, in my opinion. This will take you not only time but patience as you have to play a lot, and for a long time to unlock this one. There are various styles of online tournaments ranging from daily, weekly, and play the pros. Each one requires you to play four rounds and the top 350 places generally pay out. The play the pros one pay fewer spots. This is not hard; it is just time consuming and a lot of golf. So get out there and start making some birdies!
Piece of Cake – Post a Top 50 score in a Live Tournament. – 30 Points
This is not s hard as it sounds. All you have to do is go out to live tournaments and finish one round in the top 50. Find a tournament that has just started, play your heart out, shoot a decent score, and you will place in the top 50.
Migration – Total 100 Birdies using a created golfer. – 35 Points
Just like the 50 birdies that you must collect this is just a continued effort. Keep playing and keep making those birdies and this one will eventually find its way into you trophy case.
Birds of Prey – Total 25 Eagles using a created golfer. – 35 Points
Exactly like the two birdie challenges, this is based on eagles. So, head out there, play some par fives, and rack up the eagles.
Big Tuna – Play an 18-hole Traditional or Online game mode round in FIR and GIR using only tuned clubs. – 50 Points
This one is quite difficult for multiple reasons. First, every club that you have in your bag must have been tuned out on the driving range. The putter is the only club that you cannot tune. This can be done by changing the loft, the lie, or anything else that you think will benefit your swing in the club-tuning mode. I changed my clubs by one degree of loft. Now comes the hard part. You have to play 18 holes and not miss a single fairway. You also cannot miss a single green. You must literally play a perfect round from tee to green to break this with those tuned clubs. Mine happened by accident but with a little patience you can break this in a hurry.
Aces High – Ace a Par 4 or a Par 5 hole in any Traditional or Online game mode. – 50 Points
This one is a lot more difficult than you might think. You might pull this off by accident during normal game play but if you want to focus on this challenge and guarantee that you complete it then you need to head back to St. Andrews. And rather than using your created player take Luke Donald. On hole #9 at St. Andrews Luke will hit a 99-100% driver pin high. Then, just play with the spin until you knock it in. Also, use the mulligan feature in case you miss it to save from having to go back and set up the hole again.
Well-Seasoned – Complete a PGA TOUR® Season with at least 10 Million Dollars in career earnings. – 50 Points
This is a pretty simple task. Just play through a season, win as many tournaments as you can, and finish the PGA Tour season with over $10 million in earnings. The first time you do this it will actually unlock not only this achievement but also the Tracking Tiger Trophy Ball for making more than $10 million in a single reason. Think of it as killing two birds with one stone.
Circle of Life – Score an Ace, an Eagle, a Birdie, a Par and a Bogey in a single round of a PGA TOUR® Event. – 55 Points
This, as hard as it seems, will again just happen on accident. You can play a round and get any number of eagles, birdies, and bogies. But the hole in one is the issue. Play a course like Wentworth where you have a lot of chances. Play the white tees, as well, giving you a better chance at scoring that ace. With a little luck this will happen during the course of play.
Eagle Eye – Total 100 Eagles using a created golfer. – 55 Points
Remember when I said they should focus on the eagles rather than the birdies? Well, your wish is my command. Score 100 of these and you will unlock another achievement.
Ten Thousand Ways – Earn 10,000 Player Points in EA SPORTS™ GamerNet. – 75 Points
This is something that just comes with time. You can either win these through the course of normal play by knocking it close to the pin or by out driving some of the other players on Xbox Live, or you can do it online in their menu. You can search for and find these set challenges and if you beat them this route it will earn you double points. This track will allow you a much easier road and can be accomplished in a few hours if that. (I am doing it the old school route and earning them as I go through the PGA Tour Season.
Challenge the World – Complete the Tournament Challenge mode. – 75 Points
It does not get any easier than this. Just play through and complete the tournament challenge.
Sharkies – Play 18 holes online against an EA Tiburon team member or against a player who has this Achievement. – 80 Points
You can either head online and setup a match with this as a requirement or just risk it and play as many people online as you can until you unlock this. You must, however, complete all 18 holes for this to unlock.
From Bad to Worse – Hit the ball from any bunker into a different hazard, such as a Water Hazard or Out of Bounds. – 10 Points
This is easy. Hit the ball into a bunker then hit it out of bounds or into a water hazard. It really is that simple.
Mulligans Island – Use 20 or more mulligans during an 18-hole round, in any Traditional or Online game modes. – 15 points
Just start a round with mulligans activated and go to town. You can do this all on the first shot of the round if you want. Once you have used twenty of these finish the round and you will unlock this achievement.
No Known Survivors – Equip the CEC Mining Hazard Suit – 35 Points
All you have to do is play through the Tournament Challenge. Once you have completed the four rounds at the TPC of Boston you will unlock this in the pro shop. Equip it and then you will unlock this achievement.
Levinator25 – Complete the first Bonus Challenge in Tournament Challenge. – 55 Points
This is a fun little secret achievement that you will have to complete. Once you have made your way through what you think is 100% of the Tournament Challenge you will be given one more set of tasks to complete. You will be given incredible shots from recent history on the PGA Tour. The first, and the one that you need to complete to win this task, is knock it in from a lily pad. Remember that Tiger Woods commercial where he hits the ball from a lily pad standing in the middle of the lake? Well, now you get to experience this first hand.
These are the achievements in the 2010 Tiger Woods PGA Tour Xbox 360 game. The game is the best graphics you have seen in this series to date and the game play is incredible. The putting, as always, changes this year but you get used to it. If you are like me and obsess over achievement points hopefully this will help you get a healthy chunk.
