I've been golfing since I was 11. I bought the original Links when it was released on the PC. I've spent many nights closing down bars playing Golden Tee. I've blown tax refunds on sets of new clubs. I really love golf. And the first few hours of this game were great - a good time on the Xbox. But, after a while, I found the game to be too slow. Not the kind of slow like on the course in between shots when you're with your buddies talking about how great college was, and how much waking up early for work sucks. But, the kind of slow where you want to systematically remove your appendix with a dull spoon. This attribute, while not the worst thing a game could be, really detracted from the gameplay.

I will say, however, that there are a lot of amazing attributes to the game that make it fun to play, regardless of how long it takes. The graphics, for example, are absolutely gorgeous. At times, I felt as though I was outside playing. They modeled everything after some of the most beautiful existing courses in the world and the details are there to prove it. You can travel from San Diego to England and see what it would be like to play courses the Majors are played on.

Also, Microsoft did the smartest thing they could do by making this game Live enabled. The most entertaining part of the game is the Live Fast-Mode challenges. In this mode, you can challenge another player online and you don't have to wait for them to shoot before you can take your shot. At the end of 18 holes, there's a winner and a loser. No waiting.

I think one of the inherent problems of Links 2004 (and probably golf games on consoles, in general) is the controllers. All consoles can only use a joystick to emulate a swing. Outlaw Golf does the same thing, and so does Tiger Woods. The reason that Golden Tee golf is a success is the Centipede-style roller-ball that controls the swing. On a console, the back-to-forth motion is monotonous and simplistic - not to mention the atmosphere of playing in a bar. After getting used to the motion, it became too easy to hit straight/long shots. However, I will say that the short-iron part of the game (especially wedges) left me guessing how to gauge distance. This added a certain difficulty to the game, especially at higher levels when the game didn't kibitz.