Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 Q&A - Tiger Proofing

Tiger Proofing will present the experienced golfer with an even greater challenge. Click "Stream for Free" for higher resolution.

Tiger Proofing is the new course-altering system designed by the Tiger Woods PGA Tour development team at EA Redwood Shores. Following the lead of the PGA Tour, Team Tiger has designed a system to make the courses tougher in Tiger Woods 2005, which should make the game more fun and more challenging for the experienced and skilled video golfer. Producer Cody Murry answered a few questions to fill us in on how the Tiger Proofing system will work in the upcoming game.

GameSpot: What exactly is Tiger Proofing, and how did the team turn the idea into such a substantial addition to this year's installment?

Cody Murry: Actually, the concept was basically stolen straight from real life. Fortunately the golf media was nice enough to write that our guy Tiger Woods was the reason that golf courses are getting more difficult these days, and to name the concept "Tiger Proofing." We just took the idea a lot further than the real-life changes that happen on the real courses.

GS: How does Tiger Proofing affect gameplay?

CM: The courses simply play differently every time you play them, and it's much more challenging. With all the different sliders and variations and tweaks that we allow the user to do, you can essentially play a different golf course every time you turn on the game.

GS: What was the balance that you had to strike in Tiger Proofing? Can you over-Tiger-proof and make the courses too difficult?

CM: I think we all saw how a golf course can play too difficult in the final round of the U.S. Open at Shinnecock this year. Those greens appeared to be almost unplayable because they were so fast. For a while we had our green and fairway speeds turned up so fast that the ball would literally never stop rolling. Although it was funny to see, it really wasn't fair to play that way. Consumers would have been extremely frustrated with the courses in that state. So, that was fun trying to balance the Tiger Proofing with the courses to make the game playable.

GS: Did you have to get pretty creative with the placement of tee boxes for the Tiger tees? Tell us about that process.

CM: Placing the Tiger tees was actually one of the most fun parts of the process. Who wouldn't want to tee it up from the middle of the ocean on the 8th hole at Pebble Beach? In most cases, we were limited to using the existing terrain to find new places to lengthen the course. But in special circumstances we constructed new teeing grounds where we knew it would be fun to play from (like the aforementioned 8th at Pebble). It was fun to play amateur architect for a while.

GS: What's your favorite Tiger Proofed hole or course?

CM: Colonial Country Club is exceptionally tough when fully Tiger Proofed, as is Sherwood Country Club. Tough to pick a favorite. I wouldn't say that it's been "Cody Proofed" per se. I'm pretty good at the thing...

GS: Thanks for your time.