Not to be missed by any golf fan who games
Controls: Very intuitive. You start your swing by pulling back on the Left Stick and then strike the ball by moving the stick forward. The controls just feel right.
Online Play: Not only are online games lag free, they are also simultaneously played with other players. Just how it should be.
Player Progression: As you complete events with your Created Golfer, Tiger's coach will guide you through lessons to improve your golfer's stats. This gives you a sense of accomplishment as you see your golfer improve. There's also a Club Tuner which helps you further progress your golfer's game.
Game Modes: You can choose to play the PGA Major Events that you see on TV and there's also a Tiger Challenge, which is really just a glorified tutorial. I mainly played the Tiger Challenge and loved it. There's a variety of scenarios the mode puts you through and most are fun & not frustrating.
Presentation: The pre-game pans overthe course are nice. The pre-drive animations as your golfer walks up to the tee look great. The animations for both good& bad shots are well done. Overall, just a very solid presentation of the game of golf.
HATED
Loading....Loading: Due to all the different things/modes/courses TW09 has in it, you see a ton of loading screens. And I mean a ton of them. There's a loading screen for each lesson on every aspect of your game (putting, driving, short game, etc) Tiger's coach gives you. There's a loading screen to access the Shop to buy gear. To be fair, each individual load isn't long, but when you add all them up, it's a drag.
Graphics: "Hate" is definitely too strong of a word here. And I'm sure TW09 looks awesome (compared to last gen). I just was never "WOWed" by the graphics at all. But I wasn't disgusted by them either. I guess I just expected something better and came away a little disappointed.
CONCLUSION
If you're a fan of golf, then TW09 is the game for you. There are plenty of things to do offline that will keep you playing for a long time. You can even create a golfer that looks like you (by uploading a picture to EA's website and the DLing it to your Xbox360) and play through the PGA season. And if/when you decide to take your game online, you'll be treated to lag-free play and you won't have to wait for your opponent(s) to take their swings. Just be prepared to see a ton of loading screens.
For the $20 I paid, I got my money's worth and then some. I'd easily recommend TW09 to any golf fan......which is why I rate this game a low AAA score.