“Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09”
Xbox 360
EA Sports

4 out of 5 stars

Video games are supposed to be relaxing. Golf is supposed to be relaxing.

Video games are not relaxing. Golf is not relaxing.

“Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09” — a golf video game — is kind of relaxing. This wouldn't seem to make sense, but it actually kind of does. By combining reliable play mechanics, casual pacing and one of the best multiplayer experiences available in a modern sports title, “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09” is the rare video game experience that’s both challenging and leisurely at the same time.

As the fourth “Tiger” game on a next-generation video game console, “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09” is a complete golf game that seemed so far away when “Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06” launched with the Xbox 360 in 2005. Although the improvements over last year’s iteration are not groundbreaking, EA Sports should be pleased with the golf experience it’s bringing to the 360.

“Tiger 09” ’s controls are familiar to fans of the series as the developers didn’t deem it necessary to mess with a good thing. This seems to have been a wise decision, although fans looking for a revamped “Tiger” will have to hold out for next year.

The most drastic changes to the game have been made in the career and online modes, which were given a much-needed refresh. It’s a deep game with a number of courses and players to unlock, and it should keep players busy for a long time.

EA didn’t reinvent the wheel with “Tiger 09,” but they didn’t need to. With its reliable gameplay, “Tiger” is the perfect way to kill some time with friends, whether you’re passing around a couple controllers or playing online. Plus, you don’t even have to go outside.

Flux capacitor not required: “Tiger” games have always allowed players to cheat on the standard difficulty level and “09” isn’t any different. A power boost can be added to each shot by jamming on the A button during your backswing, and spin can still be applied to the ball while it’s flying in mid-air. The putt preview from “08” is still included, allowing players to basically see into the future with a single shot preview for each putt. Of all the features, the putt preview will shave the most strokes off players’ scores, but it takes some of the fun out of putting away a 40-footer. All these features are nice for new gamers, but anyone who puts time into the game will likely turn these options off.

Sorry, Butch Harmon: For the first time in a “Tiger” game, Woods’s coach Hank Haney has been digitized to help players improve their skills. The most useful application involving compu-Haney is the new club trainer, which analyzes players’ swings and corrects for any natural draw or fade. The club trainer also makes recommendations based on how accurate of a striker you are to maximize the sweet spot on your clubs to best fit your game. If only Tiger’s old coach Butch Harmon would have held onto his client for a few more years, he could have seen himself immortalized in a video game.

The Michigan Daily does not condone gambling — most of the time: One of the great aspects of “Tiger” games is the ability to incorporate four people into a round regardless of how many controllers you have. Only have two controllers but have a foursome ready to tee off? Not a problem, just pass around controllers between teammates. Hypothetically, you could then gamble on said golf round. Not that this has happened to me or anything, but it’s possible that while wagering on a round, the in-game scoring could prematurely credit one of the teams with a hole win during a round of greensome, and the other team could flip their shit. I don’t know anything about this because I’m not pathetic enough to wager on video golf, but this sort of thing could hypothetically happen. That’s all I’m saying, hypothetically.

What?