EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™ Shot Types Deep Dive

As the most advanced EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™ game yet, gameplay innovations are everywhere you look, and this year when you step up to the ball, you’ve got more control over the game with shot types. Shot types change the way you’ll play EA SPORTS PGA TOUR by equipping you with every type of shot you'll need to take on the world's toughest courses on your quest for major championship glory. To learn more about other gameplay innovations coming to EA SPORTS PGA TOUR this year, check out the Gameplay Deep Dive video and blog.

Read on for more information about shot types.

Each professional golfer has a variety of shots that they take onto the course, so it’s only fitting that you’ll get a variety of shot types to take onto the virtual course yourself when you play EA SPORTS PGA TOUR.

There are 20 available shot types in the game and each one is intended to help you succeed when you face a specific, on-course challenge. Each shot type has its own unique profile producing shots with varying ball speeds, launch angles, spin rates, and shot dispersion that you would expect in real life. Each shot type profile is unique per club and per class of golfer trajectory (low, medium, and high), which result in over 1300 unique profiles available in EA SPORTS PGA TOUR.

In previous EA golf games, your options were limited; typically only requiring you to select the appropriate club. Now, with shot types, every time you step to the ball you’ll choose your shot type and then select your club. This unlocks a new layer of depth and strategy, allowing you to get one step closer to the pre-shot thought process and routine of a pro golfer.

Among other conditions that change with each shot type, each shot comes with a certain amount of dispersion, impacting the accuracy of a shot which varies based on each golfer’s skill with the specific shot type.

Your created golfer starts off with eight basic shot types and you’ll be able to unlock the other twelve as you progress in career mode. There are four categories of shot types that you’ll be able to master with a golfer of your choice so whether you prefer to perfect the short game, approach shots, or all of them, there will be a shot type to fit the situation. All shot types fall under one of four categories: Driving, Approach, Short Game, or Putting.

Driving Shot Types

These shot types, represented with a shield shaped icon, can only be used when the ball is teed up on the tee box, since hitting off a tee produces different launch angle, flight, and spin than shots hit off the ground. These shot types are based on the golfer’s Driving Skills. There are three shot types in this category: Drive, Power Drive, and Stinger. Check out the full descriptions of these shot types below!

Drive

A standard full swing shot to get consistent distance and accuracy off the tee.

Power Drive

A more powerful full swing when the golfer wants to get more distance off the tee. It comes with a slightly larger shot dispersion than the Drive as a result of the extra effort put into the swing.

Stinger

A really low and powerful shot that keeps the ball under the wind and generates a lot of roll. Great for use in windy conditions and on firm, fast courses as it allows the terrain to generate the distance with massive rollouts.

Approach Shot Types

Once you’re off the tee box and you're on any terrain, approach shot types come into play. These shot types are perfect for getting to the green or a specific spot on the course since they have slightly lower launch angles than driving shot types. How accurately you hit an approach shot type is dependent on your golfer’s Approach Skills. There are six shot types in this category listed below.

Approach

A standard full swing shot to get consistent distance and accuracy from terrain.

Power Approach

A more powerful full swing when the golfer wants to get more distance from terrain. It comes with a slightly larger shot dispersion than the Approach as a result of the extra effort put into the swing.

Punch

A really low shot without a lot of power that keeps the ball under the wind and generates a lot of roll. Mainly used to get out of trees and back onto the playable area of the course.

Knock Down

A full swing shot that gets the ball to fly lower than a normal approach but high enough to still land soft and stop. Mainly used to minimize the impact of wind or on softer courses to prevent the ball from spinning back too much. It can also be used from the tee box.

Finesse

A shorter more versatile shot that can go a wider variety of distances than the Approach. Mainly used when you are at a distance that is between clubs on your normal approach or when you get too close to the green for an approach but you are too far for the short game shots. It can also be used from the tee box.

Hack

A powerful full swing shot that is only used from the first cut, second cut or heavy rough. It has less power penalty from these thicker grasses than the other shot types and is a valuable asset on courses with very thick and penalizing longer cuts.

Short Game Shot Types

Once you’ve utilized your driving and approach shot types, you’ll probably want to pull out a short game shot type, perfect for when your golfer gets in close proximity to the green. Whether you want a shot that’s lower flying with more roll or higher flying with lots of spin, short game shot types give you individualized control to get the ball in the hole. There are eight shot types in this category controlled by your golfer’s Short Game Skills.

Pitch

A standard half swing shot that gets the ball up onto the green with a normal amount of roll out. It can be used anywhere around the green except for Bunkers.

Runner

A lower flying half swing shot that can also be used anywhere around the green except for Bunkers.

Spinner

A half swing shot with more speed. This speed helps generate more spin on the ball and gets it to check up instead of roll out after landing. You can use it in the Fairway, Fringe and First Cut.

Flop

A long swing that lobs the ball high into the air and lands softly on the green. It can be used anywhere around the green except for Bunkers.

Long Flop

A version of the flop that goes a greater distance, but has a larger shot dispersion. It can be used anywhere around the green except for Bunkers.

High Flop

A version of the flop that goes extremely high, lands and stops immediately. It can be used anywhere around the green except for Bunkers and Heavy Rough.

Blast

A shot specifically used out of Bunkers. This swing hits the sand behind the ball to loft it up out of the Bunker and onto the green.

Pick

An alternative shot out of Bunkers. This is a cleaner strike that hits less sand and more of the ball, allowing for more spin and less rollout.

Putting Shot Types

Represented with diamond shape icons, putting shot types are perfect for when your golfer is on or close to the green. But, you’ll have to use the slope of the course to ensure that your ball makes it to the hole just like you’d do in real life. The three Putting shot types are controlled by your golfer’s putting skills.

Putt

A stroke with a putter that instantly gets the ball rolling and is only used on the Green or Fringe.

Chip

A short putting stroke style shot with wedges and short irons that bumps the ball up into the air for a few yards and gets it rolling very quickly. It is mainly used when right next to the green to bump the ball over a bit of longer cut terrain and onto the shorter cuts that will let it roll.

Texas Wedge

A stroke with the putter that instantly gets the ball rolling but can be used when not on the Green or Fringe. Judging the distance with it can be tricky, but this shot is extremely effective once it is mastered.

Shot Type Tiers

Whether you’re using an Approach or Putting shot type, your shot types all have a tier-level; Bronze, Silver, or Gold which represents how well your golfer can pull off that shot type.

Gold shot types always perform at the skill level of your golfer while Bronze and Silver shot types perform below the skill level of your golfer. For example, if your golfer's short game accuracy is a 7, a Gold short game shot type will get the full impact of that 7. But a Bronze or Silver short game shot type accuracy will be less than 7.

Regardless of what golfer you’re playing with, every golfer has a few core shot types that are always Gold: Drive, Approach, Punch, Pitch, Flop, Blast, Chip, and Putt. Specialty shot types are unlocked as Bronze and can be upgraded to Silver and Gold.

Shot Creation Utilizing Shot Types and Shot Shaping

With shot types, you’ll be able to make strategic decisions on the course with more control over the ball than ever.

Here’s an example, imagine you’re on the tee box about to hit the opening drive of your round. The first option you may consider is the “Drive” shot type, since it has a profile that is well balanced between accuracy and distance. However, if you see a bunker on the far end of the fairway, you may instead consider hitting a “Power Drive” if you think it allows your ball to fly over the bunker and land safely on the other side. Lastly, you could choose to hit a “Stinger” if you want your ball on the ground and running as soon as possible, which is great for accuracy and especially useful when playing in strong winds.

After you’ve chosen your shot type and selected your club, you can further customize your shot with shot shaping.

While aiming, you can use the shot shaping stick to apply different shapes to your shot. Up or down on your stick will aim your ball flight higher or lower, while left or right on the stick will curve your shot left or right, also known as Draw and Fade. Shot shaping is an essential element of advanced golf strategy that allows you to do things like hit under a tree limb or curve the flight of your ball to the alignment of a narrow green.

Shot Types and Shot Creation revolutionize your gameplay experience

The combination of shot types and shot shaping allow you to have complete control of every shot, so you can spend more time feeling like a pro.

The Tee is Yours with EA SPORTS PGA TOUR’s shot types that bring you closer to a real-life game of golf than ever before. If you’d like to know more about the gameplay innovations coming to EA SPORTS PGA TOUR this year check out the Gameplay deep dive video and blog.