RYDER CUP GOLF - INSTRUCTION MANUAL TYPED BY SHARD

RYDER CUP - A BRIEF HISTORY

The Origins

"I have done several things in my life for the benefit of my fellow men, but I an certain I have never done a happier thing than this".

Sam Ryder.

In 1926 at Wentworth, England, a match took place between two teams of professional golfers from the USA and GREAT BRITAIN. The result was a convincing win for the British. The match was fully reported in The Times Newspaper but as golf was still considered a pastime exclusive to the privileged classes, it got little attention elsewhere.

The match was the brainchild of two men; Walter Hagen an American golfing legend and two times winner of the British Open and Samuel Ryder, a wealthy English businessman who made his fortune from selling penny packets of flower seeds.

The competition took place under the rules of the PGA and the winning team received a trophy, kindly donated by Samuel Ryder.

This was the beginning of the Ryder Cup.
THE EARLY YEARS

The idea of a golfing competition between teams from the USA and Britain was not a new one. There had already been a match in 1921 at the Gleneagles course. and the Walker Cup was established as a regular event every two years. The 1926 match, though proved that there was room for an event restricted to professionals and it triggered a great deal more activity on both sides of the Atlantic. There was enough enthusiasm to decide upon a rematch the following year, this time giving the Americans home advantage.

In 1927 at the Worcester Country Club in Massachusetts the first unofficial Ryder Cup took place. The match format comprised of four foursomes matches on day one and eight singles on the second day each over 36 holes. The USA team led by its captain Walter Hagen, gained sweet revenge with a crushing win and were rewarded with a new gift from Sam Ryder - a solid gold trophy. More than this, they gained their place in history as the first team ever to hold the Ryder Cup.

The beautiful and distinctive trophy was commissioned from Sheffields Mappin & Webb and was believed to cost £250,000. The figure on the lid is that of Abe Mitchell a great British Golfer, friend of Sam Ryder and captain of the British team that won the unofficial 1926 game. It was first presented by Mrs Sam Ryder to George Gadd of the British PGA before the inaugural game at Worcester, but it was not to stay in his hands for long.

The Massachusetts defeat was a crushing blow for the British, and was quickly put down to the culture shock of arriving in a new country rather than poor play. In truth, the Americans won the cup on the putting green sinking almost everything in almost mechanical fashion The British players, it was genuinely agreed, had the flair but were flawed around the flag. It was further suggested that the British captain, Ted Ray, had lost the match before a shot was played by announcing his team to the press well before the competition had begun, thus allowing his counterpart, Walter Hagen to select his line up of players accordingly.

Two years on in 1929, despite the previous thrashing, hopes for a British win were high. The unofficial match in 1926 had seen them win comfortably and to lose on home soil was unthinkable. The USA knew that at the Moortown course they would have a desperately tough task to hang on to the trophy. It proved too tough. Walter Hagen lost a singles match for the first time in the and the event also saw the debut for Britain of Henry Cotton, probably the greatest ever British golfer. Britain won the Ryder Cup for the first time.

Two matches, two home victories. The next two matches, in Ohio in 1931 and in Southport in `33 followed the same pattern. The latter is noted for having one of the most exiting finishes in Ryder Cup history, the destiny of the trophy only being decided by the last match on the course. A closer contest wouldn't be thrown up until 1991 when the result was decided on the very last putt of the last match.

It must have been thrilling stuff for the 15,000 enthralled spectators, particularly as the final outcome was a home win, but in truth Great Britain expected to win rather more easily than they did. A disastrous home defeat had only narrowly been avoided but loomed as a frightening and real possibility.

The 1935 competition in New Jersey saw the Americans win handsomely, and on back in Britain in 1937, the omens of 1933 were realised. Southport was once again the chosen venue, but this time there was no dramatic escape for Britain as the Americans romped home 8-4 winners. The Americans had drawn first blood on foreign ground and a worrying air of a mismatch was beginning to be sensed.

There followed a long period of American dominance on both sides of the Atlantic. It would be 22 years before Britain would regain the Ryder Cup.
MIDDLE YEARS

Lindrick 1957. The British produced a devastating performance to stun the Americans, and get their hands back on the Ryder Cup. But even the staunchest patriots knew that the result was a one-off and America regained what it was beginning to regard as its rightful property two years later.

Back in the UK 1961, and more changes were witnessed at Royal Lytham, but not the kind of changes the beleaguered British had hoped for. Matches were reduced from 36 holes to the familiar 18 holes, allowing for both morning and afternoon sessions, and with more points to be amassed. As was expected however, America once again took the largest share.

In Atlanta in 1963, fourball matches were added for the first time, increasing the number of total points available to 32. Here, a final result of 23-9 in favour of the Americans was achieved. America had resumed its dominance of the Ryder Cup and the matches were losing there edge as genuine contests.
RECENT YEARS

There were no changes in pattern or chinks in the US armoury until 1969 when, inspired by Tony Jacklins Open Championship victory, the British managed a credible tie.

But despite this blip, normal service was soon resumed and it was clear to everyone that the gulf between the two Nations was still as wide as ever. Something had to be done.

At West Virginia in 1979 the Ryder Cup became the US Vs Europe - and a new and exciting era of competition was ushered in.

That year also saw the introduction of the match format that we recognise today; four fourball matches and four foursome matches on the first and second days, and twelve singles on the final day. The European team included 10 British players and 2 Spaniards - Antonio Garrido and Seve Ballesteros.

Initially the changes made no difference - 1979 saw another one sided American win inspired by the might of golfing greats like Watson, Nicklaus and Trevino.

By 1983 a combination of the increasing stature of players like Langer, Faldo and Lyle, and the gut feeling that the American stars may have possibly passed their peak, meant that in Florida that year the Ryder Cup was a genuinely hard fought contest. With Tony Jacklin as captain The Europeans eventually lost by one point in a nail biting match, but the Americans had been frightened, the Europeans had sensed victory and the balance of power was shifting.

In 1985, at the Belfry, Europe regained the Ryder Cup. With a team including Faldo, Lyle, Langer and Ballesteros, the result was not unexpected and, in a strange way, it was what everyone agreed was needed. Jacklin and the Europeans got their victory, the USA and captain Jack Nicklaus got a real match and TV got what it wanted too - a breathtaking sporting spectacle. 7 million UK viewers tuned in to watch the final afternoons play in 1985 - a record for golf - and saw something that few of them will ever forget.

The next two battles also went the way of the Europeans, a win and a tie, '87 & `89. But `91 and `93 saw the trophy returned to the USA. The result was agonisingly close in `91 with Bernard Langer just rolling a ten foot putt past the hole on the 18th to miss out on a tie and in `93 the Americans did not clinch victory until the final few holes.

Both matches were in stark contrast to the days not so long past when the Americans took the Ryder Cup as an exhibition match. Now it is firmly established as the most exciting date in the golfing calendar and one of the classic events in all of sport.
THE RYDER CUP - THE FUTURE

1995, and the USA will stage the event at the Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York - scene of the 1989 US Open. In 1997 the competition makes its first sortie onto European soil - to Spain home to two of the giants of Ryder Cup golf; the charismatic team talisman Seve Ballesteros and the mercurial Jose Maria Olazabel. A warm welcome and a cracking match are both guaranteed.
AMIGA FLOPPY DISK LOADING INSTRUCTIONS:

Insert Disk 1 in DF0: and switch on your computer. The game will load automatically. When playing the game you may be prompted to insert other disks. These can be placed in either DF0: or DF1:
HARD DISK INSTALLATION:

Only the A1200/A4000 version can be installed onto hard disk. Start your Amiga from your hard disk as normal. Insert disk 1 into any drive, and open the disk icon by double clicking on it, you can start the installation process by finding the icon in the directory window and double clicking on it. Please follow the on screen prompts to continue the installation process.
THE RYDER CUP BY JOHNNIE WALKER

After loading the game you will be presented with the game select screen

The selections available are as follows:
Number 1: The RYDER CUP

Click on this icon to enter the competition you will then be offered a choice of courses. A detailed description of the course selection, RYDER CUP format and how to choose players follows later.
Number 2: Practice

Click here to play a practice round on any hole on any course. You will first be presented with the course selection screen as in the RYDER CUP. After selecting a course, however, you are taken to the map screen. From here you choose the hole you wish to practice. An explanation of how to use the practice option to master the basic playing controls is on page 7.
Number 3: Demo

Click here to see the computer play a round of the last selected course.
Number 4: Load/Save

Click here to load a previous game or to save the current game.
Number 5: Continue

Click here to continue an active game or a game you have just loaded.
Number 6: Exit

This final icon allows you to exit to DOS.

This concludes our description of the early choices. If you have chosen the RYDER CUP or Practice you are asked to choose a course. For now let's choose practice.
The BELFRY

The venue for the 1993 RYDER CUP, the Belfry is an American style course that lies just North of Birmingham in Sutton Coldfield.
The FIELDS

This course represents a typical Scottish Links course combining the rolling grass over dunes with thick coniferous forest on the more peaty moors.
The ISLAND

An island of green in a vast and unforgiving desert, this course rapidly becomes a nightmare for the inaccurate who find themselves in the rough or the network of irrigation streams that cross the course.
The VILLAGE

A beautifully sculpted and heavily wooded American course designed around a series of interconnecting streams and small lakes.

Pick the course of your choice

After selecting the course you wish to practice, you must choose the hole. This is done on the map screen.
The Map Screen

Click on the hole number to select the hole you wish to practice, then click the play icon. You will now enter the 3D environment to find yourself on the tee of the hole you chose.
The Playing Menu

From this menu all choices needed to play the game are available, we will go through a description of what they mean and the available choices.
The Views Icon

This icon opens access to the view control icons. These icons allow you to control how you view the motion of the ball.

Your options will be offered on screen, click to select.
The Maps Icon

This gives access to the full screen maps, hole maps and also allows you to preview a shot or the entire hole in a low level fly by.

Your options will be offered on screen, click to select.
The Cup Icon

Clicking on The Cup exits the game icon and returns you to the initial choices screen. You can return to the game by pressing "Continue".
The Golfer Icon

The Golfer gives you access to the icons that control how the golfer sees the lie of the course and includes options such as hide golfer, hide flag, landscape grid, shaded landscape and show wind. Your options will be offered on screen, click to select.
The Replay Icon

This allows you to Replay the last shot taken.

This covers the top icons. At the bottom of the screen you will see a ball flanked by two arrows and the words "Match Score". Down the right hand side you will also see a golf club, we will now look at these.
The Rotation Arrows

> Turn Right
o Centre on ball
< Turn Left

This icon calls up on screen information about the hole Number, length, par, distance of last shot, distance to flag and team info.
The Wind Indicator

Clicking on the wind icon reveals the wind indicator in the lower left of the window, click again to remove it from the screen

The arrow shows you the direction the wind is moving in relation to the direction you are facing. The numbers show the wind speed in miles per hour.
The Club Controller

From this control you choose the desired club, the method of control and the actual playing of the shot.

To change club click on the small blue arrow on the club neck. The club will scroll left revealing the club selection menu, simply click on the desired club and close the menu. The chosen club will be displayed in the sight window unless you have a shot in progress.

Below the arrow you will see a small round icon, this changes the mode of control, or "Swing Meter"
The Hook/Slice Method

Selection of this control method reveals another icon. This is the Chip/Punch Icon from which you set the level of chip or punch you wish the shot to have. This is selected before the shot is taken and if left unchanged defaults to a normally lofted shot.
The Chip/Punch Selector

After selecting the desired loft click in the control window, after a brief pause power rises through a quarter, half, three quarters, full and over power. Click to stop at the desired level

A blue line now scrolls back down, you will see a blue segmented area of the sight divided by a white line, stop the return bar to the left of this line and you will slice the shot right, stop the bar to the right and you will hook the shot left, stop on the line and the ball flies true and straight. It should be noted that the higher the level of power selected the harder it is to achieve a straight shot.

The icons for chip and punch should be self explanatory.
The Combined Stroke Method

This system disregards the need to select Chip or Punch before playing the shot by taking a different approach to making a shot.

First select the desired level of power, when you release a ball appears behind the club sight. The ball moves from left to right then back, repeating until you click fire; the ball can also be dragged up and down. Hitting the ball left of centre hooks the ball right, right of centre slices the ball left. A below centre shot chips the ball high, above centre punches the ball low. Hitting the ball dead centre results in a normally lofted shot that flies straight.
The Wobble Method

This control method is basically the same as the Combined Stroke Method. However, instead of the even movement of the other system the ball attempts to move randomly in all directions. You have to drag the ball against this movement to the position that produces the shot you desire. The strength of the random wobble is governed by the difficulty of the shot, for instance a shot using the sand wedge on the fairway would barely wobble, because the terrain is good and the club is the easiest to control. An attempt to use the driver from the rough or a bunker, however, would be almost uncontrollable as a driver is a very difficult club to control and the conditions you are playing from are the most difficult.
Using the Putter

Putting seems to be a relatively simpler part of the challenge of golf, but it takes lots of practice, great technique and nerves of steel. Matches are won and lost on the greens. Control is simply a matter of selecting the desired power by clicking once to start the power bar moving then again to stop the power bar at the desired level. Elementary as it seems, the ball must often negotiate an uneven surface which deflects the course of the ball.

Before taking your first shot examine the course and hole map for the hole you are playing, to be sure you are facing the point you are shooting for. Use the shot preview to see the approximate course and destination of a straight shot played using your current club at full power.

After you have practised the courses and become familiar with the control method of your choice, you may feel ready to enter the Ryder Cup. From the initial choices screen click on the Ryder Cup icon.
OUT OF BOUNDS / UNPLAYABLE LIE / BALL IN WATER

In the event of your ball going out of play by hitting water, straying beyond the playable boundary of a hole or landing too close to a fixed hazard to be played, you will be offered the opportunity to take the shot again from the original position or to take a drop. This is when the ball is relocated to a safe position no closer to the hole than before - the computer will judge a suitable spot.
THE GIMME

If a player gets within one metre of the hole, the "Gimme" message is offered to you on the screen. If you choose to take a "Gimme" the putt would be presumed sunk without the player having to actually play the shot.

Once the ball has been safely sunk in the hole, a message is displayed on the screen to clarify the match situation. Only when the message confirms a result can you move onto the next hole.
THE RYDER CUP

Before you can begin play you must pick your team.
THE RYDER CUP SCOREBOARD

From here you will choose your players and control how the competition progresses.

Displayed on the screen is the European team You can toggle between both the European and USA squads by clicking on the flag above the names.
QUICKLY - HOW THE PLAYERS QUALIFY

In 1993, The Europeans changed their system of qualification, adding a few more big money events to the process but the basic system remains the same. The team comprises the top nine money winners on the PGA European Tour plus three "wild card" members chosen by the captain, Bernard Gallagher.

All native born American golfers who are members of the PGA of America are eligible to accumulate points for their qualification. This system, which also changed for the 1993 Ryder Cup, spans two Seasons golf. The top ten prize winners qualify automatically, with captain Tom Watson choosing the other two wild cards
THE RYDER CUP ITINERARY:

DAY 1 MORNING FOURSOME
DAY 1 AFTERNOON FOURBALL
DAY 2 MORNING FOURSOME
DAY 2 AFTERNOON FOURBALL
DAY 3 FINAL DAY SINGLES
ABOUT THE MATCH FORMATS
FOURBALL

In the afternoon's fourballs, Europe and USA both play two team members as a partnership. The best scoring player in each partnership is the score that counts for the partnership. Play is as match play singles, whereby the player or partnership that wins a hole is said to be 1 Up, the loser is, therefore 1DOWN. If a hole or match is drawn, it is said to have been HALVED.

The match is over when one side is UP by more holes than there are left to play. If a player or partnership is 3UP with 3 holes to play, those who are 3DOWN must salvage the match by winning the next 3 holes, then the match would be HALVED. If a player or partnership is 3UP with 2 to play, victory is secured as even if the side that is 3DOWN wins all the remaining holes, it would still be 1 DOWN. The margin of victory is not significant (a win by 1 hole scores 1 point just like a win by 7 or 8 holes) so the match ends. In this instance, the team that is 3UP is said to have won 3&2 (as in 3 (up) & 2 (to play).
FOURSOME

As in fourball, it is a contest played by partnerships in the match play style. The main difference is that the partnership combines to play almost as one golfer, sharing the same ball. They take alternate shots and the partnership with the lowest score wins the hole.
SINGLES

The singles are the climax of The Ryder Cup and invariably decide the destiny of the trophy. Every member of the team plays, 12 individual battles comprising one massive team effort. They have always been kept for the last day and follow the standard match play format explained in the fourball format.
SELECTING YOUR LINE UP

Before battle commences, the line up of both teams must be chosen.

Don't forget, once you have selected the line up for the Europeans, the USA team line up must also be selected before you can play.
MORNING DAY 1 and 2 FOURSOME

You are first given the option to select your MORNING DAY 1 line up for the FOURSOME.

This can be done in two ways AUTOmatically, or you as captain.

Click on the AUTO icon with left mouse button and the computer will automatically select the line up for this team. Don't forget, once the line up has been selected for the Europeans, the USA team line up must also be selected

Alternatively, you can take control of the team as captain and select your own line up. This is done by clicking on the player of your choice from the squad line up, using the left mouse button. That player will then be "picked up" and can be positioned in any of the four matches by clicking the left button again over the match of your choice.

If you are not happy with an individual selection click on that player with the right mouse button - that player will then be sent back to the squad line up. If you are not happy with your line up on completion, click on the CLEAR icon with the left mouse button, all players will be cleared out and you can begin again.

Should you want to change the names of any of the players, and add some of your own, do so by clicking on the player name you wish to change using the right mouse button, and then enter the new name using the keyboard. This can only be done when the player you wish to change is still positioned in the squad line up and has not yet been selected to play in the match.
HUMAN PLAYERS

With the Europe and USA foursome line ups completed, you are now ready to choose which player(s) you wish to play as in the first match. It is very important that this part of the play procedure is understood before venturing onto the course.

You may choose between 1 and 4 human players, the following tables show the possible formats for the different competitions.

1 PLAYER         HUMAN       COMPUTER
                 COMPUTER    COMPUTER
2 PLAYER         HUMAN       COMPUTER
                 HUMAN       COMPUTER
2 PLAYER         HUMAN       HUMAN
                 COMPUTER    COMPUTER
3 PLAYER         HUMAN       HUMAN
                 HUMAN       COMPUTER
4 PLAYER         HUMAN       HUMAN
                 HUMAN       HUMAN
4 PLAYER         HUMAN       COMPUTER
                 HUMAN       COMPUTER
                 HUMAN       COMPUTER
                 HUMAN       COMPUTER

Click on the team number 1 - 4 to edit a name and/or select a player, then click on the appropriate number of player names. The name board will change colour while it is being edited, click the name again to deselect if you do not want this player to be human. When you have finished click the number to end. As in the fourballs and foursomes up to four human players can be involved in the singles. There are no restrictions on the team position or the side they occupy Remember that in foursomes, partnerships share the same ball so if you do not want to take alternate shots with the computer, highlight both players in a partnership.
PLAYING IN OTHER MATCHES

During the competition, you will have the option to play and have a say in any of the matches If you wish, you can just stay with one match throughout the fourball competition and let the computer control the players in the other matches. If you wish to play any match in the tournament, match 2 for instance, you would have to start in match 1. At the end of the first game you could move to match 2 which will be just starting on the hole you have just finished. Match 1 would continue under computer control. If you swap matches any other human players in the same match will also swap to the corresponding match place. At the end of the match you are playing, when the scoreboard appears click on the number of the match you wish to move.
CHANGING THE DAY AND SESSION

By clicking on the centre on the Scoreboard, over the current day, the competition can be progressed through its stages right up to the singles on the last day. The up to date match scores are calculated fairly by the computer, and are displayed as each session is bypassed. This is a very useful feature if you only want to play a short game. It eliminates the need to bother with early matches, you can intervene at any of the stages of the competition whenever the situation suits you. If you are happy with the team selection for both Europe and the USA and ready to play fourball - click on PLAY .
END OF A SESSION

After each session of play, the scoreboard is displayed showing the current match status. If there is another session of play to come, you will then be returned to the first scoreboard and invited to select the line up for this stage.
THE OTHER RYDER CUP SESSIONS

AFTERNOON DAY 1 and 2 - FOURBALL By now you should be familiar with how foursome is played, so choose your line up in the same manner as you did it the morning's foursome. The option to play in any or all of the fourball matches applies as for foursomes.
FOURBALL - SKIPPING TURNS

The player furthest from the hole is always obliged to play first, but the ability to change the turns of the players is a useful feature that has been added to our fourball game. Designed to stop any stagnation in play, it is most useful when a player is sure they cannot achieve a win for the team. Here, even though it is their shot next, they can decline to take it, passing the turn on to the other member of the partnership. After a player has taken a shot, the game's statistics appear on screen. The player highlighted in BLUE is the next one to play. If you have control of that player, you can now pass this turn on to any of the other players in this match. This is done by clicking on the player you want to play next with the left mouse button, highlighting that player in BLUE. This will speed up fourball play, especially for the beginner who takes a large score over par for each hole.
THE FINAL DAY SINGLES

No matter how badly you have done over the previous days games, the whole match can be turned around with the singles. All twelve squad players line up against each other. Choose the line up of your team in the same manner as you have done previously, but take extra consideration when selecting the human player as there are a few differences to DAYS 1 and 2.

Initially, a maximum of four players can come under human control, but this option can be stretched after each hole to allow your ability to be transferred to any of the matches. Select to play in MATCH 1, 2, 4 and 5 you must always select the lead off match as you already know. On completion of the first hole, the scoreboard is displayed showing the current state of play for MATCH 1. Now, if you were to exit the scoreboard straight away, without altering the set up, the next match you would play is MATCH 2 - that is the second match you selected to play in, while MATCH 1 would not progress until you returned to it, after completing the hole.

As the other matches you selected to play in come around to tee off, in this case 4 & 5, you will play those, while MATCH 1 & 2 wait for your participation. If you do not wish to play in MATCH 2, or for that matter MATCH 4 & 5, just de-select your involvement in them, by clicking on your player with left mouse button. Now you are only playing in the one match, MATCH 1, but still have the option to play in any of three other matches that are out on the course. The Singles are the deciding event of the competition, it is not unusual for the cup to won on the eighteenth hole of the last match the competition can be that close. You have no partner to rely on and your performance will swing the day one way or the other.