Christmas at Calas and Andee's Golf

 

By Gemma Cleanslate

Of course the Christmas region that Calas Galadhon creates is so spectacular every year. It is not to be missed! Andee Cooper took her mystery tour there this year and I was able to go with her and the other participants.

The sleigh ride is the way to see the beauty of the region on the way to the skating lake and the Pavilion. Listening to the music enhances the ride as you pass builds along the way. There are some new buildings as usual this year. Ty Tenk and Truck Meredith make sure that everyone who visits has a wonderful time exploring, attending events almost daily, skating, or just relaxing by the outdoor fire or in one of the smaller pavilions.
 

I spied Santa climbing high above the Pavilion.

 

The Pavilion itself was filled with poinsettias and the rooms inside a wonderful place to listen to music and just enjoy the décor. Group members always find gifts on the tables next to the main entrance. I have several cats and a dog from years back and of course some snow globes. There is much to do all over the region and taking the balloon ride gives one a chance to look down on all the beauty. 

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Li0nHeart%20Galaxy/122/241/3096

While Andee and I were riding she told me that she and her husband had installed a miniature golf on their region so I took a ride over to check it out. All the directions are posted on how to play. Grab your hud and score board and go! There are places to take photos on poses .. try the Gingerbread house. Softly falling snow adds to the fun!

Andee 004As one moves along the course you get to look at the lovely frosted winter trees. She told me many families had been coming to play . A little skating pond is available too. 

 

At the last hole who is waiting for you ? Old St Nick is sitting on his throne below the score board. It was a delightful setting and I took advantage to sit and take my Christmas texture. You still have time to go play golf with the kiddies on their vacation week! 

 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Li0nHeart%20Galaxy/122/241/3096

Gemma Cleanslate

 

Emerald Crystal Golf Course

 

By Gemma Cleanslate 

There are several in world games that I still play very often. One game that I have written about before but not for a while. Every Wednesday a group of us get together to go golfing at Emerald Crystal Golf Course. There are other courses but we are most comfortable at this one. It is well managed and well kept up. The trees and flowers and landscaping is pleasant and animals roam the area but stay out of our way (except a skunk once in a while). The water courses are lovely but a hazard at times. There are hills and valleys with rocks over the course and bridges that sometimes seem to be in the way.

We have great fun even though I am not very, very good at it, but I do ok most of the time. We usually play 9 holes. One week we will do 1-9 and the next week we move to 10-18. If I am having a good day I will have a score of 28 or 29. I won’t tell you about the bad days lol. The better score would be 24 but I have only had that one time that I can recall.

At the entrance there are clubs for rent for the price of 10L with a score card and hud with three choices of club to use. The direction card gives lots of hints to new golfers so don’t pass it up. Read it! If one plays often it is good to have one’s own set and you can buy it here. It can be used at other courses too. For far shots there is a driver. For closer shots or to get out of a bad spot there is the wedge, and of course, our friendly putter. 

 

At every tee along the course there is a board telling you if it is a 4 shot hole, or more or less. After we shoot an arrow show where we landed .

The putter is to get into that hole from a distance or close to it and it takes practice. Overshooting the hole is no fun. Getting used to going the correct distance with the driver also needs practice. On the ground there is a practice area for the putter.

Above on a platform there is a large practice area for distance and learning to use the driver well. The meters are marked out so you can judge how much power you need.

Laz Dressler is the manager and care taker of ECGC . She is helpful and keeps the group members informed of any changes or activities. By the way there is also a skeet shoot up on the practice platform.Stop in the club house to check that out and have fun, win or lose. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dark%20Sun%20Island/39/62/22

Gemma Cleanslate

Zenescope

 
By Gemma Cleanslate
 

“The Zenescope universe is now in Second Life! Interact with your favorite characters and immerse yourself in an all-new multi-region virtual world experience featuring exclusive games, roleplaying, shopping, hidden surprises, and more...”

I ran over to check out the new Zenescope Metaverse.  The elegant portal took me to the entrance of the game. Well, actually it is not all a game. It is a lovely region built by  some of the dear Moles with games available. The first thing I did was just roam around and check out the whole place.

The first visit I made was to the accessories stores. It seems that the underlying theme of this place is the gorgeous heroes of graphic novels. There are outfits , crowns, and other items to purchase. Ralph  Tedesco  of the graphic novels  had a hand in the creation. Check out this website . https://zenescope.com/. I am not really a follower of these novels so don't know the heroes or heroines but I do know that they are a wonderful way of capturing the interest of young readers who might not really love reading as a hobby. I succumbed to the temptation and bought a set of the official shirts. There are Cinderella shirts but I decided these were more appropriate for my job. 

After the look at the goods I stopped into the  Cafe next to the shops and grabbed a beer from the bar. I found a really nice collection of mugs that are free .

My next stop was at the large castle. Only one room was really open to view. I toured the area in back of the castle which is part of a short golf game, and has little spaces got check out. There is a large cemetery back there too. At one gate to the walks behind the castle  I saw a sweet little picnic table that had a sign reading “ I am not a trap”. Well, don’t believe everything you read but do take a chance to touch the table, an adventure awaits.  

I  ventured over  to visit the large green glistening head I saw nodding in the distance. A most lovely jabberwocky was connected to the head. I thought he was just bowing to greet me when I approached . Again I was mistaken. Have you ever been in the stomach of a jabberwocky? 

A massive maze takes up room at one corner  of the region . Have fun there too. It is scary running into a dead end . In the center is a magical garden with picnic tables. One of the markers for the quest is there which made me eager to use the hud I had seen.

 The second time I returned I picked up the hud at the entrance, checked out the marker under the sign and directions and started off following the hints. Many of the places I had already visited were involved in the Quest. You must complete it in order so follow the instructions in local chat. It took a while but I did manage to get to the end and collected my reward. LOL

After that experience I went back to try the golf course. Wow. Make sure you have time to read the directions . It took a bit and I restarted the game three times but finally managed to get to the end. Well, I did not think it was the end because the hud said go to hole 6. Hole 5  had a sign saying I had finished the fifth hole and go back to the beginning. I’ m not sure if hole 6 is actually hole one and have not had time to do it all again but I will.

Along my travels I came upon a new portal that announces Chapter 2 . We shall see. It is a fun place and I look forward to seeing the next chapter. http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Zenescope%20Portal%20A/237/101/23

Gemma Cleanslate
 

The Emerald Crystal Golf Course

By Gemma Cleanslate

 About 8 or 9 years go in Second Life, I started to learn how to play golf with my friend Alarice. Not miniature golf but full golf on a course of 18 holes. I cannot recall why we stopped, perhaps the course closed. But I let it go and never restarted. I think I liked it at the time  but did not have time to get very good at it.

 However, my friend, Bergie is an expert and has played in SL for years and offered to teach me to play again so off we went. I met her and two other friends, Beertje and Particle and our philosophy teacher Herman Bergson (also and expert, at the Emerald  Crystal Golf Course.  We picked up our clubs  and went over to figure out the playing hud at the putting green. I was terrible! It took ages for me to figure out the hud (not reading all the directions of course ) but finally got enough practice  to say “lets try the real holes” and off we went.

 The first time we played was a disaster. It took a while . At one point I got twisted around and ended up driving the ball at the wrong hole!  Practice is the  answer. The following day  I found the driving range and spent time there so that I would improve. Finally I read the manual and tips to doing well was able to get the hang of it. I played 9 holes by myself , took my time and did beautifully. The hud helps choose the trail of the ball and marking it, showing the wind, making it much easier to play better.

 After a few games I decided to buy my own clubs with the hud and a score card. I had been using the very inexpensive rental clubs. I believe these clubs that I purchases can be used at other courses too. There are many others in SL but my friends were members here so this is where they play. It is now ready for Halloween!!

The course is very well laid out with 18 holes. There are lovely greens, beautiful trees and shrubs around the course.  Water surrounds many of the greens ( it is a good thing we have a derender option in SL, it comes in handy).  There are horses grazing, deer standing not afraid of us at all and other wildlife to be seen. Halloween has arrived already!

Not only is this a golf course but the owners have a skeet shooting area and some other interesting activities. They also have events at the  19th Hole club so it is a busy region. Try it if you are looking for something different to do in Second Life. 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Dark%20Sun%20Island/38/55/22

Gemma Cleanslate

The Aero Golf Club

By Becky "Sha" Shamen

Long before becoming a reporter for the SL Newser, this bunny was hopping to the four corners of the grid, in search of the next been there done that.  A friend and I would take turns introducing the other to a new place and  activity. One of these adventures took place at a golf course. I had never tried real life golf, other than on a computer simulation, so was game to try it in SL. Turned out, I really liked it, although I couldn't explain why. Hoping to introduce our readers to this fun adventure, we searched for a golf sim, to re-learn the game and take notes on the back of the score card of the things we liked.

Our first pick was a place called the Aero Golf Club. But we soon learned of several other great clubs. From the landing, we pass through the clubhouse, noting large meeting rooms on either side. They must have some big events and tournaments here. Out on the back patio, you'll see a large pool on your right and to the left there is a kiosk, where you join the club, to be allowed to play there (free) and get a HUD and golf club.

The golf club is what they call a loner and is good for 24 hours and only at Aero. You can always get a new loner club for each time you come, or click the [?] on the HUD to learn where to buy your own, use anywhere kit, which even comes with it's own holes.

Next, we find the first tee, just a few steps from the kiosk. A large marker gives the tee number and it's par and has an arrow on top, pointed to the hole. Two small blocks mark the starting line Aim your body in the direction of the hole, then select the Driver from the HUD. This does several things to set you up to shoot. The head of the club adjusts shape, you are posed to hit the ball, a small cloud emits a tail to show direction and strength of wind and a pointer on the ground allows you to aim, using left and right arrow keys. Having  aimed in the right direction, you must now decide how hard to hit the ball. Click and hold down the left mouse button, in a clear area like the sky. As you keep it held down, a bars meter adds bars and changes color, as it reaches the maximum power level. Letting the button up allows the swing to begin and hit the ball. As the ball travels, it leaves a cool strobe light trail, which remains as you approach it. To get you to the ball's exact location, a large ball marker hovers above it. When you are close enough to click the marker, it will TP you to the ball. From this position, we follow the same steps as before, facing the direction of the hole, picking a club from the HUD, aiming and hitting. After you sink your putt in the hole, a look around the perimeter of the green will find the arrow that points to the next tee.

The HUD and club are simple to use and, after only a few holes, you begin to get pretty good at using them. Playing golf at Aero  is way better than a mere golf simulator, for several reasons.  The sim is a beautiful park-like setting, with a very enjoyable music stream. You can't help but find yourself thinking that this would be a great place to bring a friend or date. There are several places for small gatherings, like  a gazebo and the beach.

On my last visit to gather a few last details and pics, my radar picked up an avatar moving about the sim. Moving to their location, there was nobody to see. Then she welcomed me to which the reply was "Hi invisible lady". We worked out that a glitch in my viewer was keeping her from rezzing, while she could see me and my Newser Reporter tag. She told me about the golf world, in SL. I followed her as she finished her last few holes, although she was invisible, by following the bouncing ball. When her round was finished, she took me to two more golf sims and I could see her in those. We quickly looked around Hazeltine Golf course, then went to Claremont Pines to meet Ben Sauber, a top competitor on the circuit. My hostess qlued me that they use voice, when playing, so I turned it on. Having only recently upgraded to voice, I was amazed at how much the added dimension increased the fun. 

We highly recommend golf, in SL. My good friend, Doc Philly, liked it so much, he went out and bought his own set of clubs. Perhaps you'll catch him there, shooting some rounds.

Lavender (233, 127, 25)
 

"Sha"

AERO Golf Club

By Wesley Regenbogen

Golfing, it must be the coolest sport around the world!

The AERO Golf Club was created by Kaja Ashland and Marcus Bremser, who are also the owners of the club, and the opened in November 2013. Although this isn’t the first golf club within the Second Life environment, it’s a cool and nicely created club.

The number of visitors depends on which time of the day and which day of the week you there. But actual numbers on how much visitors were not given. But they have large club of golfers that come in and play regularly.

How to golf in AERO Golf Club :

To play golf, you must first join their group, and then you get a “Golf HUD” and a “Golf Club” handed to you. You must accept it to go further. This is done to keep order on the golf terrain and to keep it’s landscape nice. Another reason is that they want to avoid everyone using the golf club as a sandbox. So, only group members can rez the golf ball and other things to start playing. You need to wear both the HUD and the club in order to play golf.

Then you must move your avatar to the first hole, which are indicated by the red-white indicators. On your Golf HUD there are three words : “Putter”, “Wedge” and “Driver”. Those are the type of clubs to make your tee get towards the hole. Physics do have an effect on gameplay, so natural effects like wind, weather conditions and the golf ball also reacts to ground shape and other objects on the track.

Once you putted a hole, you can move on to the next tee, which is clearly indicated with arrows with “ Next tee”. Before you start to try to push your golf ball towards the hole, you can adjust the direction of your throw by using your arrow keys. More precise targeting is done by holding down the Shift-key and the arrow keys on your keyboard.

On screen there is always the wind speed in mph. Once you are ready to golf, just click on “Driver” and then you can hold down the left mouse button until the speed indicator from green towards red, allowing you to adjust the speed of your throw.

To hit your golf ball, you can release the left mouse button. Your avatar now shows an animation of a golfer hitting his golf ball towards the hole. Once your golf ball has landed somewhere on the course, it will show a marker where the ball is. To teleport towards the golf ball, you need to click on the marker, your avatar will teleport there instantly.

There are 18 holes to complete before finishing the game. I haven’t completed a game of 18 holes myself yet.

There are basic and advanced tutorials, which are available at tee number 1 under the white tent.

In my personal opinion : this is the coolest golf club that I have visited in Second Life so far. But I have only visited one golf club in Second Life, haha ….

You can find AERO Golf Club at this location :

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lavender/128/86/28

Wesley Regenbogen

The Cheeky Cow Golf Course

I went off to see an sim I heard about, but instead found an interesting place next door. It is a wonderful Golf game sim called The Cheeky Cow. Marilyn Philbin and Taylor Revnik are the owners who seem to keep everything going. There are free golf lessons too.

I have never played golf in real-life. In SL, I have played mini golf on the Galaxy so I decided to check this place out and try it without lessons. What fun! I got lost after the first hole, and took a wrong turn. I spent a lot of shots falling down hill, into water, sand and then discovered I was on the wrong approach to the wrong hole! Good thing I was just practicing. I was not using the score hud which tracks everything you do and keeps score.

I watched some other people playing and realized, well, maybe I was not that bad. I invited Qwark to join me and Bejiita came along to try it . We had a riot and some cheating went on I am sorry to say, but we made our way around the first nine. I will definitely be going back to practice some more before I play with anyone again.

It is possible to rent clubs but I went the whole way and bought the clubs with the hud. At the entrance there is a store where you can buy all the clothing and accessories you want. And the free scoring Hud is on the wall in the store so look for it. There are golf tournaments often I see and the winners have amazing scores. You are invited to TP to a Haunted course if you like. Scary!!

It is a new adventure for me in SL and I will be playing for a while . There is also a “walkabout” and they call it, and it is a great place for a horseback ride. Look for some other fun things to do there too. My friend Alarice, who is a real-life golfer, and I will play soon. I have not even seen the second 9 yet but there is a tavern next to 18 which I popped into for obvious reasons.


Begin your adventure here: Kitykana (131, 234, 26)

Gemma Cleanslate