Golf requires creativity—an ability to think outside the box and navigate treacherous obstacles and terrain with an arsenal of shot types. PGA TOUR 2K23 boasts all of the shot types you’re accustomed to using in real life, but allows you to execute them with perhaps a little more precision. Understanding how to utilize the shot types, shot shaping, and True Shot technology can be the difference between a stellar round and a round to forget. Learn how to master these skills with direct insight from members of the HB Studios team.

We offer seven shot presets: Normal (full swing), Punch, Pitch, Flop, Chip, Splash, and Putt. Beyond that our “True Shot” shot shaper feature opens the door to a plethora of different ball flights, to get yourself exactly where you want to be and out of a tough lie. For example, using our Normal Shot with a driver, wood, or any other low lofted club you can create a stinger, by delofting and reducing the spin on the shot using True Shot. To accomplish this, hold the True Shot button (L1/LB/LShift) and move both the Left Stick and Right Stick up to the top of the UI. Now you’re set up for a Stinger. You can even fine tune how much that Stinger climbs by using the Right Stick to adjust the spin.

Or take our Chip shot for example; by default you get this pretty standard chip bounce and roll all relative to the amount of power applied to the shot. But maybe playing a Bump-n-Run is the best play here, you would essentially set up the shot just like a Stinger with the Normal shot, but instead using the Chip Shot preset as the baseline. Or maybe you need to combat that pesky slope on the green and need your chip shot to check up immediately, again using True Shot but instead pulling both sticks down will pop that chip a bit higher and apply maximum spin, allowing it to land softer and check up faster.

It’s also important to remember that your golfer's SHAPING attribute impacts how versatile the True Shot shot shaper feature is for you out on the course. A golfer with a low Shaping attribute won’t be able to bend and spin shots with the same efficiency as one with a high Shaping attribute.

Golf is a game that can throw you into the unexpected, when you least expect it. Having the tools at your disposal to make the most of the situation, expected or not. The base shot type presets that we offer are the ones most commonly used throughout a round of golf. True Shot comes into play to expand on those core presets when the situation calls for it. The more comfortable you get using True Shot, the better your scores will be, because getting that ball to sit down in just the right place is something you have to plan for, and then perform.

It’s important to know that the longer the grass the ball lies in, and the deeper it is buried (communicated both visually and by the Lie Penalty information in the HUD) that controlling the spin and launch speed of a shot becomes a lot harder. Distance loss is a guarantee, as is the loss of spin, and these factors can have a significant impact on the ball flight and rollout. 

We wouldn’t necessarily suggest that there is a shot type best suited to a cut of grass, rather than the cut of grass, the lie depth/penalty, and distance to your target all play a role in determining the best shot type for the situation. You’re not going to play a 30-yard chip out of the heavy rough, if you’re 180 yards from the pin, just like you wouldn’t play a 90-yard Pitch shot if you're sitting 20 yards from the green. 

What we would suggest during the shot setup phase:

1. Find a target landing location that you want to play for.
2. Determine how you want the ball to interact with that landing location.
3. Understand the Lie Penalty.
4. Understand the Elevation.
5. Understand the Wind Direction and Speed.
6. Find a club and shot type combination that best suits the situation.
   1. Use True Shot to fine tune your selected shot type or create a new one.

Yes. While it may technically be possible to Flop shot a 3i (I’ve seen it done) it’s extremely difficult, and probably the last thing you’d ever see a TOUR Pro attempt on TOUR. The same could be said about chipping with a 5w or putting with a Driver. So while we don’t open the flood gates entirely, our shot type to club type restrictions are pretty flexible. Here’s a quick rundown of what shot type presets you can select with what clubs:

• Normal Shot - D, 3w, 4w, 5w, 3h, 4h, 5h, 3i, 4i, 5i, 6i, 7i, 8i, 9i, PW, GW, SW, LW
• Punch Shot - D, 3w, 4w, 5w, 3h, 4h, 5h, 3i, 4i, 5i, 6i, 7i, 8i, 9i, PW, GW, SW, LW
• Pitch Shot - 5i, 6i, 7i, 8i, 9i, PW, GW, SW, LW
• Chip Shot - 5i, 6i, 7i, 8i, 9i, PW, GW, SW, LW
• Flop Shot - PW, GW, SW, LW
• Splash Shot - 8i, 9i, PW, GW, SW, LW
• Putt - Putter

You could have the nicest set of clubs in your bag, but if you don’t know how to get the most out of them then you’re at a serious disadvantage. Your shots won’t always come from a perfect lie in the middle of the fairway, so mastering shot shaping and knowing when to use certain shot types can set your game apart from the competition. Feel free to reference our glossary below containing more shot type definitions and terminology.

Normal Shot

This is your standard full powered shot. The most common shot you’ll perform tee to green and is available across all club types. This shot type is essentially the most forgiving in terms of swing input difficulty.

Punch Shot

The Punch shot is another preset shot type that will allow you to keep the ball as low as possible in its trajectory. This is ideal when you find yourself off the beaten path and have some low hanging branches you want to get under. This shot is known for having a very long roll out, so keep that in mind when choosing the target distance.

Pitch Shot

A Pitch is a three-quarter power shot, great for approaching the green from within 100yds. It's extremely versatile when shot shaping as you can really manipulate the spin control during your shot setup. Pitch shots with added spin can rip backwards on the green, while delofting the shot turns into a Pitch-n-Run style shot explained below.

Chip Shot

A very short range shot, used around the edge of the green, that gets the ball up and down quickly. Chip shots don’t spin too much, but with some finesse in the True Shot Shaper, you can get them to check up pretty quickly with a high lofted wedge.

Flop Shot

A short-mid range high arcing shot that lands soft and rolls only a little, the flop shot is the hardest of shot types to perform, but a quality strike can have great precision and leave you within a short distance of the pin.

Splash Shot

Our preset Splash Shot is designed to take sand with every swing. This generally reduces spin, distance, and control of the ball once it lands. It will get you out of a bunker, but it won’t do you many favors when precision is needed.

Stinger

Made famous by Tiger Woods… This is a shot type that must be setup for using the True Shot Shaper feature. This is a long range, low flighted shot that does a great job combating the wind. This is a good option to employ when you need as much distance as possible while also combating a crossing-headwind. Remember that the rollout will travel quite a bit further than a standard drive off the tee.

Bump-n-Run

The Bump-n-Run is a variation on the chip shot. By de-lofting your chip shot and reducing the attack angle (push both LS and RS forward in the True Shot Shaping UI) you can achieve a shot that gets itself back onto the ground as soon as possible to roll like a putt across the green. When setting up for a bump and run the goal should be to only carry the ball in the air to the edge of the green, to a position where the ball can roll like a putt toward the cup. So you need to choose your landing spot and read the green from that point onward before taking this shot. When done right, it’s an extremely powerful way to approach the pin.

Pitch-n-Run

A Pitch-n-Run, which is similar to a Bump-n-Run but performed from the Pitch shot. It keeps the trajectory lower to combat wind, allows you to carry much further than a chip shot will, and provides longer bounce and roll, which can be beneficial when the pin is at the back of the green.

Short-Sided Bunker Shot

To perform this shot it’s a bit different and requires some finesse to control distance. First, in the True Shot interface, move the Right Stick all the way to the bottom. Next, and this is where finding the right loft is key, move the Left Stick down until you see the trajectory arc sitting in your desired location. Remember that elevation and lie penalty will chew up some yards, depending on what difficulty setting you are playing on, so be sure to account for those during your shot set up.