HOW TO LINEUP YOUR SHOT CORRECTLY -

HOW TO LINE UP YOUR SHOT CORRECTLY

wind, bunkers, high winds …

In A Nutshell …

Apart from stage 1, the ball never lands exactly where the guideline ends.
Wind direction and wind level affects where the ball will land.
In some cases, ground debuff does as well.
In some cases, backspin does as well.
You need to adjust your shot accordingly.

CONTENTS OF THIS PAGE

If you need a specific information, just click on any of the following links and jump directly to the section of your interest:

THE WIND RING
THE”OLD” WIND CHART SYSTEM
THE “NEW” WIND CHART SYSTEM
- Understanding the New Wind Ring
- The “NEW” Wind Ring System – Video Examples
THE TUG TRICK
- The Tug Trick – Video Examples
BACKSPIN AFFECT TRAJECTORY
- Backspin Affects Trajectory – Video Examples
DEBUFF
- Debuff – Video Examples
CALCULATING HIGH WINDS (ABOVE 10)
- Wind Correction Calculation Table
- Wind Correction Automatic Calculator
CROSSHAIR
- Popular Apps and Methods

THE WIND RING

Golf Rival features a unique wind mechanic that you will encounter from Stage 2 onward.

The Wind Chart may seem complex at first, but once you learn how to read values and align correctly, it becomes one of the most powerful tools in Golf Rival. With enough practice, you will consistently execute accurate shots, both dunk and non-dunk, and take your game to the next level.

The in-game tutorial introduces it, but often without enough clarity for players to master it.

Golf Rival has recently adopted a “NEW” Wind Ring system; after some time it decided to keep the “OLD” and the “NEW” Wind Ring systems. Players can select which one to use going to “settings” in the home page of the game.

This guide explains how the OLD and the NEW Wind Rings Systems work and how to use them effectively.

Beyond dunk shots, the wind chart can also guide bounce-ins, trick shots, and flagpole shots.

If obstacles (trees, terrain) block your view, use the chart to approximate the hole’s position.
For extra accuracy, use a crosshair app to align the center point.
Switch to rear view and pull back to the correct value.
Time your shot perfectly for the ball to drop.

For advanced shots:

Line up as if the arrow shows the ball entering the hole.
Pull back to your wind value.
Hit with precise timing, using both top and rear views to avoid errors.

THE “OLD” WIND CHART SYSTEM

Key Elements of the OLD Wind Chart

When reading the Wind Chart, pay attention to these components:

The Arrow
The Center Point
The Rings (White, Green, Yellow)
The Blocks (small blocks on each side of the chart)
The Backside of the chart system

These parts help you fine-tune shots and adjust for wind influence.

Wind Rings Come in Three Colors

There are three different rings in Golf Rival: white, yellow, and green.

As the three rings have different scales, it is important to observe which one is in use at any given time:

White Wind Chart (long-distance shots)

Center Point = 0
1st Ring = 3
2nd Ring = 6
3rd Ring = 9
Block = 10

Yellow Wind Chart (mid-range shots)

(Note: the values of the Yellow Chart are exactly double than those of the White Chart.)

Center Point = 0
1st Ring = 6
2nd Ring = 12
3rd Ring = 18
Block = 20

Green Wind Chart (short-range shots)

Center Point = 0
1st Ring = 15
2nd Ring = 30
3rd Ring = 45
Block = 50

A ring shows which way the wind is blowing (big orange arrow inside the ring), and has concentric arches denoting how far the landing point of your ball will change based on the wind level.

In the OLD Wind Ring System, the numbers shown on the illustrations below are NOT actually shown in the game.

The white ring is used when the shot distance is over 100 yards.

Drives are always with the white ring as are most wood shots except for some short (low level) woods early in the game. Long iron shots may be with the white ring.

Each arch of the white ring equates to a wind level of 3.

The yellow ring is used when the shot distance is less than ~100 yards.

Iron and wedge shots are often with the yellow ring.

Each arch of the yellow ring equates to a wind level of 6.

The green ring is used when the shot distance is around ~30-40 yards and less.

Wedge shots close to the green, out of a bunker, or short distance chipping out of the rough are often with the green ring.

Each arch of the green ring equates to a wind level of 15.

Wind values between the arches and outside the third arch.

Again, the numbers shown on the illustrations are not actually shown in the game, nor are the thin inner arches.

Ring Examples

To be successful it is critical that you understand the three rings, and how they have different scales denoted by their colors.

Below are examples of three different wind levels and a star dot, showing where you should aim for each of the different ring colors for the 7.5 wind level.

Basic Wind Adjustment

Q: Is wind speed measured in mph, kph, meter per second, knots or what?

A: Golf Rival does not specify neither speed nor velocity. Think in terms of “wind level” in relation to the three rings, not in relation to distance.

Here is an example of how to accurately adjust for the wind.

The method we demonstrate first looks at the ring from an vertical point of view, and then looks at the ring from a side view.

It is perfectly fine to do it in the other order: start with a side view and then look at the ring pointing up/down.

Step 1

Align the shot, ignoring the wind for now. Just use the yellow guideline and place the white center dot of the ring where you want the ball to go.

Note that the ring is centered at the first point of impact and the ball may bounce and roll further as shown by the yellow guideline.

Step 2

Rotate the view, and zoom in if necessary.

Many people find it easiest to get an accurate wind adjustment if you do so with the wind pointing straight up or straight down.

In this example we will rotate the view so that the wind is pointing straight up.

Step 3

Now we move the ring in the opposite direction of the wind until the part of the ring that represents 7.5 is directly over the hole (or our desired impact point).

If the hole wasn’t there to use as a reference point, we would use a crosshair app, or a static reference such as the pattern on the green, leaf, edge of the rough, top of the shot button, etc. to aim for.

Double check that the color of the ring has not changed during adjustment. If it has, readjust according to the new color.

Step 4

Adjust for “parallax”!

There are two common but related mistakes made when players are making wind adjustments.

Only looking at how they’re aiming from one view.
Ignoring the “parallax” effect.

Luckily, the two are related and fixing one will fix the other.

“Parallax” is the effect whereby the position of an object appears to differ when viewed from different positions.

Always check your aim from the side prior to taking your shot.

Step 5

Double check your aim and take your shot.

Adjusting for Wind – Video Examples

Video Examples – White Ring – Drivers

Video Examples – White Ring – Woods

Video Examples – White Ring – Irons

Video Examples – Yellow Ring – Woods

Video Examples – Yellow Ring – Irons

Video Examples – Yellow Ring – Wedges

Video Examples – Green Ring – Wedges

The “NEW” Wind Ring System

Golf Rival has changed the graphics of the wind rings.
The game mechanics, and therefore the instructions, are still the same.

Please, read FIRST the guide to the OLD Wind Ring System, then proceed here: most rules/regulations are the same, only with different graphics.

The “new wind ring” in Golf Rival is a redesigned wind meter that has replaced the old system.

While many players find the new design confusing, with some numbers and lines replacing the familiar old rings, the underlying principle of adjusting shots for wind is the same.

Understanding the new wind ring

Colors

There are three different wind rings: White, Yellow, and Green. The color changes to indicate the strength of the wind.

White Ring

Yellow Ring

Green Ring

Arc values

Each arc on the Wind Ring represents a different wind speed. The ball will always land in the center of the arrow.

Numbers

The new system includes more numbers that can be used for more precise adjustments, such as 10, 11, and 14.

Adjustments

Look up your club’s accuracy and find that number in the accuracy column. The wind/ring column will tell you how much wind per ring, and the 5-ring column will tell you how much wind for 5 rings. Rings are counted from the center of the target out, with the bullseye not counting.

Estimating

Players are still learning how to use the new system. You can make educated guesses for numbers between the markers.

Club adjustment

For sand wedge and high-arc shots, you may need to double the adjustment as a general rule.

Ball power

When using a power ball, the wind will affect the flight of the ball less than if you were to use a basic ball.

Settings

You can switch back to the old system in the settings.

The “NEW” Wind Ring System – Video Examples

New images are constantly uploaded; please see the following wonderful video by Ayema (Golf Rival 007).

Thanks to Ayema (Golf Rival 007), please see this video!

GuestSix has kindly recorded several examples of shot positioning using the new wind ring.

Below you will find a selection of examples showing how to handle this new system and how to determine the correct alignment for accurate shots.

The Tug Trick

The range of the white ring overlaps with the range of the yellow ring, and the range of the yellow ring overlaps with the range of the green ring.

If the ball lies on the boundary of the ranges, it is sometimes possible to pull a white ring so you get into the range of the yellow ring, or pull the yellow ring so you get into the range of the green ring.

Both “tricks” makes the wind adjustment obviously easier.

The Tug Trick in Action

Yellow ring pulled to green.

Notice how the game automatically changes from an iron (Slingshot) to a wedge (Stream).

When pushed back to the target, the club selection is automatically changed back to the iron, but the ring in this case remains green.

The Tug Trick – Video Examples

White → Yellow

Yellow → Green

Backspin Affects Trajectory

On holes with elevational differences, backspin may affect ball trajectory.

No Elevational Difference

When there is no elevational difference, the yellow guideline showing the ball’s path has its point of impact on the dot in the middle of the ring despite backspin.

If you go for a dunk here, you simply adjust for 5.0 wind as normal.

Full backspin on a Bat Wings 6 on stage 10 High Alps hole 2 par 4

Minor Elevational Difference

When there is an elevational difference, the yellow guideline’s point of impact may become offset from the ring’s center dot when using backspin.

In the following example from stage 9 Grand Canyon hole 5 par 5 where the elevational difference is minor, the offset can be avoided by reducing the amount of backspin:

Full backspin on a Peacock 5 on stage 9 Grand Canyon hole 5 par 5: point of impact offset from white dot. Backspin is reduced, offset is gone

You would proceed by adjusting for 8.2 wind on the yellow ring as normal.

Major Elevational Difference

When the elevational difference is substantial and you have an obstacle between you and the green that requires a certain amount of backspin to get over, as on stage 8 Egypt Sands hole 2 par 4, reducing backspin in order to align the yellow guideline’s point of impact with the ring’s center dot is no longer a viable solution.

Stage 8 Egypt Sands hole 2 par 4

On a hole like stage 8 Egypt Sands hole 2 par 4 you have two options, either

use a driver with side spin such as Earth to get around the wall and roll in, or
adjust the point of impact on your backspin/topspin driver (Helm, Bat Wings etc.):

Backspin Affects Trajectory – Video Examples

Holes where backspin may affect trajectory include the following:

Stage 2 Provence hole 1 par 3
Stage 3 Mongolia hole 4 par 3
Stage 8 Egypt Sands hole 2 par 4
Stage 8 Egypt Sands hole 7 par 3

Example Video: HIO BW4

Stage 8 Egypt Sands hole 8 par 3

Example Video: HIO BW1

Stage 9 Grand Canyon hole 5 par 5Closer view
Stage 9 Egypt Sands hole 7 par 3Closer view

Example Video: HIO BW4

Stage 8 Egypt Sands hole 8 par 3Closer view

Example Video: HIO BW1

Stage 10 High Alps hole 7 par 5Closer view
Stage 10 High Alps hole 9 par 3Closer view
Stage 10 High Alps hole 11 par 3Closer view
Stage 11 Iceland hole 4 par 5Closer view

Debuff

Wiktionary lists “debuff” (noun) as a negative status effect in a video game.

“In Golf Rival, “debuff” is short for “ground debuff” or “terrain debuff”. It is the negative effect that occurs when the ball lands in most patches of rough and in the bunker: it shortens the shot distance with a certain percentage.

When it happens (see image above), it will be clearly indicated on the screen with the notice
“Ground Debuff: Distance -xx%”
where [-xx] is in the range of minus 5% for some patches of rough early in the game, down to minus 24% for some bunkers late in the game.
Also, a yellow rectangle is visible between the lay and the wind ring.

The landing point is no longer in the center of the ring, but will be in the center of the rectangle, before adjusting for wind.

There are several different methods to deal with debuff:

Use a special ball that eliminates debuff.
Use a club that eliminates debuff.
Manually adjust for debuff.

Comments:

Use a special ball that eliminates debuff.
On rough patches coded with -9% ground debuff values and above, Energy Beam with the Power ☆☆ property will remove debuff entirely. See the page “Balls” for details.
If the ground debuff value is -10% and below, using a special ball to deal with debuff becomes more costly.
One single property special ball, Energy Storm, and multiple triple properties special balls have the property Power ☆☆☆ that eliminates debuff altogether.
Energy Storm is a rare ball: it is only given as a reward in one single Daily Quest (“Get 1 Legendary card”) and in one single Active Quest (“Get 3 Legendary cards”), and is expensive to buy in the shop: USD 0.28-0.42’ish per ball.
Triple properties special balls come in a very limited number as Free Quest Rewards and Bonus Quest Rewards in a Challenge Season, but are otherwise bought in the shop, see the page “Balls” for details.

Use a club that eliminates debuff. Two Legendary clubs ignore debuff: the iron Peacock and the wedge Shuttle.
Manually adjust for debuff.

Let’s take a few examples assuming you have no special balls to spare and do not have Peacock and Shuttle.

Straight forward case where you keep the guideline over the hole.
Stuck in the rough.

Above Example as Video

b. Case where we use side spin and roll in.

Above Example as Video

Tip:
In both examples above an Energy Beam would eliminate debuff altogether.

Debuff – Video Examples

Yellow Ring

Green Ring

Calculating High Winds (Above 10)

In high winds (winds above 10), the wind ring grows and shrinks with distance at a fixed of 10% over 10.

The first 10 are unaffected by size change, so the calculations needed beyond that are only made concerning the additional wind. For instance, with perfect tailwind the wind ring will shrink by 10% over 10.

17.8 – 10 = 7.8 (the amount to calculate)
7.8 x 0.1 = 0.78 (the 10% alteration)
7.8 – 0.78 = 7.02 (taking that off to account for shrinkage)
7.02 + 10 = 17.02 (re-adding the 10mph)

This is over complicating it, but the details are necessary to explain in detail and help to understand.

How the High Wind Calculation Works in Practice

⬅️➡️Side winds are unaffected
⬆️⬇️+/-10% for headwind(-) tailwind(+)
↗️↘️+/-5% for headwind(-) tailwind(+) as it will affect the growth/shrink by half

Wind Correction Calculation Table

You can use the following table as a reminder, or use the calculator afterwards to have a quick reply on ANY wind condition!

For those of you who like calculating by themselves, the algorithm is the following:

FULL TAILWIND: (GRwind-10)*0.9+10
FULL HEADWIND: (GRwind -10)*1.1+10
HALF TAILWIND: (GRwind -10)*0.95+10
HALF HEADWIND: (GRwind -10)*1.05+10

Wind Correction Automatic Calculator

If, like most, you want a VERY QUICK calculation, use the following calculator:

Using this calculator, it is possible to calculate high winds quickly by switching between apps or using a second device.

Crosshair

A crosshair is a visual aid that helps make it easier for players to make accurate adjustments for the wind.

“Crosshair” in Golf Rival is usually achieved by using a custom overlay, often a dot or a crosshair, to assist with aiming.

You will use these overlays to align with the wind rings and shot power for more accurate shots.

Some players prefer to play without them to develop their own aiming skills.

Popular apps for this purpose include Crosshair Hero.

How crosshairs work in Golf Rival

They provide a fixed point to help players compensate for wind and aim shots more accurately: the crosshair is placed over the center of the target circle, and then the player adjusts their aim back to the crosshair to set the shot power and direction.

It can give serious players an edge in critical situations, though some argue it does not replace the need for skill and experience.

Popular apps and methods

Crosshair Hero
A dedicated app that allows users to customize crosshairs, with many players finding it helpful for Golf Rival.

Other apps
Another known app is Radial; it provides the possibility to create custom aims, with lines going from top to bottom, and from right to left, covering the entire page as needed.
It is highly customizable, but need some trials to be adjusted to the specific needs of a player.

DIY methods
Some players use physical methods like placing a small piece of tape with a dot on their screen or using fingernail polish.

Since a crosshair does not move when you zoom in, rotate your view, or adjust the aiming target it allows you to use it as a reference location to make precise adjustments.

Android

There are several apps for Android that can give you this overlay function, but people typically recommend the app Crosshair Hero.

iOS

Apple does not allow overlay apps on their operating system but they do have a built-in grid feature you can turn on:

On devices running iOS 13 and above, go into

Settings
Accessibility
Turn on Voice Control
As Overlay chose Numbered Grid
Experiment with the settings for “Number of Rows” and “Number of Columns” as well as “Dimmed Opacity” to suit your liking.

Another common work-around for iPhones, is to use a simple dot applied to your screen (or screen protector).

Typically, people will just use a pen to make a dot on the inside of their screen protector, or simply use a piece of clear tape that can be removed when not needed.

Another option if you do not want to use/add anything outside the game, is to use something inside the game.

For instance, you can use the top-middle of the shot button as your reference point.

Stuck in the rough.	Step 1: Line up so the yellow guideline passes through the target, here the hole.
Step 2: Zooming in is often a good idea.	Step 3: Push the ring forward keeping the guideline over the hole …
… until the target is at the center of the rectangle (screenshot could be better here).	Step 4: Check from a side view. Now we have adjusted for debuff.
Step 5: Time to adjust for wind as normal …	Step 6: Pull back to 9.8 on the green ring. Done – take your shot.

Stuck in the rough – again!	Step 1: Let’s apply some sidespin so we clear the rock formation.
Step 2: Make a choice: either go for a dunk and line up 8.3 over the hole and then adjust for debuff …	or go for a roll in. We chose the latter here.
Step 3: Twist the screen to a nice side view	Step 4: Pull back to 8.3 on the white ring.
Step 5: Zoom out.	Step 6: Adjust for debuff, and take your shot.

Full Tailwind️	wind	Full Headwind
11.8 (-0.2)	12	12.2 (+0.2)
12.7 (-0.3)	13	13.3 (+0.3)
13.6 (-0.4)	14	14.4 (+0.4)
14.5 (-0.5	15	15.5 (+0.5)
15.4 (-0.6)	16	16.6 (+0.6)
16.3 (-0.7)	17	17.7 (+0.7
17.2 (-0.8)	18	18.8 (+0.8)
18.1 (-0.9)	19	19.9 (+0.9)
19 (-1.0)	20	21 (+1.0)

Half Tailwind️	wind	Half headwind
11.8 (-0.1)	12	12.2 (+0.1)
12.7 (-0.15)	13	13.3 (+0.15)
13.6 (-0.2)	14	14.4 (+0.2)
14.5 (-0.25)	15	15.5 (+0.25)
15.4 (-0.3)	16	16.6 (+0.3)
16.3 (-0.35)	17	17.7 (+0. 35)
17.2 (-0.4)	18	18.8 (+0.4)
18.1 (-0.45)	19	19.9 (+0.45)
19 (-0.5)	20	21 (+0.5)

HOW TO LINEUP YOUR SHOT CORRECTLY