Clearing memory on an iPad

GolfinDoog reports that you need to take special action to close down running programs on the iPad to help Golfstar run more smoothly.  I do not own one, but I wanted to post it in case it could help some of you.

Need to set something right: THIS MAY HELP OTHER PLAYERS WHO ARE HAVING DIFFICULTIES WITH CRASHES! Note that I am justlearning to work with an iPad2! Recently I could not get past the home screen w/o crashing; ie, getting "kicked out".I discovered after much exploration via google thatI had not sufficiently cleared my iPad2's memory--it's not like a PC where you just close a tab. You MUST double-click your home button, then"slide" remaining open windows off the top of the screen to fully "clear" them. Also, simply hitting the "off" button on top left of iPad is NOT "rebooting". To do that, you have to HOLD down the "home" button until it says "Slide to off".Only THAT "reboots" the iPad. Since doing this (I had about 20 different "open pages" eating memory) the game has so far run fine. If you're having the "crash" issue, you might want to try these steps!

Wood's Putting System

Wood (myWOODurFACE on Golfstar) has graciously written down his method for aiming a putt.  Since his method is based on the Chapstick counting/aiming system, you MUST watch the Chapstick videos to have any chance of understanding it.  The videos are here and here, or you can go to the Videos page here.

You can find Wood's method here and on the link on the right side of the page.

You know you're a Golfstar addict when...

• You've heard "What's more important, that golf game or me?"
• You play golf at the grocery store, restaurants, church and while driving to work.
• You start your first-ever blog and bug other players for tips to put on it.
• You just notice you have grown a beard.
• Your wife left for work and you didn't notice, because you were -7 after six holes at Sands.
• You spend all day at work refreshing the hub page and rereading the old posts if there's nothing new.
• You actually start liking elevator music.
• Your hub post follows someone else's, and they both say "just now" for the timestamp.
• Your mind is filled with reasons why you are an addict.
• You play on the weekend, realize it's time for dinner, and you are still in your nightie.
• You play until you fell asleep and wake up with the iPad still in your hands.
• The battery is running low, and you have to connect to a charger to continue playing.
• You haven't gone to bed and your wife asks why you didn't, you pretend you got up early.
• You say "But I've just been invited - I'll only be a few minutes!"
• You have more than one device to play on, and you use them both at the same time.
• You sneak a hole or two in at work while you're waiting for your computer to load a program.
• You ask for a slower computer at work so it will take even longer to load programs.
• You wonder why your phone or tablet always needs charging.
• You check the Hub before work emails.
• You can divide ANY number by 3.75 in your head.
• Someone says "Hi", and you don't even look up.
• You wake up and play a round before getting out of bed.
• You wake up and check the hub before getting out of bed.
• You wake up and don't get out of bed all day, just lie there playing.
• You hijack a Hub thread to flirt with the Women of Golfstar.
• You sell your real clubs so you can buy more stars.
• You hate getting a call, because it interrupts your game.
• You don't feel like playing, and there's nothing on the Hub.  So you sit there endlessly scrolling up and down your friend list looking for someone to make an eagle.

The Social Aspect

Don't get me wrong, Golfstar is a great golf sim!  Just like real golf, that One Good Shot keeps you coming back even though you've had dozens of mediocre ones.  And you can play the same course, same hole, but land in a different spot that makes it a new challenge.  I really love that!

But there is another side to the game, and that is the Hub.  When I first started playing, I went there once or twice, because it always had that red "N" on it. Saw a lot of "good game" messages, but didn't stick around. 

Slowly, I began to venture in there more, and just read what was going on.  Still pretty daunting, because there are so many posts that you can't keep up if you just go in once in a while.  I think I really began to get involved when I hit for the cycle and wanted to share a screen shot of it.  People congratulated me and Adzias said something like "How do all these new people get so good so fast?"  Actually, I had been playing for months, just never posted messages myself.

So I began posting my own messages, had people respond, and responded to other peoples' posts.  Pretty soon, I was part of a community and felt like I really belonged.  That has truly enhanced my enjoyment of the game, knowing people and having them know me, and being able to share my triumphs and failures in the game.

I've also found that there are a LOT of helpful people who are eager to supply info, even when it's the same newbie question for the 50th time.  (This is one reason I wanted to start this blog, to capture some of those answers.)

So if you have never ventured in there, post a message, ask a question - you will find friends there.

I'm a beginner, how can I get better?

This is the first in what might be a series of observations, based both on my own experience and that of others.

When I started, I used the power bar to regulate distance.  I had heard golf commentators saying things like "He'll be using about a 3/4 wedge" and thought, sure, that's what I need to do.  If the elevation was above me, I added a smidge.  If below, I took off a smidge.  If it was 80 ft. below, I would drop a club or two, and add or subtract a smidge based on how I did the last time I made that shot.

Results, as they say, were unpredictable.  I could not consistently make a good approach.  What worked last time was way off the next. 


The first thing a beginner should try to do is adopt some sort of system to make adjustments based on current conditions.  There is only one I know of that has been written down, and that is by Adzias.  His page is How to Target Approach Shots, and it explains the method he developed for beginner/intermediate players. 

When I first saw it, it looked like too much to digest, so I put off studying it.  Finally, the frustration level got high enough that I broke down, printed it out, and started applying it.  Results became much more predictable!  :-)

The more I used it, the more I liked it, so I created a quick reference guide version of it and put it on the blog.  When printed, the meat of the measurements can fit on two pages, which makes it easy to keep next to you for reference.

If you are getting frustrated with your scores, try this out.

Using the Practice Tee

I just now found this out - If you use the Practice Tees, you can redo any shot you have made.  Just tap one of the orange circles on the right, and you will be back where that shot was.  This can be an awesome tool for learning aiming and distance!

Makes that VIP pass look better and better...

Call for Authors

I would like to open this up to anyone who has information to share about Golfstar.  I already have one article in the pipeline and would welcome more. 

If you have a different way of calculating approach shots or putting, I encourage you share it with the community.

If you have a tip like "Check the lower-level careers from time to time - they have special events for Lucky Box coupons", feel free to share it.  I guarantee there is someone out there that does not know what seems obvious to you.

Just email me at SvenOrigami at gmail.com.  You can send me a tip and I will add it, or write an article for me to post.