********************************************
*     BRYSON DECHAMBEAU PLAYS LIV GOLF     *
*       بريسون ديشامبو يلعب ليف غولف       *
*==========================================*
* For 48K Spectrum with Currah Microspeech *
*     by Jim Waterman  9-19 April 2023     *
********************************************

Introductory junk
=================

Yet again we have another shining example of how I can take a very simple idea and run with it until the final product is far, far in excess of what CSSCGC standards demand. In this case, it started with "what could I possibly use the Currah Microspeech for?"

The idea came while watching the highlights of the US Open in 2021, where Bryson DeChambeau was the defending champion. The commentators had mentioned how his ridiculously long driving had been a product of 2020-mandated House Arrest™ (even during the reign of God-Emperor Trump...), and he'd decided to Go To The Gym™ (which seems to have become a shibboleth for The Right™ in a way that a vegan diet and a lisp is for The Left™, but that's a rant for another day...) in order to bulk up and hit drives the likes of which even Happy Gilmore could only have dreamed of.

As ever, there being American golf fans on the course, every single shot - even a tee shot on a 600-plus-yard par 5 - was accompanied by a loud yelp of "GET IN THE HOLE!" in an American accent. Occasionally it would be replaced by something like "MASHED POTATO!" for reasons I have never fully understood.

And so, "Bryson DeChambeau Plays The US Open" was born. Think of it as a tribute in name to Argus Press' "Nick Faldo Plays The Open" from 1985, and to Jamie Bradbury's "Herman Tissies 1D Golf", from the 2021 CSSCGC which I was busy judging at the time.

Of course, I couldn't enter my own competition - and now, two years later, the golf shoe is on the other foot. For it is Jamie Bradbury who is this year's host - and the golfing world has been shocked by the formation of LIV Golf, proposed by Greg Norman, backed by billions of not-entirely-clean Saudi riyals, and enthusiastically joined by Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed, and 46 others.

In this game, the Saudis have really decided to flash their cash. They are carting their 48 players (leaving the two reserves behind...) all over the Great Sheitan - by which they mean the United States - for a single-round, winner-takes-all tournament, played at ONE hole of each of 18 different golf courses!


Playing the game
================

You control Bryson DeChambeau as he is determined to prove the best way to win at LIV Golf is to SMAAAASH!! the ball as hard as possible with every club that isn't a putter. Fortunately, his sponsors have furnished him with a unique set of clubs, with an exceptionally short set of short irons and wedges, designed to rein in his exuberance. (For the record, originally all the clubs were supposed to have 1.5 times the range of those in Game Boy Golf from 1989, but this left a gaping gap where a sand wedge would never result in a drive less than 99 yards... so they've been spaced out more.)

This game takes a different approach from the usual magazine type-in golf games from 1982-83, which would usually ask for the angle of attack and strength of the shot, followed by a series of PLOTs that track the trajectory of the ball. Not so here.

For a regular shot, all you do is press one key on the keyboard - from A for the driver to M for the sand wedge - and the Spectrum does the rest for you. Not every club is available on every surface, mind. As the grass gets longer, the maximum length of club gets shorter; you'll only be able to use the wedges when in the bunker, and you won't be able to putt off the tee (but who does?) The ball will be hit at an angle determined by the maximum and minimum face angle of each club, and the strength of the shot will vary by ±2%. This can cause wild variations in distance - the driver can have a ±29% error in its average driving distance, whereas the pitching wedge varies by only ±4%.

Putting is the only stroke where you get control over the strength of the shot - even Happy Gilmore knew about that (although not how to control his temper if he missed the putt). You'll get a countdown, then the message window will be replaced with the Putting Power meter. Stop it at whatever shot strength you want - but if it gets all the way to the top, Bryson will smack the ball with the same gusto as his drives. That can mean a ridiculous 45-yard putt if on the green - other surfaces will restrict putting distance somewhat.

If the square under the ball is completely black, this is out of bounds - the ball will be returned to its starting position with a one-stroke penalty. Landing in the water incurs the same penalty but will see the ball placed at the edge of the water, moving away from the hole.

The Currah Microspeech plays the role of the ever-present Shouty American, and I've even tried to make it spew its electronic garbage in an American accent. Judge for yourselves if this is a success. The game has been programmed to avoid any problems with 128K models (such as not using UDGs T and U), but the Currah Microspeech won't work with these later models. This might be a benefit.

And as with what made Happy Gilmore's reputation, it IS possible, although EXTREMELY unlikely, to hit a hole in one on all of the par 4 holes, except the 18th. Don't try it on the par 5s, though. You have been warned.


Clubs
=====

+----+-------+---------+--------+
|CLUB|AV. YDS|  RANGE  | %ERROR |
+----+-------+---------+--------+
| 1W |  360  | 255-465 | ±29.2% |
| 3W |  324  | 255-393 | ±21.3% |
| 4W |  294  | 249-339 | ±15.3% |
| 1I |  270  | 237-306 | ±12.8% |
| 3I |  240  | 219-264 |  ±9.4% |
| 4I |  213  | 195-231 |  ±8.5% |
| 5I |  189  | 171-204 |  ±8.7% |
| 6I |  162  | 150-174 |  ±7.4% |
| 7I |  135  | 126-144 |  ±6.7% |
| 8I |  114  | 108-120 |  ±5.3% |
| 9I |   99  |  93-102 |  ±4.5% |
| PW |   75  |  72-78  |  ±4.0% |
| SW |   54  |  51-60  |  ±8.3% |
| Pt |  n/a  |   0-45  |   n/a  |
+----+-------+---------+--------+


Holes
=====

+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|HOLE|YARDS|PAR| REAL COURSE, HOLE NAME & LOCATION                            |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|  1 | 429 | 4 | Bethpage Black Course, NY                                    |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/40°44'39.4"N+73°27'13.0"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|  2 | 252 | 3 | Shinnecock Hills Golf Club, NY                               |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/40°53'47.8"N+72°26'41.8"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|  3 | 375 | 4 | Old Macdonald, Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, OR - "The Sahara"   |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/43°12'28.5"N+124°23'09.9"W |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|  4 | 372 | 4 | Spyglass Hill Golf Course, CA - "Blind Pew"                  |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/36°35'06.5"N+121°57'44.2"W |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|  5 | 657 | 5 | Southern Hills Country Club, OK                              |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/36°04'21.5"N+95°57'02.5"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|  6 | 336 | 4 | Los Angeles Country Club, CA                                 |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/34°03'48.3"N+118°25'03.1"W |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|  7 | 108 | 3 | Pebble Beach Golf Links, CA                                  |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/36°33'56.7"N+121°56'42.9"W |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|  8 | 558 | 5 | The Country Club, Brookline, MA                              |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/42°18'44.8"N+71°09'00.5"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
|  9 | 450 | 4 | East Course, Oak Hill Country Club, NY                       |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/43°06'51.5"N+77°31'45.9"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| 10 | 315 | 4 | Riviera Country Club, CA                                     |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/34°02'50.0"N+118°30'02.0"W |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| 11 | 366 | 4 | Merion Golf Club, PA                                         |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/39°59'51.4"N+75°18'36.0"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| 12 | 156 | 3 | Augusta National Golf Club, GA - "Golden Bell"               |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/33°29'40.8"N+82°01'22.9"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| 13 | 612 | 5 | South Course, Torrey Pines Golf Course, CA                   |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/32°53'30.7"N+117°14'48.2"W |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| 14 | 453 | 4 | West Course, Winged Foot Golf Club, NY - "Shamrock"          |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/40°57'50.2"N+73°45'27.0"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| 15 | 435 | 4 | Valhalla Golf Club, KY - "On The Rocks"                      |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/38°14'27.5"N+85°27'54.1"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| 16 | 609 | 5 | Ocean Course, Kiawah Island Golf Resort, SC                  |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/32°36'42.2"N+80°01'53.3"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| 17 | 141 | 3 | TPC at Sawgrass, FL - "Island Green"                         |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/30°11'40.6"N+81°23'26.9"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| 18 | 519 | 4 | Straits Course, Whistling Straits, WI - "Dyeabolical"        |
|    |     |   | https://www.google.com/maps/place/43°51'05.6"N+87°43'57.7"W  |
+----+-----+---+--------------------------------------------------------------+


Arabic phrasebook
=================

بريسون ديشامبو يلعب ليف غولف
- "brison deshambaw yaleab lif ghulf"
- "Bryson DeChambeau plays LIV Golf"

مبرمج بواسطة ج.وتمن خلال عام ١٤٤٤
- "mubarmij biwasiṭat j.wtmn khilal eam 1444"
- "Programmed by J.Waterman during the year 1444"

!تهانينا! لقد نجحت
- "tahanina! laqad najaḥtu!"
- "Congratulations! You have succeeded!"
- Or, in Spectrumese: "Congraturation! You sucsess!"

كأس
- "kalis"
- "trophy", "cup", etc.

٢٠،٠٠٠،٠٠٠ ريال سعودي
- "20,000,000 riyal saudiy"
- "20,000,000 Saudi riyals" (US$5,333,333 - pegged at US$1 = 3.75 riyals)

!أنت تفشل في ذلك
- "'ant tafshal fi dhalik!"
- "You fail at it!"


Extra shout outs
================

Dr. Nabil Nazmi, the Egyptian academic who translated the entire Spectrum ROM into Arabic, keyword names and all. This was 36 years ago so he may or may not still be alive. I'd hope he is.

The authors of Es.pectrum, for including the Arabic 48K Spectrum among the international models they chose to emulate.

The online Encyclopaedia Britannica (yes, it still exists!) for providing the clearest guide to the Arabic alphabet I could find:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arabic-alphabet

The anonymous artist who drew the much more interesting loading screen for the Amstrad CPC version of "Nick Faldo Plays The Open", compared with its Spectrum equivalent. It made a surprisingly not-entirely-terrible translation from the CPC's Lego-brick graphics with 27 colours to the Spectrum's with better resolution but no sky blue, grey or dark green.