PGA Tour is back with 2K25 officially launching February 28th, and with The Masters right around the corner, this is the perfect time to perfect your (virtual) game before the warm weather and sunshine hit this spring. Whether you are a lifelong golfer like myself or new to the PGA series altogether I have several tips, controller settings, and practice recommendations you need to gain an edge in PGA Tour 2K25. There are several key aspects to PGA Tour 2K25 but the majority of your gameplay can be boiled down to your swing and timing. When you first start up PGA Tour 2K25 you will be prompted to choose between a few settings, similar to other games it will include difficulty selection but more importantly you will decide which thumbstick will control your swing motion. For most players I would recommend selecting your right thumbstick as your primary swing control, this will feel the most natural especially if you are used to playing first-person shooters as that is typically your aim thumbstick. Of course, there are several unorthodox ways to hold a controller so feel free to experiment with all the settings and see what works best for you but this will be the most important control in this game. 

Why Thumbstick Precision Matters in PGA Tour 2K25 

In PGA Tour 2K25 the key to hitting long drives, close approach shots, flop shots (my favorite), and singing putts is mastering thumbstick control. Each of these components, common to any round, requires your right thumbstick to execute with precision, timing, and control if you want to hit your shot where you intend to. Every time you swing a club or putter your shot accuracy and distance are dependent on three aspects, Transition, Rhythm, and Swing Path. These three aspects will determine how well your club makes contact with the ball and when it is perfect you have the best chance to hit the exact shot you want. The full breakdown of how they impact your swing is: 

Transition - the timing of the start and finish of your swing which is represented on screen to showcase the full power of your shot. Allowing the swing meter to go beyond or short of the percentage of power needed for the shot will impact the strength and accuracy negatively. A helpful tip here is that you can occasionally use this negative impact to your advantage, an example being you may find yourself needing a few extra yards on a drive or approach shot. In this situation, you could utilize this feature to let the swing meter go over 100% to exceed your potential yardage distance. This will ultimately impact your accuracy but if you have the timing and thumbstick control this tip can change a birdie to an eagle if you are willing to “go for it” on certain holes that may have hazards to hit past.   

Rhythm - this aspect is the true yoke of the swing mechanic as it is crucial to the outcomes of your Transition and Swing Path success. For my golfers, this would represent the tempo that comes with any golf swing, or in this instance, it is how smoothly you can move the thumbstick back and forth to dictate the precision of your shot. If you are inconsistent, rushed, or jittery when moving the thumbstick to swing this could derail the swing path and throw off your timing to make it harder to land your swing meter on the correct power percentage. This aspect is extremely prevalent when it comes to putting as you will have a more elongated swing motion and therefore more room to lose your tempo. Chipping is another shot that is more reliant on rhythm as well because it typically requires a shorter timing which can be easy to rush and leave you open for a mishit. 

Swing Path - the most self-explanatory of the three aspects but this is how you can control the shape of your shot or control the ball flight when faced with various angles and doglegs that will have you getting creative with your approach. The difficulty here is matching the backward and forward swing paths together without deviation, the farther off the initial swing path you are the less accurate the direction will be of the shot. Similar to Transition you can play this to your advantage as I hinted earlier, several courses have numerous obstacles and directional changes that might require a less linear shot selection. Once you fully develop your thumbstick control with this mechanic you will have the finesse needed to shoot under par in tournaments or show off to your friends in the multiplayer mode. 

 How KontrolFreek Enhances Your Swing and Control

Another strong recommendation I have to improve your overall accuracy and thumbstick control is KontrolFreek’s Precision Rings. These have been a huge advantage when playing and have eliminated the majority of my mishits from my rounds as well as improved my shot accuracy and putting. They currently come in three different resistance strengths and are color-coded to signify the differences. I have one on my right thumbstick which I use to control my swing motion and I have perfect shots almost every swing and I feel like I can hit the ball exactly where I want to. The flexible, moisture-wicking material is durable so you can easily pop them off and on to test out what level of resistance works best for you. I found the Medium resistance has worked best because it has enough resistance to eliminate swing path errors but not firm enough to prevent me from making extra long swings to hit a bit further on drives. If you are looking to get every advantage possible you will want to test these Precision Rings out and see how low your score is after a round. 

Practice Modes That Will Help Improve Your Shot Accuracy 

Outside of competing for the top in PGA Tour 2025, there are a few game modes you can try out that are meant to help you improve key parts of your golf game. Depending on what elements you are looking to improve the main modes that specifically target aim and accuracy improvements are Topgolf Mode and the Training Scenarios you can play in MyCareer Mode. TopGolf Mode, just like the real-life activity, will challenge you to hit precise shots at several different bullseye-designed holes at staggered distances to earn points to win. This will give you a fun way to learn how accurate you can be at varied distances and reward you for being precise at farther distances. 

The Training Scenarios in the MyCareer Mode provide a very different environment for practice and create real shots you could find yourself taking in rounds. You are given a set amount of shots per location and depending on where each shot lands you can be rewarded points or even lose points for inaccuracies. These points translate into a final score which will determine how much experience you can receive once the scenario is completed. I found this mode to be extremely helpful because it provided a more realistic shot and added an element of pressure that can negatively affect your thumbstick control. Each scenario will also focus on specific shots so you fine-tune areas where improvements may be needed and get rewarded for your improvement with experience for your character.