Golf

This program implements a simplified text-based golf game for nine holes. The player enters a swing power value between 1 and 100, which is converted into a distance using the formula `a/(6+RND)`, adding randomness to each shot. The hole position is randomized at the start of each hole using `INT(RND*15)`, and a two-stroke penalty is applied if the ball overshoots position 27 (the cup). The game tracks cumulative stroke totals across all nine holes and offers a replay option at the end.

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Program Analysis

Program Structure

The program is organized into a main loop spanning holes 1 through 9, with a subroutine at line 300 for updating the total score. The overall flow is:

1. Lines 10–40: Initialization — border color, clear screen, reset total strokes, print title.
2. Lines 50–70: Per-hole setup — randomize hole position j, reset stroke counter s.
3. Lines 80–260: Shot loop — draw course, accept input, compute new ball position, check win/overshoot conditions.
4. Lines 300–320: Score subroutine — accumulate total t, print it, advance NEXT y.
5. Lines 330–350: Post-game prompt — poll INKEY$ for replay.

Gameplay Mechanics

At the start of each hole, the cup is placed at column j = INT(RND*15) (columns 0–14). The player inputs a power value a (capped at 100), and the ball advances by INT(a/(6+RND)) columns per stroke. The target column is fixed at 27. If the ball lands exactly on column 27 (j=27), a brief animation plays and the subroutine records the score. If it overshoots (j>27), two penalty strokes are added before the subroutine is called.

Key Variables

Variable	Purpose
t	Cumulative total strokes across all holes
s	Stroke count for the current hole
j	Current horizontal position of the ball
a	Player-entered swing power (1–100)
y	FOR loop counter — current hole number (1–9)

Notable Techniques

• Randomized distance formula: INT(a/(6+RND)) divides power by a value between 6 and 7, introducing shot-to-shot variability even for identical inputs.
• Course rendering: Line 80 uses a string of block graphic characters (\:: = █) to draw a solid fairway row, with the hole marker O printed at the randomized column j.
• Ball erasure: Line 150 erases the previous ball position by printing a space at AT 17,j before recalculating j.
• Hole-in-one animation: Line 210 briefly shows the ball dropping into the cup — printing O at row 17, immediately overwriting it with a space, then printing O at row 18 — simulating a drop.
• Replay loop: Lines 330–350 poll INKEY$ continuously without a PAUSE, which keeps the CPU busy-waiting for a keypress.

Bugs and Anomalies

• Broken game loop via RUN: Lines 280–290 and line 340 use RUN to restart, which reinitializes all variables including t and the FOR loop variable y. This means the nine-hole loop never naturally completes — each hole restart via RUN resets the total, so t never accumulates across holes as intended. The NEXT y at line 320 is effectively unreachable in the overshoot path (lines 230–290 jump past the subroutine’s NEXT y only after CLS : RUN).
• Subroutine flow inconsistency: The win path (line 220) calls GO SUB 300, which contains NEXT y and loops correctly. The penalty path (lines 230–290) also calls GO SUB 300 at line 260, but then executes PAUSE 120, CLS, and RUN after the subroutine returns, restarting the program before the next hole can begin normally.
• Input validation: Power values below 1 are not rejected; entering 0 will result in no ball movement (INT(0/...)=0), looping the shot prompt indefinitely.