You’ve been in the position before. You approach a tough par-3 and ask yourself if you should approach it with or without spin. Will it roll too far? Will you spin it off? If only there was a way to play it safe, stick the green, make your birdie, and move to the next hole.

Although you’ll still have to hit the shots, in Golden Tee 2012 you now have another spin alternative that should dramatically help you stick the greens and avoid the dreaded blowup.

Enter: “Bite” – a third spin option that will be yours once 2012 drops in early fall. Bite, as the name might imply, behaves likes backspin only to a much lesser degree. When Bite is applied, your ball will hit the green and stop abruptly. How the ball reacts will depend on the loft of the club, but overall this should serve as a valuable tool when your goal is to get on the green.

“We wanted to give golfers a safer spin alternative, and we think Bite does just that,” said course designer Jim Zielinski. “While this is geared towards the casual player, we also believe that experienced players will benefit from this addition as well.”

To activate Bite, simply press the Spin button three times. Pressing it once will still activate Backspin, twice will apply Roll, and three times will get you the latest option. Because your shot will more or less halt when it hits the green, you likely won’t see as many hole outs when applying Bite versus Roll or Backspin. But as you know from experience, going for the pin isn’t necessarily the suggested way to play on each and every hole.

“This shot can be extremely valuable on tricky par-3s, tough greens, and challenging setups in general,” said Zielinski. “When you’re looking to give yourself a putt and avoid the hazard, there’s no doubt that players of all skill levels will benefit from having this option.”

New courses, new equipment (more on that soon), and a whole new way to spin it! We leave you with this; a Golden Tee Replay of Bite in action. Stay tuned to Goldentee.com for much more on GT 2012!