Shot shaping was one great tool to use in the TW Series. I remembered being able to account for wind with shot shaping in TW14. For current game, the shot shaping works well in some courses but sux in other courses like Cardi Creek (aka Wolf Creek) with wind. The RNG is what makes shot shaping more difficult in this game especially at tour/sim levels. Some advanced players from youtube videos are so great in using shot shaping that I could not even keep up. That’s why I miss the TW series.
I don’t see this feature as gimmicky. If the ball had 007’s gadgets like parachutes and rockets, that would be gimmicky. For Cardi Creek with wind, players might need 007’s gadgets to get through the RNG.