Of all the proposed improvements in LS98 the feature receiving the most attention up to the release date has been the new water graphics. In hindsight, the water was probably the weakest part of the original, retaining an unnatural blue colour which didn't match the leap in other areas. This has been addressed and completely overhauled. The water shade is now much darker, with quite dramatic reflections from the suurrounding environment, such as trees and buildings. Not only do the larger ponds and lakes appear almost perfectly realistic, but so do the creeks and streams running between the trees.
Oceans retain their previous appearance which looks quite appropriate.
That is, while the visuals were very pretty, they resembled a static painting as opposed to a living, changing environment. Access have hit this complaint in a number of very significant ways. Firstly, flags now flutter in breezy or windy conditions. To the best of my knowledge this is the first ever golf game to feature moving flags. The results are very good.