THE GOLF CLUB

Razzmatazz isn’t normally a phrase associated with golf, but the Tiger Woods series came along and changed that. It set a bar for the level of polish and engagement you could achieve from what might otherwise be a rather bland experience. The Golf Club feels like a throwback to the days before EA Sports came along and brought some drama to the game. This stripped-back approach that avoids the fireworks and puts the emphasis on you and your swing is fine, but it doesn’t inspire.

That’s not to say this is a turgid effort by any means;The Golf Club provides fans of real golf plenty to enjoy. It’s much more lifelike than we’ve come to expect in recent years of PGA titles. There’s no virtual caddy giving advice or a swing timer in operation to gauge shots. It’s all about touch and feel, just like a real round. It’s difficult to master, but that makes it all the more rewarding.

Swing off centre and you’ll be in trouble, while putting gives new meaning to the phrase ‘drive for show, putt for dough’ it’ll take hours of perfecting how to read those undulating greens. It’s serious stuff. You’ll need to keep an eagle eye on the lie of your ball, the terrain, the hazards and the wind. But casual fans may have lost interest already. You don’t get official players, so it lacks immediacy and there are few tailoring options to make your golfer unique. Commentary is monotone and
uninspiring, if informative at times. You’ll get the odd burst of enthusiasm, but there’s nothing here to get the juices flowing, let alone a fist pump. No fancy pyrotechnics for a 300-yard drive. There are no crowds on show either, so The Golf Clubcan feel like a lonely walk at times.

The course design feature, however, does have plenty of mileage in it. It takes barely five minutes to get an outline for your very own bespoke track, but you could spend hours fine-tuning every twist and turn. It means there’s effectively an unlimited number of courses you can play, and the online community has taken to the feature with relish. The Golf Club is a bit of a bland affair, but this feature along with the excellently executed controls and interface make it enjoyable enough to play. If you can power through this stripped-back, realistic game that looks great, performs admirably and has plenty of potential will entertainforawhile