The PGA 2023 Championship is underway at Oak Hill, and with it, some of golfing's biggest names face off against each other. It's a time to sit back, relax, and enjoy a battle between 156 different golfers to see who comes out on top.
But for those who either can't watch it, or simply can't get enough golf, here are what we consider the best Golfing video games of all time.
5. Wii Sports – Wii Golf
May be cheating a little bit here, as Wii Golf isn't its own video game. It was released as one of the many sports games you could play in the popular Wii title, Wii Sports. But those who've played Wii Sports also knew how responsive the controls were. Not every game on the wii could perfect its motion sensor controls like titles such as Super Mario Galaxy. However; Wii Sports felt nearly perfected it, and Wii Golf is a game that proves it.
It's not as complex as other golf games, and obviously doesn't have real professional golfers, but who needs all that when you're having fun? It was a great game to play with friends, who could each use their own Mii and duke it out on the course. It's a great for game-night with friends because you can choose how many holes you'd like to tackle. Not everyone wants to play a serious 18-hole game of golf, so Wii Golf simplified it.
Wii Sports Resort also had a golf game that was very similar, though you had to now press B before hitting the ball. It was also quite fun, but the simplicity of the original version makes it a bit better for us.
4. Sid Meier's Sim Golf
A fun golf game with a large suite of customization and different look from the rest. It centers around the player building a golf empire. You start off in one country, building your own golf course with a set amount of money. But be careful, spending too much and staying in the red for too long will result in a game over. So you have to strategize not only how you golf, but how you set up your course.
The players also need to keep their golfers happy by balancing both the course's fun and level of difficulty. If your course looks beautiful, but is rather difficult to play on, your golfer may be affected. If your course is easy, then you may want to start small by adding things like snack bars or other venues to spice up the appearance.
The player can then take their golfer to compete in championships or other modes to get more money for their course. Courses can be expanded by purchasing more land, but more work will need to be done.
And then of course there's Sandbox mode, which lets you build whatever course you want with an infinite amount of money. When you want to take a break from the real strategizing that comes with Sid Meier games, you can always choose that option and enjoy!
3. PGA Tour 2005
Both PGA Tour 2004 and 2005 were amazing golf titles, though we're going with the latter due to its improvements. Gameplay wise we prefer it to the first since the developer had a full year to improve what they already accomplished. It also came with your standard game modes without removing any fan favorite features from previous titles. The controls are good, following the norm that 2004 established, but with a few improvements. Different kinds of shots are now available and a lot easier to make.
Therefore, if you make mistake, you feel like it's actually your fault, and not the game's.
PGA Tour 2005 also improved the player customization with Game Face II, which lets you change just about anything from appearance, golfing stance, gear, and more!
There was also a swing editor, which let you control things like the positions of your hands and knees before a swing. There was also a course editor too, though perhaps not as advanced as Sid Meier's. However, it's perfect for casual gamers and golf fans, who will definitely find the feature fun but not intimidating. Even if it was just changing things like the color of the grass or putting money signs on the course, the point was that you had control. The courses were already pre-built too, so you don't have to think too much about actually sculpting it.
Everything is also named Tiger in this game for some reason, and we love it. “Tiger-Vision” is essentially a bail-out move that essentially helps you get the ball in or close to the hole in close situations. Playing with a friend, it may cause some issues. But when you're playing alone and need some help, we're glad you have the option.
2. Mario Golf (64)
It may not have famous golf personalities or players like Tiger Woods, but it has something better; an Italian plumber with a penchant for sports. Mario makes any sports game fun, and that includes golf. It doesn't even matter if you've never picked up a club, Mario Golf for the Nintendo 64 makes you feel right at home.
But for a Mario-themed golf game on an older system, it's actually quite complex and has a ton of variety. There are 10 game modes, eight courses, and 18 playable characters (including transfer Pak additions). The soundtrack is awesome, and the courses are well designed. Mario's Star, one of the courses unlocked later in the game, has different holes based on designs of multiple Mario characters.
It's also nice for players who own Mario Golf on Gameboy Color, who were able to add 4 more characters to the game via Transfer Pak. The game is also available on Nintendo Switch as part of the online backwards compatibility program.
Fun Fact: The Switch version enables you to unlock all characters with a simple cheat code. On the menu screen, press the following: D-pad Down, Down Left, Left, Left Right, Right, Right C buttons C-Down, C-Down C-Left, C-Left, C-Left C-Right, C-Right, C-Right.
The other Mario Golf games are also good too. Toadstool Tour for Gamecube is a blast, and Mario Golf: Super Rush has a great selection of playable characters.
1. PGA Tour 2k21
PGA Tour 2K21 is the best golf game in terms of both realism and control. Official pros are available and ready to play and the controls and difficulty have been improved. You have access to all the expected modes like MyPlayer and PGA Tour, but there's one thing that separates this title from the rest.
In the training menu of the game is the option to design and build your own course. You can choose the season and lighting of the scenery, and can sculpt the land any way you see fit. The game can measure distances you create between the player and the goal and design which parts of the landscape have roughs or bunkers. But that's just scraping the surface. You can edit fairway widths, swap textures, sharpen, smooth, and add or close more paths to the hole.
The was game also really accessible to non-golf game players. It added more difficulty levels and assist options to help gamers find the balance they needed. The game includes 17 real-life courses, as well as over 20 fictional courses, so you never get bored.
Gameplay-wise, it's similar to its predecessors, but does just enough to differentiate itself from the rest. It's hard to explain, but the feel of PGA Tour 2k21 feels so good it'd be hard to compete against it.
Being a newer golf-simulation game, it has great visuals to accompany the great gameplay that PGA Tour 2K21 offers.
If you're interested in more Golf Game News, like EA Sports PGA Tour's new update, check out ClutchPoints Gaming for more.
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