The Golf Club

 Xbox One
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 63 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 63
  3. Negative: 26 out of 63

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  1. fonzmorelli
    Aug 19, 2014
    7
    Visuals on Xbox look past gen, but a more realistic golf experience can't be found outside the links. The course creator is a huge bonus for the more creative types, casual golfers may have a tough time finding replay value.
  2. mongoman
    Sep 4, 2014
    7
    This game is far from perfect, but it is addicting, and requires careful shot planning strategies. There are no celebrities, no shot meters, no loading screens between shots, and no options that will aid newbies. This is straightforward golf, and I love it. The game comes packed with 22 courses, plus thousands of user created courses (when online). The graphics are last gen, but theThis game is far from perfect, but it is addicting, and requires careful shot planning strategies. There are no celebrities, no shot meters, no loading screens between shots, and no options that will aid newbies. This is straightforward golf, and I love it. The game comes packed with 22 courses, plus thousands of user created courses (when online). The graphics are last gen, but the controls feel almost perfect, I also like the commentary which is more "laid back" and less condescending but there are features that are missing, there is no variety in weather, no wind or rain (HB studios says this will added in future update). The online play does tend to stutter and suffers from slight lag, and there are issues with the friend list component. But I rarely play online competitively so this doesn't affect my playtime. I feel the game should've had a lower price as it is "bare bones" but overall I'm happy with it. Word of warning though: This is NOT a Tiger Woods quality game and it is NOT arcadey like Hotshots golf / Powerstar golf. I recommend checking out the demo and maybe buying it after the update patch that releases in mid September.… Expand
  3. ElSeano89
    May 27, 2018
    6
    This game really, really surprised me. I picked it up for "free" on the Xbox Game Pass trial and it's the exact sort of game to use that membership for. From the outside looking in this looks like a great idea but it could have easily been poorly implemented however as regards to being a pure Golf simulator I think this game got it more right than any before it. Now that's not to say it isThis game really, really surprised me. I picked it up for "free" on the Xbox Game Pass trial and it's the exact sort of game to use that membership for. From the outside looking in this looks like a great idea but it could have easily been poorly implemented however as regards to being a pure Golf simulator I think this game got it more right than any before it. Now that's not to say it is as good as peak Tiger Woods but those were different games, yes they were about Golf but they were more "arcade" golf so to speak. Anybody that has actually played gold in real life will tell you how unrealistic Tiger Woods was; the ability to place the ball on a dime pretty much anywhere whilst applying all sorts of post shot "boost" and spins is fun but not representative of the actual experience.

    TGC manages to capture the sport very well. There are no big overlays showing you where your putts will go or shots will land, they leave that for you to experiment and figure out and sometimes even with the best laid plans a shot will take a bad bounce or hit the green too fast and go awry. That's very much how the sport works in the real world and it's really well implemented into this game.

    Personally I feel the game looks beautiful. Graphically it's okay and it has to be said that your avatar isn't the most hi-res or customizable thing out there but the courses by and large look wonderful and the idea of custom designed courses makes for some stunning examples of course design for a golf buff. Not having a licence for anything was going to make this game sink or swim and thanks to some clever design by the makers on the official courses and the community attempts this ends up being a big plus for the game. Courses are varied and challenging without feeling unfair and it was a genuine pleasure to play through them.

    That's really the games strength it makes you want to play "Just one more round" and see what else it can offer you, it really gets that "lightening in a bottle" feeling of elation when you hit one close, sink a long putt or hole out. It feels very relaxing to play and that again speaks wonders to them getting the feeling of playing golf right. You take your time and take it all in, the sounds of nature and the smack of the club against ball it is very minimally sound designed but that is sort of the point. There are a few chilled out tracks that play in menus but really it is on the whole a very calming experience.

    I'd like to take a second to point out a feature not many touched on in their use of the caddy/announcer "John". They made the step of having the announcer discussing your play/the weather/this particular hole be almost...friendly? It's hard to explain but it comes across as though the dude is just playing a chilled out round with you and passing comment in a naturalistic way. He never really chastises you or gets annoying despite a kind of small pool of comments. I just thought it was a brilliant design choice to have him be on your level and friendly. They could have not had an announcer at all or worse had them be annoying/critical or try for some weird personality or niche. As such it's pretty sweet taking in a round with your buddy "John" shooting the breeze about this particular fictional courses foibles and green speeds and such. It's a part of the game I very much enjoy.

    If I were to criticize there are very few bells and whistles to the experience which is good in a purist way and bad for depth. Your avatar can't be customized much, you can't change your ball or clubs or upgrade stats or anything. It is clear that it is intentionally left out to make it a level playing field and more about the golf gameplay itself but it does lack a little depth there but of course depth is available in spades by the sheer number (tens of thousands user created about 36 officially created) of courses. It feels trite to criticize because what is there is very good but it is quite a bare bones experience.

    You need to know what you are getting with this game before you head in. It's not Tiger Woods or any other golf game. It stands alone as a true representation of the sport, there is no other game that captures the beauty, elation and frustration of the game like TGC. Anybody who plays themselves should definitely pick this up because they will definitely "get" what the makers were going for. Anybody who expects Tiger Woods with custom courses will be bitterly disappointed and turned off by the difficulty. The game does not hold your hand whatsoever and it takes time, course knowledge and a little luck to get a good round in, just like real life.

    This is probably the most surprised I have been by a game in a long while and if you go in with your eyes open and don't mind the lack of branding or flashy bells and whistles then this is probably the most pure and accurate depiction of golf in a video game and has a ton of replay value to keep you coming back again and again.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

68
#68 Best Xbox One Game of 2014
37
#37 Most Discussed Xbox One Game of 2014
25
#25 Most Shared Xbox One Game of 2014

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
64

Mixed or average reviews - based on 15 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 15
  3. Negative: 0 out of 15
  1. Pure Xbox
    Oct 21, 2014
    70
    The fact that we can say that true fans of golf who are looking for a new challenge might well have found their new home in spite of those technical issues, is a testament to how brave and revolutionary the game really is.
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  2. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Oct 11, 2014
    60
    Real golfers will love the challenge, and the course design feature is a trump card. However, it won't give the average user much of a buzz. [Issue#116, p.83]
  3. XGN
    Sep 29, 2014
    50
    The Golf Club is a game that relies on friends and the social aspects of gaming. The golfing itself is hardly interesting, as there is nothing to collect and to be fair: a bit of a boring sport like golf does not get much nicer by playing The Golf Club.
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