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. flyme2
    Sep 3, 2014
    9
    Been playing video golf since the early 90's (Links) on just about every console and PC and I can honestly say without a single doubt that this is the BEST game of golf, mechanically, that I have ever had the pleasure of playing. The swing mechanics to the realistic play vs. the arcadey madness of Tiger Woods has to be experienced to be appreciated. I was very hesitant to purchase afterBeen playing video golf since the early 90's (Links) on just about every console and PC and I can honestly say without a single doubt that this is the BEST game of golf, mechanically, that I have ever had the pleasure of playing. The swing mechanics to the realistic play vs. the arcadey madness of Tiger Woods has to be experienced to be appreciated. I was very hesitant to purchase after seeing some of the user reviews but I am so glad I bit the bullet and got this game. I have played it every day since I got it for at least 3-4 hours each time. The golf course creator is a whole other element that is amazing in and of itself but for now I can't stop playing "one more round" to really delve too deep into that area of the game. All I can say is that if you even remotely enjoy video golf, buy this immediately. Yes you will miss the career mode, yes you will miss not seeing your player "develop" but honestly these are extras I'm sure will come. As is right now this game is a blast and will definitely give you your golf fix. I guarantee you'll enjoy it and probably love it.… Expand
  2. Hortie
    Aug 22, 2014
    10
    Golf simulation. As close as i have felt to a real "feel" to the golf swing. Its tough no doubt, more is now based on swing and "feel". Im enjoying it, like playing in tours and tournaments watching my score, watching the other online player ghost balls shot when im playing, making it seem like I'm not alone and have scores to challenge. The game may never end as tours are set up usingGolf simulation. As close as i have felt to a real "feel" to the golf swing. Its tough no doubt, more is now based on swing and "feel". Im enjoying it, like playing in tours and tournaments watching my score, watching the other online player ghost balls shot when im playing, making it seem like I'm not alone and have scores to challenge. The game may never end as tours are set up using anyones user made course, or courses, and they get rated so you can see which are good and strive to get your courses a great rating. I do imagine an update having a longer season mode, and a head to head online mode. I would have gave it 8 but i see zeroes which are not fair to the game.… Expand
  3. green18
    Aug 23, 2014
    10
    This is not the game for those wanting immediate gratification and regular leveling up rewards. This is a game where the reward is improved scoring based on improving your own skill and decision-making, not leveling up a character. The graphics are initially disappointing but they get the job done. The gameplay is the best I have ever experienced in a golf game. I highly recommendThis is not the game for those wanting immediate gratification and regular leveling up rewards. This is a game where the reward is improved scoring based on improving your own skill and decision-making, not leveling up a character. The graphics are initially disappointing but they get the job done. The gameplay is the best I have ever experienced in a golf game. I highly recommend joining the rabid community forming around this game as it promises to have a great following and some amazing tours set up. My favorite next gen game despite the somewhat disappointing graphics.… Expand
  4. Jwoodsy585
    Aug 23, 2014
    10
    If your expecting Tiger Woods, then this game won't be for you, and thats probably a good thing. This game is more realistic, very simple, and definitely more geared toward golf fans. If you think you will pick up this game and be great at it from the start think again. Even despite some framerate issues, and lack of a sense of accomplishment with perks, equipment boosts, and otherIf your expecting Tiger Woods, then this game won't be for you, and thats probably a good thing. This game is more realistic, very simple, and definitely more geared toward golf fans. If you think you will pick up this game and be great at it from the start think again. Even despite some framerate issues, and lack of a sense of accomplishment with perks, equipment boosts, and other things this game is still pretty awesome. Once they iron out all the quirks in the game come update time this game will be great. Also, there are many courses to play from users and the game itself. I advise any golf fan or even TW fans to get this but warning it can be difficult at times.… Expand
  5. speedtrucker
    Aug 20, 2014
    9
    This game IS NOT Tiger Woods. with that out of the way, you have to know what you are buying. think SimGolf meets Minecraft with a simple approach to the mechanics of golf.

    The Course Creator(10/10): it is why a majority of buyers will jump on board. you can spend as little or as much time as you can imagine on any given hole. always wanted to tweak TPC Sawgrass' 17 island green?    This game IS NOT Tiger Woods. with that out of the way, you have to know what you are buying. think SimGolf meets Minecraft with a simple approach to the mechanics of golf.

    The Course Creator(10/10): it is why a majority of buyers will jump on board. you can spend as little or as much time as you can imagine on any given hole. always wanted to tweak TPC Sawgrass' 17 island green? you can recreate it and modify it until your heart is content. tired of everyone hitting the fairways with ease, narrow them down, put 50 bunkers, put a stream down the middle, put trees jutting out into the fairway. if you can imagine a hole design, then you can create it. what is great is that as you are building a hole, you can quickly play the hole and then jump right back into the editor, helps when testing out yardages and the likes. you can even quickly play from a specific spot on your hole so you don't have to tee off on the hole, just place your ball at point X and play from there.

    Gameplay(9/10)now the game play is smooth and basic. no swing meters, no landing circle telling you that your driver will land in this specific area or that applying X amount of loft will make the ball trajectory clear the tree line. you have a camera fly-over that gives you the general area you are aiming towards and you have an overhead map that provides yardages on the hole you are on. putting is probably the most true to feel of all the aspects of gameplay. you can read the green and generally decide your aim, then its about providing a smooth clean putt. there is no putt meter or "putt preview". my missed putts usually felt wrong the moment I made contact... rather than "oh man I only hit it 68% instead of 80%"

    the graphics(6/10): they are not great, they are early last-gen. things look pretty from a distance and as a whole but when you are playing a round you will see the flaws. this game was never about being the best looking golf game out there.

    replayability(10/10): this is the key, you don't have licensed anything much less courses so you have to understand that you will be playing user created courses. that being said, by launch there were already thousands of courses created. you can search by top rated, style, difficulty, courses friends have played, courses friends have created, etc. so you could play a different course everyday and never repeat. it also helps that the course publishing is cross-platform so you can share courses with PS4 and PC players, I imagine the PC players will create the best courses over time. unfortunately scores do not cross platforms.

    so understand that you are not buying a game competing with EA Golf(Tiger Woods), you are buying a game that brings you a robust course creator and a solid golf simulator with last gen graphics.

    for $34.99, this game is a 9/10 but you have to know what you are buying. if you just want to jump in and play 20 courses with a real golfer and real clubs and outmuscle every designed hazard, skip this. if you want to create your own golf course where par is actually par, or play other peoples creations that are growing by the thousands across 3 platforms daily then pick this up.    … Expand
  6. Shaft62702
    Aug 19, 2014
    9
    I am basing my score on a $35 dollar game. First golf game that loads the entire course before you start so there is no loading time between holes. Graphics are not top end most likely due to the entire course being loaded at once. Realistic putting and endless possibilities with the course creator. Few bugs here and there but nothing that cannot be fixed with a patch or 2. Not a lot ofI am basing my score on a $35 dollar game. First golf game that loads the entire course before you start so there is no loading time between holes. Graphics are not top end most likely due to the entire course being loaded at once. Realistic putting and endless possibilities with the course creator. Few bugs here and there but nothing that cannot be fixed with a patch or 2. Not a lot of customization but plenty for a $35 dollar game. I can see a great future for this game if it gets the support it needs.… Expand
  7. ccmillertx
    Aug 25, 2014
    8
    The Golf Club succeeds. Period. A nice playable round of golf on the Xbox One. There are a zillion kinks and bugs to patch up and yes the graphics are seriously bad for next gen but the pros outweigh the cons.
    .
    Pros: Only golf sim on Xbox One, a course creator that has its flaws but some courses come off really well, difficult ( Anytime I see scores of -20 on an 18 hole round I    The Golf Club succeeds. Period. A nice playable round of golf on the Xbox One. There are a zillion kinks and bugs to patch up and yes the graphics are seriously bad for next gen but the pros outweigh the cons.
    .
    Pros: Only golf sim on Xbox One, a course creator that has its flaws but some courses come off really well, difficult ( Anytime I see scores of -20 on an 18 hole round I immediately tune out knowing that some geeks have manipulated the games mechanics. In TGC Ive seen -20 but w/ constant new courses the idea of competition based on skill, rhythm and feel seems more plausible than other games.) You're supporting small guys!!!! F@#! The Big Boss Man....games for us by us. That's how TGC feels. Its "our" game. The Grateful Dead played some crappy concerts but if you dig hard enough you'll find gems that surpass what you thought live music could ever be. Same idea here. Go HB !

    Cons: Ok the graphics kinda suck. Tons of bugs. The game doesn't feel polished. Course creator can stall, hard to get a feel for the competitions.

    Verdict: An awesome game. I hope its a new trend. If we support pioneers like this we can help usher in a new era of games that will be far more satisfying. They actually need your support. The big corporate A Holes want your money. They'll keep rehashing the same crap as long as there is profit to be made. With these HB guys I get a feeling I'm supporting something meaningful. I'm giving it an 8...only because the graphics and bugs. Some solid patching would bring it to a 9.    … Expand
  8. Bootsy
    Aug 23, 2014
    8
    The XBox One rendition of the Golf Club sort of changed dresses on us before it came to the party. What was going to be 1080p suddenly became 720p, It suffers a bit of a black eye as a result cosmetically. Additionally, there are still some slowdown issues where the cameras chug along, and others where the animation speed of the golfer doesn't keep up with what you're doing with theThe XBox One rendition of the Golf Club sort of changed dresses on us before it came to the party. What was going to be 1080p suddenly became 720p, It suffers a bit of a black eye as a result cosmetically. Additionally, there are still some slowdown issues where the cameras chug along, and others where the animation speed of the golfer doesn't keep up with what you're doing with the thumbstick very well. It's a bit surprising that it's suffering from occasional slow fps - depending on the course you're playing. If you choose a course with fewer objects on it, you'll be able to keep the frame rate at a playable level.

    In spite of its graphical appearance and performance shortcomings, it still plays a good game of golf, overall, provided you're playing a course the game can handle comfortably. There are plenty of good courses to choose from that will play smoothly and at least look presentable. The ghost play method for having someone to play against is a recorded round of another player, You can choose not to know the score of the other player as you're selecting from a list of ghost player rounds to play against. I'm getting a kick out of this part of the game.

    You can also choose to play against a live player, taking turns like real golf. It seems to lag a bit if you're using XBL's party chat to talk to the player you're going up against. You'll hear what your opponent has to say about his shot a good while before you actually see it happen on the screen. It's almost better not to talk to them as you play because of this?

    The Golf Club is the only real golf game we have on the XB1 and for now, it will give you some real golfing like thrills, but will also bug you with its pitching game, which feels a bit like throwing darts. The developer says they will be upgrading it as time passes. They've already fixed some serious server lag issues in the first couple of days, so I say give 'em a chance to tune this game up and make it more playable. It's a shame it couldn't hit 1080p though. I think that would make it a different level of game and would have bumped my score up to at least an 8.    … Expand
  9. ObjctvHstrn
    Feb 23, 2015
    9
    This game is great! It's just like real golf. Driving and irons are a little too easy, but the short game is a challenge. I'm glad it does not try to simulate real pros and waste time with "drama". You just make shots for a half hour. Also golf is simple enough not to involve too many buttons at once.
  10. tigerfanbritt
    May 21, 2015
    9
    Very solid game from a studio that listens to their consumer base. This is definitely not TW. No gimmicks, no flash. Simply you and the 1000's of courses at your disposal.

    Multi-player options and graphics keep this from getting a 10 from me. Hopefully both will be addressed in future updates.

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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