The Golf Club

About

"The Golf Club" is a next-gen golf simulation offering stunning visuals and a unique procedural course generator, enabling players to create, share, and play custom courses online. The intuitive control system prioritizes feel and fluidity, while robust social features allow for real-time competition and stat tracking against friends and rivals. An in-depth course editor, tournaments, and tours create a well-rounded golfing experience for both casual and dedicated players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

65%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,690 reviews

graphics232 positive mentions

optimization46 negative mentions

Excellent graphics and controls are easy to adapt to.
The course creator is powerful and allows for endless custom courses.
The game captures the essence of real golf, providing a challenging and rewarding experience.

Controls can be frustrating, especially with mouse and keyboard, making it hard to achieve consistent shots.
Putting mechanics are inconsistent and can feel random, leading to frustration.
The game lacks a traditional career mode and character progression, which may disappoint some players.

graphics
483 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
46%
6%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many players praising their quality and realism, particularly for a golf simulation. However, numerous complaints highlight performance issues, including low frame rates and graphical glitches, especially on less powerful systems. Overall, while the visuals can be stunning, they often come at the cost of optimization and smooth gameplay.
- “The graphics in the game are really impressive and so is the gameplay itself; everything seems to be on point.”
- “The graphics are beautiful, especially for the Unity engine.”
- “Great golf game, stunning graphics, realistic in-game physics, a real golf experience, best golf game ever.”
- “The biggest issue, however, are the graphics.”
- “You wouldn't mind so much if the graphics were absolutely out of this world, but they're not, they're distinctly average considering how much it hammers your card.”
- “Even if you manage to get the game to work after seeing it crash before getting to the main menu, you're then left with a game so poorly optimized for the PC platform it will leave your hardware reeling from the onslaught of badly designed and even more disappointing visuals.”
gameplay
276 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
32%
57%
12%
The gameplay of the golf game has received mixed reviews, with many players criticizing its mechanics as clunky and unrefined, particularly when using a mouse and keyboard. While some appreciate the realistic swing mechanics and the extensive course creator, others find the overall experience dull and frustrating, especially regarding putting and shot physics. Overall, the game shows potential but suffers from inconsistencies and a lack of polish, leading to a divided player base on its enjoyment and replayability.
- “The gameplay is smooth and there is minimal loading times.”
- “The physics and feel of playing the game is spot on and I found myself loving the gameplay within minutes.”
- “Not only does the gameplay feel authentic and challenging, but the best part about it is the course creator, which provides an endless set of wonderful course options to play.”
- “Worst mechanics in a golf game I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing in the 35 years of gaming I've done.”
- “The golf club is poorly optimized; the UI, mechanics, and gameplay just leave a lot to be desired in comparison, and it seems rushed and low budget.”
- “The physics of the game are a joke; the wind plays zero part in the ball physics, it's impossible to accurately chip, and the putting mechanic is broken and mostly unusable with a mouse and keyboard.”
optimization
128 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
56%
36%
The game's optimization has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many players reporting severe performance issues, including stuttering, crashes, and inadequate graphical settings. While some updates have improved performance for certain users, the overall consensus is that the game is poorly optimized for PC, often requiring low settings to achieve playable frame rates. Many reviewers express frustration over the lack of proper optimization for keyboard and mouse controls, indicating that the game seems primarily designed for console use.
- “This game is a joy to play, it's optimized well and looks beautiful at the highest settings.”
- “The latest patch has really optimized the game for PC and although I thought I would care less, I am digging the new handicap system.”
- “Terrific course creator, no loading between holes, and recent performance updates really have things running smoothly.”
- “The golf club is poorly optimized; the UI, mechanics, and gameplay leave a lot to be desired in comparison and seem rushed and low budget.”
- “Even if you manage to get the game to work after seeing it crash before getting to the main menu, you're then left with a game so poorly optimized for the PC platform that it will leave your hardware reeling from the onslaught of badly designed and even more disappointing visuals.”
- “You will more than likely experience poor performance and be forced to play on low settings... more importantly, you will suffer the most annoying screen tearing in the history of gaming; it has got to the point where I cannot even finish 18 holes without graphic corruption kicking in, and I am not alone, there are plenty with the same problem.”
stability
60 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
93%
The game's stability is a significant concern, with numerous users reporting frequent freezes, crashes, and various graphical glitches that hinder gameplay. While some players have experienced improvements after updates, many still find the game unplayable due to its persistent technical issues. Overall, the experience appears to be inconsistent, with performance varying widely among different systems.
- “This golf game has great graphics, and it runs smoothly on high settings.”
- “The game either runs great for you or doesn't run at all, based on what I've read in other reviews.”
- “The stability of the game can be hit or miss, depending on your system.”
- “This game is not working and has far too many glitches for me to waste my time any longer.”
- “So disappointing... the game may be great, but having tried it for the very first time the game seems exceptionally buggy - not even able to recognize a swing!”
- “The game is boring and freezes and crashes all the time.”
atmosphere
14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
14%
29%
57%
The game's atmosphere is a mixed bag; while the ambient sounds and graphics create a vibrant environment with wildlife, many players feel that the overall atmosphere is lacking, particularly during gameplay where the absence of crowds and engaging commentary detracts from the experience. The bare-bones feature set and underdeveloped golf mechanics further contribute to a sense of emptiness, leaving players wanting more in terms of ambiance and character progression.
- “The ambient sounds are great too - not intrusive but not invisible - just right to keep the atmosphere.”
- “Graphics are brilliant and it's very atmospheric (geese swimming on the water, rabbits running around, birds singing, etc).”
- “But the game itself has no atmosphere.”
- “There's also very little atmosphere when you're playing your round of golf; there's no crowd, for example, and the commentary most likely will get on your nerves pretty quick.”
- “The lack of atmosphere and character progression do little to incentivize actually playing the game.”
music
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The music in the game is generally described as soothing and enjoyable, particularly at the start menu, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, some players find the limited number of tracks and the presence of a distracting commentator to be drawbacks, leading them to turn off the in-game music in favor of their own playlists. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated, its repetitiveness can detract from the enjoyment for some players.
- “The controls are easy to learn and the music accompanied at the start of the menu makes me happy. 10/10 game would recommend.”
- “It has a nice soothing soundtrack, which enhances the overall experience.”
- “The graphics are pretty good, as is the background music.”
- “If it does start to grate, I turn the commentary and the music off and have some tunes on Spotify in the background, though I need to remember to queue tracks on my phone because alt-tabbing breaks the fullscreen.”
- “I shut off the commentator and the music from the jump.”
- “You can count the number of songs featured in the game on one hand.”
story
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
67%
17%
The game lacks a traditional storyline or career mode, focusing instead on the competitive spirit of golf and the pursuit of perfection among players. Users appreciate the relaxing nature of the game but note that it does not offer a narrative-driven experience, which they feel is not well-suited for early access titles.
- “It's all about the quest we as golfers share but never attain...perfection.”
- “The quest to be the best and the opportunity to really compete with thousands of other golfers is what makes the Golfers Club an amazing golf game.”
- “There's no storyline style of play with some sort of career path or tour path.”
- “I've been mostly trying to stay away from early access games, particularly story-driven games, which, in my opinion, are very ill-suited for early access.”
replayability
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
42%
25%
The game boasts high replayability due to a constant influx of user-generated courses, providing players with a wealth of content to explore. However, some reviewers noted that the lack of a structured earnings system or career mode could limit long-term engagement, suggesting that additional challenge modes could further enhance replay value. Overall, while the course creation aspect offers significant replay potential, the core gameplay may feel repetitive for those not interested in designing courses.
- “That makes it constantly replayable and with endless courses with new ones coming all the time, you really get your money's worth.”
- “There are some incredible course designers that put courses out on a daily basis so the replay value here is crazy good.”
- “And the replayability factor is incredible.”
- “Also, it would have been cool to have some sort of earnings system or something of the like that integrates with a career mode to give it long-term replay value.”
- “Perhaps even add in challenge style mini games to enhance replayability.”
- “Given that all you can do is play a round of golf, unless creating courses is your thing, don't expect much replayability.”
grinding
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly when navigating the extensive library of user-created courses and using the clunky club selection interface. While the random course generator and automated design features alleviate some of the monotony, the overall experience can feel overwhelming and cumbersome, detracting from the otherwise impressive visuals and gameplay.
- “Feels like it's constantly grinding your computer into the dust, even at lower settings.”
- “While the random course generator is a nice feature, the editor itself is tedious to use and not as powerful as the editors featured in other golf games (such as the Links or Jack Nicklaus series).”
- “Speaking of club selection, a clunky interface makes proper club selection tedious.”
humor
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
80%
20%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players appreciate the funny commentary and laugh at the exaggerated character designs, others find the unrealistic AI placements of obstacles—like trees on the greens—more frustrating than funny. Overall, the lack of crowd reactions during gameplay detracts from the comedic experience.
- “Golf is an outdoor game, and trees make for great challenges and good looking courses, but the game's AI tends to place them extremely poorly... such as in the middle of the fairway, immediately in front of the tee block, and most hilariously on the greens.”
- “Those bulbous heads and stupid haircuts really made me laugh.”
- “Funny commentary.”
- “It's so unrealistic, it's not funny.”
monetization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
Reviews indicate that while the game's monetization is transparent and not misleading, some players find the RPG elements and the associated monetization scheme unappealing. Overall, opinions on the monetization vary, with some players feeling it doesn't align with their preferences.
- “The RPG elements and monetization scheme are just not for me.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players experience a genuine emotional rollercoaster akin to real golf, as the game demands skill and practice, leading to frustration and triumph with each shot. The lack of handholding intensifies the emotional stakes, making it easy to ruin a round with a single mistake, mirroring the unpredictability of real-life golf.
- “Comes with the same emotional rollercoaster playing real golf comes with (except your ass is sitting on a computer chair instead of a golf cart).”
- “Very little handholding and requires plenty of practice to get within touching distance of decent players. Easy to throw away a round with one poor shot – perhaps too much like real life!”
character development
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate a lack of character development, with no progression in abilities or skills such as acquiring new shots or training to enhance performance. This absence of growth detracts from the overall experience.
- “There is no character development (acquiring extra shots, training of shots, increasing distances), etc.”