The Very Best Golf Games to Play On Screen
When it comes to sports, very few lend themselves readily to video games. Sports like cricket are too complex, tennis and squash are too fast, and games like American football and rugby have so much going on between players that goes far beyond what can be predicted using algorithms. In reality, only football and golf have really made a successful transition between pitch and screen. FIFA 2018 sold a staggering 260 million copies, while the PGA Tour series of golf games have hosted hundreds of millions of rounds down the years.
Golf is a game enjoyed by all kinds of people from all walks of life, from enthusiastic amateurs to the favourites for the USPGA Championship. Sadly, many more are prevented from playing by the cost of equipment needed. Fortunately, thanks to golf video games, you don’t need a set of clubs to take part and play some of the world’s classic courses; you can do so without even leaving your house.
Golf video games have been around for many years, and some of the original titles have become classics that are still played to this day. Here are our top ten golf video games past and present. See if you agree with our scorecard or if you think our birdies are bogies.
10. John Daly Prostroke Golf
One of the ground-breaking golf games, John Daly Prostroke introduced motion control via the PlayStation Move controller on the PS3. It was also amongst the first golf games to offer a first-person perspective as you addressed the ball. It was not without its faults, and it has since been comfortably surpassed by better golf simulators, but without it, it’s fair to say that many of the best golf games would not have become quite as good quite so fast.
9. Cyber Tiger
Another early entry into the golf game canon, Cyber Tiger combined the fun of arcade golf games with the chance to play as real life pro golfers. It was not only the testing ground for many of the features that would later set the PGA Tour games apart, such as power boost, practice range and celebrations of great shots, it also had a unique Battle Mode, which pitched player against player in a lethal battle where more than a trophy was at stake.
Golf gaming means never having to carry your clubs
8. Hot Shots Golf
Speaking of classic arcade golf games, the Hot Shots Golf series has been around for decades. Placing fun far ahead of real-life golf simulation, this is aimed at the gaming market, with a golfing theme, rather than the other way around. Undeniably cartoonish, with characters such as Rachet and Clank, it was still realistically challenging to play.
7. Mario Golf
Of course, when it comes to cartoon golf, no game can hold a putter to Mario Golf. Released at the turn of the century, when the Nintendo 64 was the height of gaming sophistication, this is bold, bright and bonkers beyond belief. Yet somehow it still manages to incorporate a whole host of technical tricks amongst its garish graphics, including some serious shot assessment tools.
6. Wii Golf
The Wii Sports system was a real game changer for video games when it arrived in 2006, bringing motion sensor technology to the forefront of the industry. The system, which even included a golf club attachment for your Wii controller, meant you could really swing for those big drives and tap those short putts as if you were out on the course. It wasn’t the most accurate in interpreting these movements, but it added hugely to the fun (as long as you remembered to keep hold of the controller as you swung!).
Some golf games let you create your own course.
5. Links 2003
Links 2003 may be 17 years old, but it is still loved and played by fans across the world, many of whom rate it as the best golf game of all time. There’s no denying that in its day, it very probably was. It was certainly well ahead of its time and gave the early versions of the Tiger Woods PGA games a run for their money.
4. SimGolf
Combining the best of Sims style role play with Zoo Tycoon style world building, SimGolf not only lets you play golf, you also get to build the course and run the golf club too. Covering everything from sand traps and scenery to the tricky finances of running a golf club on a limited budget, it offers an opportunity to see beyond the bunkers and greens to understand golf as an industry.
3. The Golf Club
Following a similar theme to SimGolf, The Golf Club is as much about building the course as it is about playing it. Unlike other golf games, the focus is on the ordinary player, rather than the star, as you build your course and invite others to come and play. Made with authentic golf course sound effects, recorded live, this is one of the most immersive golf games around.
2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour
Running from 1999 through to 2013, with an annual release, the Tiger Woods series set the benchmark for all other golf video games to aim for. Each year has its fans, with many claiming that 2004 is one of the very best, with 2012 and 2013 also highly regarded. Constant updates kept the game fresh and ensured that it had all the latest features, along with the fine-tuned versions of previous innovations.
1. Rory McIlroy PGA Tour Golf
The very latest in the franchise, following the departure of Tiger Woods, the Rory McIlroy PGA Tour game from EA continued the legacy on PS4 and Xbox One, ensuring golf gamers got the very latest ideas and innovations on every round.
The future
PGA has now split with EA Games and partnered with The Golf Club in an attempt to bring golf gaming to a wider audience. This deal brings together the best of our top three golf games adding a PGA Tour career mode, The Golf Club 2019. All they have to do now is add Mario as a player and a Wii style club to the controller, and we’ll have the best of the best all in one game!
