Every Golf Game

I (User:Gravislizard) am cataloguing and reviewing every golf game on IA, starting with a focus on old PC (DOS / Win 3.x) titles. This list will be sorted in rough chronological order, newest to oldest.

Swing Methods

There are two main swing input methods used by golf games on all platforms:

Three-tap: Press the swing button once and a power meter appears with a bar that begins moving up. Press the button again to choose the desired power level. As the bar swings back, press the button again when the bar is in the middle of a "target" zone. The further you are from the target zone, the more you'll hook or slice the ball, depending on which side of the target you landed on.

Target dot: After you select your power level as above, your accuracy is determined by a "minigame" in which a dot moves back and forth on an image of your ball, and you must hit the button while the dot is as close to the center as possible. If you miss the center, the position the dot was in when you hit the button determines whether you hook or slice, and how much loft your ball has.

PGA Tour 1996

https://archive.org/details/msdos_PGA_Tour_96_1995

Wilson ProStaff Golf (WIP)

Screenshot of gameplay

Released: 1993 Published: Konami, Inc. Developed: Novotrade International, Inc. Platform: DOS Video: M/CGA/EGA/VGA/Tandy Play on Archive

Typical for 1993, graphics quality in VGA mode is very good. Box requirements state 80286 is minimum spec, but I suspect at that speed the game would be noticeably sluggish.^{[ Verify ]}

Input can be either keyboard or mouse, both are excellent. The game uses "target dot" swinging which feels very fair as long as you concentrate.

Putt sensitivity is high in this title. You can easily overshoot the hole. At three feet, a 25% power level will hit the hole, pop over, and land 3ft beyond.

Jack Nicklaus Golf & Course Design - Signature Edition

Released: 1992 Published: Accolade, Inc. Developed: Sculptured Software, Inc. Platform: DOS Video: VGA