Developer – HB Studios

Publisher – 2K Sports

Platforms – PC, Stadia, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Nintendo Switch

The lack of an easy to recommend golf title this generation has been a bit frustrating. Everybody’s Golf is great but it’s aim is at the more casual crowd. EA’s titles are so few and far between in terms of release cadence and quality that you can’t rely on them. Golf Club was a promising new venture, made by an indie studio with a focus on community curation.

2K took a wise step, and brought the developers of the Golf Club in. Their talent and skill, along with a higher budget and an official license have come together to deliver the best new simulation golf entry since Tiger Woods graced the sports gaming world.

Now right off the bat, I’m not going to fool anybody with my golfing knowledge, real, virtual, or otherwise. I usually approach these games from a casual point of view, and tend to like Hot Shots Golf just as much as any sim title.

Now when executed well, sim golf games can combine the nuances of real golf, but keep it accessible for skill levels like mine. The older Tiger Woods golf games nailed that mix perfectly.

I did try Golf Club, but despite it’s nice visuals and deep customization, the actual golfing was a bit too hardcore for me. I could never truly get comfortable with it’s swing mechanics, so I respected that series from a distance.

With PGA Tour 2K21, they make huge strides in bringing in casual players such as myself, without sacrificing the depth hardcore fans would want.

PGA Tour features extensive tutorials and swing calibration setups, which can really help especially with it’s complicated gameplay.

Outside of the core gameplay and good visuals, the customization is easily the star of the show. PGA2K21 features a pretty fun character creator, that allows you the room to make some good looking, or absurd looking golfers in their Sunday best. Even better, is the absolutely intense course creator.

The tools available are built off the back of the Golf Club, and even in the games early life cycle you can find hundreds of quality golf courses online to download from the community.

The career mode is solid, if a bit barebones. Building up a golfer is fun, and despite missing some of golf’s more iconic greens, the career mode will take you on a satisfying climb.

Online fairs well, with several options to tweak and customize how long and short a session is, and I never had problems hopping online and competing.

The only real knocks I have is the content offering. Now some major courses are already available from the community, but I’m hoping to see them officially implemented so the career mode can properly take advantage. The learning curve is also pretty steep. It is a fair bit easier to get into than the Golf Club, but it’s not quite at that casual entry level that some of the genre’s classic titles were able to pull off.

PGA Tour 2K21 is a well rounded and fun golf experience. The lack of content is felt, but excellent community tools help alleviate some of those growing pains.