There hasn’t been an official PGA Tour golf game on a Nintendo system since Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12 chipped onto the Wii nine years ago. With Tiger's shine dimming over the years and EA seemingly ending its PGA Tour series in 2015 with an underwhelming Rory McIlroy game, that didn’t look like it was going to change any time soon.
Now, though, 2K Sports has picked up the PGA licence, and – just like it did with NBA and WWE, with admittedly mixed results – it’s brought the series to Switch with PGA Tour 2K21. And you know something, it’s not a bad start. Don’t be swayed by the glamour of the 2K branding, though; what we have here is essentially the fourth game in The Golf Club series by Canadian developer HB Studios. 2K took over publishing duties for the last game, The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA Tour, and now it’s back with a revamped title to help it fully fit in with the rest of 2K’s sporting output.
PGA Tour 2K21 marks the first time the series has been released on the Switch, however, and given that HB has had to technically downgrade its game to be playable on Nintendo’s system, the results aren’t too shabby. It’s certainly the most realistic looking golf game on the Switch, although when your competition includes Golf Story and What the Golf?, we suppose ‘most realistic’ is a prize it gets purely for existing.
This realism is best realised in the 15 official courses available to you. From the likes of TPC Sawgrass and TPC Twin Cities to the Copperhead Course and the Atlantic Beach Country Club, each course has been accurately recreated with state-of-the-art scanning technology, and it shows. We hope you've got a thing for American courses, though, because all 15 of them are based in the US; if you're a fan of the St Andrews Old Course, Royal County Down or Muirfield, you're out of luck. As far as this game is concerned, golf only happens in America and your craving for Scottish or Irish courses will have to be fed by downloading fan-made replicas created with the included course designer.
The main meat of PGA Tour 2K21 is its career mode, where you create your own golfer and compete against the best of the rest in an attempt to win the FedEx Cup. You can choose to be dropped straight into a PGA Tour season if that’s what you came for, but if you prefer the feeling of earning it you can start off at the Korn Ferry Tour – the developmental tour for pros who haven’t reached PGA Tour level yet – and try to win your place among the big boys that way. And we do mean boys: although you can create a woman golfer there’s no LPGA licence here, meaning you'll have to compete against the men (something that would no doubt cause heart attacks for some old duffers in private clubs to this day).
The control system is explained in a brief tutorial (which can be replayed whenever you like) and can take a little getting used to. Rather than the old-school ‘three button press’ method you may be used to in older golf games, PGA Tour 2K21 is all about the right stick, and nothing else. After lining up your shot with the left stick, you pull the right stick back to start your backswing, then push it forward for the downswing.
The quality of your shot obviously depends on how straight you pushed the stick, but the game also takes into account how quickly you moved the stick. Too quickly and it’ll hook to the left, too slowly and it’ll slice to the right. It can be tricky to get this timing nailed down, and you may have a frustrating first few hours lining up perfectly good shots, only for them to end up in the rough or a bunker because you were concentrating so much on moving the stick straight up that you did it too slowly.
If you’re playing on the Pro difficulty, which is the only control system supported in online play, you have to take even more things into account. The wind, the angle of your lie and your elevation all come into play, and you’ll have to consider how all of them will ultimately affect your shot. You may be placing your aim cursor smack dab in the middle of the fairway, but if it’s blowing a gale and you’re in the rough, you may have to move the cursor away from your intended target to compensate.
For some hardened gamers, this is a challenge they’ll be happy to take on. If the idea of starting off at the Korn Ferry Tour and languishing in mid-table spots while you get used to the controls and slowly improve is something that sounds rewarding to you, then you can absolutely do that and you’ll have a good time. For anyone else who craves the simplicity of the older Tiger Woods games, however, there are a bunch of assists that can be turned on to make the process of hitting the ball a lot less daunting.
You can remove the downswing timing if you like, meaning you only need to concentrate on hitting straight shots without also having to worry about whether you’re moving the stick at the right speed. You can also let the game take the likes of wind, lie and elevation into account for you in advance and display a predicted arc showing you the likely path and landing point of your ball. It may not be above-board in the eyes of golf sim purists, but if your sports game tastes lie more on the arcade-style side you can fire through a round in no time like this.
While the WWE series took almost no time at all to fit into 2K’s now-standard process of focusing its career mode heavily on grinding and microtransactions, PGA Tour 2K21 feels oddly unlike a typical 2K Sports release. Your player has no stats to level up, no skills to unlock and while they can earn currency it can only be spent on different outfits: if you find a specific shirt, hat, pair of glasses, etc that you like, you only need to play a couple of rounds to afford it and then you really don’t have to even worry about earning anything else.
Meanwhile, the levelling up system regularly rewards you with other items of clothing and new clubs: the latter are the only way you can change your stats, but it’s not like you’re severely weakened at the start of the game, like you are in the NBA 2K series. As a result, even though you can actually spend real-life money to get more in-game currency, there’s practically zero reason to do so and the game never coerces you to do it. It’s refreshingly happy to just let you get on with things.
The fact it doesn’t feel like a 2K game does have its negatives too, mind you. The NBA and WWE games have fun career modes with a proper plot that plays out through cutscenes and cameo appearances from other pros, but there’s nothing like that here; you simply take on a series of events in an attempt to get better. The most interesting deviation you’ll get is the occasional option to choose a pro to be your ‘rival’ but that doesn’t really amount to much. We’d love an actual story mode in the next game.
There are other issues too, mostly of a technical kind. The course designer present in other versions of the game is here and fully featured, which is massively welcome, but the whole thing slows to such a crawl that it’s an exercise in patience: while we appreciate HB Studios’ efforts in making sure the Switch version isn’t missing any features, this one is maybe a bit too much for the Switch to handle.
Annoying, too, is the fact that almost every time we turned on the game (even if the Switch had been in sleep mode and we were resuming a round we’d already started) a screen came up asking us to agree to let 2K Account have access to our Nintendo Account profile. Even though we agreed to it every time, it kept coming up. More annoyingly, Nintendo sent us an automated email confirming this every time we did it. Oy.
On the course itself, you may quickly realise that the Switch version doesn't actually have any spectators. From the entry-level tournaments all the way up to the FedEx Cup, you're basically playing on an empty course with nobody around. Granted, that may be considered realistic at this exact moment in time, but given that the PS4 and Xbox One versions do include crowds we're relatively sure that 'pandemic era presentation' wasn't supposed to be an official feature of the Switch game.
We also encountered an odd bug while we were on the green. Suddenly everything went completely black except the sky and UI, meaning we had to blindly putt into a hole we couldn’t see. This only happened a couple of times, but the fact it happened more than once suggests it wasn’t a freak one-off. Nitpickers will also point out flickering shadows and the like during certain replay angles, but these don’t detract too much from what’s usually a decent looking game.
Speaking of replays, those are the only times you’ll get to see the officially licensed pro golfers in this game. Despite the fact that PGA Tour 2K21 has Justin Thomas on the box and boasts the likenesses of 11 other pros like Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Jim Furyk, you can’t actually play as them in any of the game’s modes, which may be a bit of a disappointment to anyone buying the game with that purpose in mind.
Instead, you only ever see them when you’re playing in the career mode; every now and then your round is interrupted as the game switches to a highlight of one of the pros elsewhere on the course pulling off a big putt while the commentators coo over how great they are. It’s just like watching golf on TV, or it would be if you had to sit watching a loading screen for 20 seconds every time the show cut away to someone else. It disrupts your game so much that you’ll eventually turn these highlights off, essentially removing the pros from the game too (other than seeing their name on the leaderboards).
There’s still work to be done here, then, and with any luck a few years from now we’ll be singing the praises about PGA Tour 2K24’s in-depth story mode directed by Francis Ford Coppola, with a soundtrack curated exclusively by Jay-Z and more microtransactions than you can shake your PayPal password at. Hmmm, actually, maybe less is more in this case.
Conclusion
PGA Tour 2K21 plays a solid golf game with enough flexibility in its control settings to appeal to both die-hard simulation buffs and casual golf fans just looking for a quick round. Its real-life pro players are so underused they may as well not be in here and the game may not yet have the typical 2K Sports trademarks – the polished story mode, the slick TV-style presentation – but it also isn't plagued with microtransactions, and the result is a game that, refreshingly, just gets on with it.
Comments 56
That was a fantastic subheading.
Game looks decent. I might pick it up if I knew Nintendo wouldn't release a new Mario Golf in the near future.
"You can't play as the pro players, and you barely see them otherwise"
I'm not familiar enough with most sports to know the names of many athletes so I actually much prefer it when video games adaptations use completely fictional characters rather than real people who I don't know. So that's actually a pro rather than a con for me. That being said, not really interested in the game.
I'll wait for Mario Golf on Switch. That's happening...right?
I'm second and I don't like golf much, but I do like videogame golf! Great review, it's nice to have another opinion on this title. I'm really wanting to play this one once the physical release comes out. It looks like a pretty consistent 30fps during gameplay and views of your shot flying down the course. 15 courses is more than I thought there would be, even though it sucks they're all in one country. The downloadable courses option sounds very cool (I've never played this studios previous golf games, presumably they have this feature too). I wish they would release a demo on the eshop!
I was a big fan of the MegaDrive PGA Tour games but haven't played the series since then. From my point of view this game is a massive step up from the older games. The cons don't bother me in the slightest. I can finally play a very good golf game in Switch!
Although I'm getting on with the control system better than I thought I would I still miss the 3 button method. I think that's just nostalgia talking though.
I have so many fond memories of playing Tiger Woods on the Wii with my brother and dad. We did not follow golf at all, but it was one thing that brought us all together on the weekend. I hope they patch in motion-controls at some point. Doubt they would though. Don't know if it would have the same kind of magic without them. I know that nostalgia is strongly influencing how I feel about this game. Is it worth giving a shot? If anything, will probably wait for a sale.
@HazezonTamar i wish they would remaster some tiger woods games for switch best gold games. Same as you dont follow golf but great couch game. Will take a punt on this. At least this one is more acurate than ps4 and xbox versions as it has no crowds.
I am really enjoying this but the graphics are not great.
I'm a bit broke now but might pick this up when it gets a discount.
Is there an additional needed download? You know, as usual for 2K games.
@Pablo17 but does it play good
Folks will quickly forget this game once Camelot finishes Mario Golf for Switch.
I don't need crowds, I don't need to play as Ian Poulter, I just want to play online with my brother. Will pay 30 bucks for this.
I love GOLF CLUB. Been playing on PS4 for a couple of years now. I think the analog swing system is great. There is a mental balancing act that culminates in a physical result.
Does anyone know if the created courses for previous versions import into this one?
This is the ***** I do like! A positive post from me on Nintendolife!!
It sounds solid but the cons sound significant to me if I were an actual golf fan or golf video game fan. So 7 reads about right I guess
I enjoyed playing one of the previous Golf Club games on Xbone, so will definitely pick this up at some point. I've read about quite a few annoying bugs in this version though, so will wait for a few patches and a price drop before biting.
At least 2K is trying, unlike EA.
I downloaded the game because we don't have it in stores yet in Norway and I have to say that I agree with this review.
I love golf, and though I haven't played any golf in about 15 years, I really wanted to have a proper golf game for my switch.
My biggest problem is that it's signing out so many times even though my internet is okay. It's so frustrating. It also takes a long time to find other players to play against. Then suddenly on hole 4 you're signed out...
I also agree with the review here about other courses, if you like golf, then you would like to have St.Andrews included, or just any other courses than the ones from the U.S. It feels like they made a game for people from the U.S, and didn't include the rest of the world.
Is it a good golf game for the switch? Definitely! If you like golf then you'll have a lot of fun playing on your Switch. Even if you just play it with friends, similar to FIFA.
Could it be better? Definitely! Hopefully they will include some courses and fix the bugs at a later point, but for now I'm just trying to get my swing together and learn how to play.
7/10
I enjoy virtual golf, but I'm not really a golf nerd.
And these official games are also so... ugly.
No pros, man I wish they hadn't even bothered with the license and been able to charge 40 new like all the old golf club games. I'm not paying for a pga license just for the same courses I've played a million times over the years.
Just give me Mario Golf.
Haven't found a golf game I enjoy since I played the Links golf games on PC in the 90s
@60frames-please yes a demo would be good for this
@Collette I don't know the resolution (but it looks decent based on youtube videos and comments), but have watched at least one youtube video that displays the frame rate of the Switch version. It looks like it mostly stays at or very close to 30fps. I do think that's a bummer since almost all the old golf games I can think of run at 60fps (yes at lower resolutions, but Switch is more powerful than Gamecube!). I happen to love Hot Shots Golf Out of Bounds on PS3 (such great music and friendly gameplay) and it runs at an unfortunate 30fps, so I could enjoy this Switch game I guess. But just think, Mario Golf Toadstool Tour on Gamecube and I'm pretty sure all the Tiger Woods games on Gamecube run at 60fps! Wii Sports golf runs at 60fps on Wii and Wii U (the sports club version of Wii Sports). Oh well...
Great game:) finaly a new worthy golfgame after almost 6 years.
Now lets hope for alot of great dlc courses
@60frames-please RE user courses, previous games in the series (before this re-branding) had cross platform course databases i.e. courses made on PC were playable on xbox etc. This resulted in 100s (perhaps 1000s) of courses ranging from crappy to fantasy to surprisingly authentic recreations of famous courses - it has a fairly robust rating and handicap system as well so the top rated / most played ones are easy to find and normally worthwhile.
@nicols That feature is such an awesome one for a golf game, or many genres, really. It's why Mario Maker is so addictive. I wish there was a good racer on Switch that allowed track creation/upload/download (can the Labo motorcycle tracks be uploaded? I thinking no...)
I've sunk about 10 hours into it so far and am enjoying it but it really is worth emphasising that to play career mode, you have to be connected to the internet - this is a big downside for handheld play. Also, the game has technical issues that can result in crashes (most likely a memory leak - it gets worse / more likely the longer you play - I reload the game from dashboard every 18 holes or so and avoid the crashes).
That I am still enjoying the game is a testament to how much fun the actual game play is.
@ChrisScullion bravo. A very detailed review with a lot of information and many pictures for the reader to see. Excellent!
Saw Gamexplain playing this and it just feels too lifeless to me. Not sure if crowds would even help.
@Cosats Hey, I know you! 😉
@Spoony_Tech Hi there
Normally I would be all over a new golf game, but this just doesn't do it for me.
I enjoy it a lot. Good flow to the game once it get's going. Fun controls.
The shadows and some water graphics are not release-ready though. At least in docked. Playing handheld it's "fine".
A great start to the series on Switch by the sounds of it. Not in a rush to pick this up though so will probably wait til this drops to around €30-€40 mark.
Other than Tiger Woods, Shooter McGavin and Happy Gilmore, I wouldn’t know any other pro golfers, so that’s not really a con in my opinion.
Still, I’d like to see a new Mario Golf on Switch.
Typical nintendo like am good but? I was the wholegrain without the wheat I was the socks without the feet! 😭🌾🤣🤣
The pandemic era comment regarding the absence of crowd made me giggle.
I haven't played a 'serious' golf game in a while and this one seems to do the job. This kind of game usually gets discounts after a few months so I'll wait.
I despise real life golf, but have always loved golf video games, leaning more towards Hot Shots (but Tiger Woods on Wii was fantastic). This game has grabbed me tho. One of the best golf games I ever played. Was really hesitant to get it, as the swing system sounded scary (3 button presses ftw), but its glorious once you practice a bit. The career mode is a lot a fun, but still simple (no 2k bloat), and I'm really digging buying new clubs and outfits here and there. I highly recommend it.
@NorwegianMate thanks for the review! Disappointed that nothing about online options and connectivity was included in the NLife review.
Have you played with any friends online? Can you tell me anything about the options? Iif there’s a disconnect can you pick up where you left off with your online friend? Or is that round just gone. Many thanks for any advice!
@nicols thanks for the info yeah that is worth mentioning.
I’m really enjoying this game. The lack of a crowd is a shame and some of the graphics are a tad rusty at times but overall it’s polished and enjoyable.
Finally a Switch game that would benefit from motion controls because swinging a golf club would work! no sensor bar needed for that! umm... no motion controls?!?! that kills it for me! pass!
@BenAV All that for nothing
@luke88 I don't have any friends added on my switch, I just use the matchmaking in the menu. You can play 1vs1 or 2vs2. It takes a long time to find someone to play with.. The round is gone when you connect again, and that's a bit frustrating.
The better option is to join an online society and play your tournaments there. They have leaderboards and tournaments every week, you play by yourself but your score is added to the leaderboard after each round. The difference when you play online or in a society is that it's automatically set to the pro settings, which can be a bit harder if you're just starting out.
It's still a great golf game if you like golf, and hopefully they'll fix the small bugs later
@IronMan30 I hope so, because I'm waiting for the same thing.
@locky-mavo Shooter is in the commercials for the game.
Always online if you fancy a single player game on a handheld device....why?
I was looking forward to this but that is a total game changer to me so it’s a hard pass.
LOL, great tagline!
The game is not too impressive, lack of Titleist gears and lack of Taiwan as a country, guess selling games in China means more than having Taiwan as a country...
Just picked this along with Breath of the wild.
@IronMan30 yes it is 😂
@Mrd8202 Mario golf is out now
Did this game ever get patched to fix what was wrong? I wanted this game but the reviews caused me to change my mind.
@tourjeff Huge discount right now.
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