The Golf Club News Post

More Details Emerge About The Golf Club

12:50 PM - January 23, 2014 by RaychelSnr

The HB Studios team is busy answering questions in their official forums right now, with several details coming out about their upcoming Golf Sim. We're hoping the HB Studios guys get on OS soon to do the same.

From the tone of the developers and reps answering questions, it seems as if The Golf Club will be a digital title with regular updates to add new features. It was mentioned that while PC Support will be initially supported (along with PS4 and XBox One), the team was going to look into the Mac platform as well.

Here are some more details:

-Tours and Tournaments can be created and shared with the world.
-No AI players, any competition will be with ghost balls/other user players.
-Game will be quickly iterated after release, makes you wonder what the business model will end up being.
-No PS Move/Kinect support initially.
-Swing mechanics are analog stick driven.
-No career mode.
-Everyone has the same attributes, so no advancing of skills or anything like that.
-Can�t set club distances, preference was to have everyone compete as equals.
-At the moment, no officially licensed gear appears to be in the game.
-All Fictional Courses
-Every created course is rated on a 1-10 scale by users and can be stored as a favorite.
-Each course is rated from Easy to difficult based upon how users are playing it.
-Three ways to play: Stroke play, match play, four ball.
-No difficulty modes. Since its you and the course, your difficulty mode is the difficulty of the courses you decide to play.
-You can start with a completely blank slate and create courses one hole at a time.
-No arcade features like power boosts, etc. Goal is to give a simulation golfing experience to users.

What do you all think of the game thus far?

Game: The Golf ClubReader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PC / PS4 / Xbox OneVotes for game: 7 - View All

The Golf Club Videos

Member Comments

# 61 pietasterp @ 01/29/14 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	Have you compared your desktop to the minimum specs required for the closed beta. They were actually considerably more modest than I thought they would be. I was shocked that my desktop met and surpassed them, and I've only got $500 in it.

I have, and I agree the requirements are very reasonable. The only thing is my current PC is borderline un-reasonable (in terms of its crappiness....). I'm still on like a single-core Pentium w/ 1GB RAM and a generic crap video card, the newest component on the thing being like almost 10 years old at this point. I can barely run 7-8 year old games. I've been meaning to upgrade, but haven't had a compelling reason to....until now, maybe.

# 62 MERACE @ 01/29/14 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pietasterp


	I have, and I agree the requirements are very reasonable. The only thing is my current PC is borderline un-reasonable (in terms of its crappiness....). I'm still on like a single-core Pentium w/ 1GB RAM and a generic crap video card, the newest component on the thing being like almost 10 years old at this point. I can barely run 7-8 year old games. I've been meaning to upgrade, but haven't had a compelling reason to....until now, maybe.

If your Pentium is at least 3.0 GHZ this would meet the minimum CPU requirements. If you don't have a DirectX 11 compatible video card you can purchase one for around $100.

One of my laptops has a dedicated video card that runs DirectX 11 so I should be able to run the PC version of TGC albeit, on lower graphics settings.

If someone wants a quick way to check your PC specifications here's an easy way:

-Click on the Start button (bottom left of screen)

-In the window at the bottom type in: dxdiag

-MERACE

# 63 OnlookerDelay @ 01/29/14 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmaj315


	for a second i had a bit of fun imagining what 'both' would look/feel like... Click, backswing, click, downswing, click (this has to be at the impact of the ball), follow thru (always follow thru!!!)

They sort of have something like that already in Links 2003 (PC). It's called Powerstroke. You move the mouse right to left for the backswing, and then click the mouse button at the snap point... at least that's the way I remember it. I never quite got into it for some reason... I think it was because it wouldn't work with the real time, snap-view that Links 2003 offered. It also felt a bit clumsy to me, but maybe that's because I'm clumsy

# 64 DivotMaker @ 01/29/14 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MERACE


	If your Pentium is at least 3.0 GHZ this would meet the minimum CPU requirements. If you don't have a DirectX 11 compatible video card you can purchase one for around $100. -MERACE

Gonna disagree here. If his machine is 10 years old and is struggling with 7-8 year old games, there is no video card that will be compatible with his ancient motherboard that can run the game. If you could even get it to load, it would be a slideshow. Save your money and get a more modern computer.....

# 65 pietasterp @ 01/29/14 03:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DivotMaker


	Gonna disagree here. If his machine is 10 years old and is struggling with 7-8 year old games, there is no video card that will be compatible with his ancient motherboard that can run the game. If you could even get it to load, it would be a slideshow. Save your money and get a more modern computer.....

Yeah, I agree...appreciate the info, though MERACE. I could probably get the game to technically "run", but it would likely be a slideshow as Divot said. And playing a game that looks that good (from the shots I've seen anyway) on the lowest possible settings would just depress me. Probably time to get a new rig anyway.

# 66 OnlookerDelay @ 01/29/14 03:59 PM

I found this blurb on Radeon's website concerning DX11 compatibility:

"every game out there using DirectX 11 is either demanding or very demanding."

I have a feeling that my system will be running The Golf Club at low res settings (provided I get selected for the closed beta), even though my Radeon HD7350 is DX11 compatible. I don't mind the low res though; I'm more interested in "feeling" the swing interface and the ball physics, even if I have to view the action at low res.

# 67 pietasterp @ 01/29/14 05:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	I found this blurb on Radeon's website concerning DX11 compatibility: "every game out there using DirectX 11 is either demanding or very demanding." I have a feeling that my system will be running The Golf Club at low res settings (provided I get selected for the closed beta), even though my Radeon HD7350 is DX11 compatible. I don't mind the low res though; I'm more interested in "feeling" the swing interface and the ball physics, even if I have to view the action at low res.

Agree, but the only thing is that the animation is crucial for a game like this, because of timing for the swing, etc. As animation/frame rate is a part of graphic performance, it may become an issue. But hopefully, maybe not for you.

# 68 IowaAJ @ 01/30/14 02:52 PM

This might be an obvious answer but every video I saw the golfer was right handed. We can play Left Handed too right?

# 69 OnlookerDelay @ 01/30/14 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IowaAJ


	This might be an obvious answer but every video I saw the golfer was right handed. We can play Left Handed too right?

Yes, that has been comfirmed.

# 70 OnlookerDelay @ 01/31/14 02:07 PM

Update on mouse control on the PC version: HBS is now saying that they will have analog mouse control added at some point during the closed beta. They haven't "100% ruled out 3-click control", but seeing that they presented its status as quoted, it sounds like it's much closer to being ruled out than not.

In the Riding the Pines podcast interview with Executive Producer, Peter Garcin, they didn't want meters and gauges in their HUD, as part of the core design. I can understand why a 3-click meter wouldn't be there for that reason. Could they implement 3-click just by watching the golfer animation? I have my doubts there. I'm not a three clicker myself, but I think HBS may be underestimating the share of the PC market who would ONLY use this option.

# 71 ThomasP @ 01/31/14 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	Update on mouse control on the PC version: HBS is now saying that they will have analog mouse control added at some point during the closed beta. They haven't "100% ruled out 3-click control", but seeing that they presented its status as quoted, it sounds like it's much closer to being ruled out than not. In the Riding the Pines podcast interview with Executive Producer, Peter Garcin, they didn't want meters and gauges in their HUD, as part of the core design. I can understand why a 3-click meter wouldn't be there for that reason. Could they implement 3-click just by watching the golfer animation? I have my doubts there. I'm not a three clicker myself, but I think HBS may be underestimating the share of the PC market who would ONLY use this option.

No 3-click no purchase for me.

# 72 OnlookerDelay @ 01/31/14 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThomasP


	No 3-click no purchase for me.

I'd like to see what the results of a scientific survey would show about this? I only see a small, yet vocal portion of the PC golf gamer market and based on that, I would say that 3-clickers are the majority. I'd just like to know how the PC golf gamers break down between analog and 3-click?

Just curious ThomasP, if the animation in this game is smooth enough, do you think you could use the golfer animation as a 'gauge' for 3-clicking? This is purely a hypothetical question because of HB Studios' stated position on gauges and meters. If 3-click happens in TGC, it *may* be that this is the only way it would happen.

# 73 ThomasP @ 01/31/14 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	I'd like to see what the results of a scientific survey would show about this? I only see a small, yet vocal portion of the PC golf gamer market and based on that, I would say that 3-clickers are the majority. I'd just like to know how the PC golf gamers break down between analog and 3-click? Just curious ThomasP, if the animation in this game is smooth enough, do you think you could use the golfer animation as a 'gauge' for 3-clicking? This is purely a hypothetical question because of HB Studios' stated position on gauges and meters. If 3-click happens in TGC, it may be that this is the only way it would happen.

Sounds interesting but that would be something I'd have to try out first. I've always used the 3 click in Tiger Woods PC games.

# 74 Zinger @ 01/31/14 10:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seymour Scagnetti


	This game looks to be lacking a lot of basic stuff that you expect in a sports game that keeps your interest. Not sure why everyone is so ramped up for this. There's alot more to a good golf game than just a course creator.

As usual, Seymour nails it. I too find the excitement for this game way over the top. I was worried as soon as I saw that the devs have come from working on TW games. Then I read that there is to be only one difficulty level and that had me scratching my head in the same sad, disbelieving way that I used to do when reading about the decisions of the TW devs. Only one difficulty level? How can that possibly work to the satisfaction of all. The different degrees of difficulty of the courses won't make any difference to the fact that some people will find it all way too easy and others too hard. Throw in all the other things we know about the game, like no career mode, no stat tracking offline, no adherence to the proper rules of golf (eg ball drops) and it looks a very incomplete product. Fair enough they say it will receive upgrades but I am well and truly on the sidelines at the moment. The Perfect Golf devs are the only ones in whom I sense the commitment to an authentic golf game such as the Links team of fond memory had and unfortunately they are such a small team that a published product still looks a long way off.

# 75 Skyboxer @ 02/01/14 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	Update on mouse control on the PC version: HBS is now saying that they will have analog mouse control added at some point during the closed beta. They haven't "100% ruled out 3-click control", but seeing that they presented its status as quoted, it sounds like it's much closer to being ruled out than not. In the Riding the Pines podcast interview with Executive Producer, Peter Garcin, they didn't want meters and gauges in their HUD, as part of the core design. I can understand why a 3-click meter wouldn't be there for that reason. Could they implement 3-click just by watching the golfer animation? I have my doubts there. I'm not a three clicker myself, but I think HBS may be underestimating the share of the PC market who would ONLY use this option.

IMO even though I don't like the 3 click method we need to end up with more options as options are always better.
I've always been for the mouse method.
As we move forward and give the dev's input and suggestions hopefully over time we can get a great game built.

# 76 rolltide1017 @ 02/01/14 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zinger


	As usual, Seymour nails it. I too find the excitement for this game way over the top. I was worried as soon as I saw that the devs have come from working on TW games. Then I read that there is to be only one difficulty level and that had me scratching my head in the same sad, disbelieving way that I used to do when reading about the decisions of the TW devs. Only one difficulty level? How can that possibly work to the satisfaction of all. The different degrees of difficulty of the courses won't make any difference to the fact that some people will find it all way too easy and others too hard. Throw in all the other things we know about the game, like no career mode, no stat tracking offline, no adherence to the proper rules of golf (eg ball drops) and it looks a very incomplete product. Fair enough they say it will receive upgrades but I am well and truly on the sidelines at the moment. The Perfect Golf devs are the only ones in whom I sense the commitment to an authentic golf game such as the Links team of fond memory had and unfortunately they are such a small team that a published product still looks a long way off.

Yep, I'm starting to feel more like you and Seymour, I think the excitement over having a new player on the golf game scene was just overwhelming. Not including drops is really bugging me, that just changes the game of golf so much. Even the "other" series had drops, yes they were automatic and put you in odd spots sometimes but, at least they were there.

Forcing re-hits essentially penalizes you 2 strokes in many situations. For example, you hit a drive 270 yds down the fairway only to watch it bounce into the water. Instead of dropping near the water and hitting your 3rd shot from there, you have to tee off again, 270 yds in the wrong direction. Now your 3rd shot is from the tee box, and 270 yds later, your 4th shot will finally be were your 3rd should have been. This fundamentally changes the way the sport is played, it would be like not including extra points and 2-pt conversions in a football game IMO.

I don't mean to rant but, no drops really bugs me and I hope we don't have to wait years for them to get added.

# 77 OnlookerDelay @ 02/01/14 12:25 PM

The drops are definitely an area for major concern. One of the devs has indicated they'd be working on it in the months after the release. I think they're interested in getting what they consider to be a playable game out the door to start generating some ROI. If I start seeing the promised frequent updates in short order after release, I'll have more confidence that they'll actually be able to fix the drops.

# 78 MERACE @ 02/01/14 01:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rolltide1017


	Not including drops is really bugging me, that just changes the game of golf so much. Even the "other" series had drops, yes they were automatic and put you in odd spots sometimes but, at least they were there.

I despised the automatic drops that were in TW14. After re-hitting my ball in the rough on a down hill lie from the edge of the water and seeing it go back in the water after several attempts almost made me throw my controller against the wall.

I would rather have just teed off again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rolltide1017


	This fundamentally changes the way the sport is played, it would be like not including extra points and 2-pt conversions in a football game IMO.

I thing your analogy goes a little too far (especially with the NFL considering eliminating the PAT

) but I do agree with you that a proper drop is a fundamental element in the game of golf and should be added to the game ASAP (along with moving the ball in the tee box).

-MERACE

# 79 MERACE @ 02/01/14 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seymour Scagnetti


	And they want this game to appeal to the masses so with one difficulty level, it will most likely lean toward the easy side rather than the difficult.

Unless the developer Anthony is lying or really sucks at virtual golf games here is his experience with the difficulty of the game:

http://www.hb-studios.com/forum/index.php?topic=549.0

"I have created a course we're planning on having on the servers for the Closed BETA, that has huge flat greens and wide fairways. With my extensive experience in the game I'm hitting about 14 under on that, but that's easier than any course I've ever played as an amateur golfer in real life.
I also play Pinehurst River, http://thegolfclubgame.com/2014/01/1...p-carousel-387, regularly and my best score it 1 Over.

And you have to realise that I've played the game for at lease 5hrs a day for about a year. So there's plenty of challenge"

-MERACE

# 80 JayBee74 @ 02/02/14 04:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zinger


	Only one difficulty level? How can that possibly work to the satisfaction of all. The different degrees of difficulty of the courses won't make any difference to the fact that some people will find it all way too easy and others too hard.

That's a selling point of the game to me. Coupled with neutral golfer skills, you can gauge your game against anybody even if you play single player or multi player offline.

Wonder if you'll have a handicap?

« Previous 1 2 345 Next »

More Links

More Details Emerge About The Golf Club