GOLF+ - 2024 Forum Member Review

[GolfSpy_APH]

Continuing our trend of bringing varied opportunities to the MyGolfSpy Forum community, we have one that brings the golf course and your game to your living room with GOLF+ and the world of virtual golf.

About GOLF+ 

GOLF+ is the official VR golf game of the PGA Tour. Take a stroll through St Andrews, test your game at Pinehurst No. 2 or immerse yourself in the raucous excitement of the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. GOLF+ offers daily tournaments, a variety of multiplayer modes, 20 different real-world courses (and counting) and physics engineered by tens of thousands of real-world swings. GOLF+ is built BY golfers, for golfers.

The Testing Opportunity 

We are searching for three golfers to test and review the full GOLF+ experience. GOLF+ is available exclusively on the Meta Quest platform. Don’t have a headset? Not to worry. Testers will receive a Meta Quest 3 headset as well as a golf club controller attachment to bring the game to life.

For this testing opportunity, we want golfers to not only review the product and its features but also to compete against each other in tournaments and matches with members of the GOLF+ team.

We want to know how this virtual experience compares to your real-life experience. Can it take the place of a weekly round if the weather isn’t cooperating? Can it help provide accurate feedback on your swing and even improve your game?

The final portion of this testing opportunity includes the GOLF+ TOUR where our testers will compete with the rest of the GOLF+ community to see where they stack up.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@GregGarner 

@mynerds 

@Fongle

[mynerds]

Hello!

Mynerds here! I’m a lefty golfer who is otherwise right-hand dominant, though my play-style is not influenced by anyone named Phil. I work in cybersecurity and live in Illinois with my wife, daughter, and dog:

I’ve found great joy in meticulously testing and writing about golf gadgets since joining the forum in 2022 and am extremely excited for this latest opportunity.

I’ve been playing golf casually on and off since 2008, but only started playing intentionally over the last four years. I play in the greater Chicago area, known for its incredible golfing weather… 7 months each year. I enjoy experimenting with different ways to enjoy the game in the off season including Top Golf, Trackman rental time, or Mevo+ use at home. I’m a life-long tech enthusiast and a long-time player of golf video games, so this test touches many of my interests.

To my fellow gamers, I firmly believe the peak of golf gaming was Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 with motion plus on the Wii and hope GOLF+ at least matches that experience. To my fellow sim users, I’ll assess how GOLF+ compares to use of an indoor launch monitor and whether it can complement or fully replace sim use. To my fellow tech enthusiasts, rest assured that there is at least one nerd in the house (pun intended). Here are some specific areas of interest:

Meta Quest 3, GOLF+, and Golf Club Accessory Analysis

This test, while focused on GOLF+, includes three distinct elements: the VR platform, the game, and the club accessory. While each contributes to the overall experience, I’ve focused on the game experience itself.

Ease of Setup and Use

Just because I’m a tech enthusiast doesn’t mean potential buyers will be too. I’m confident I will navigate issues in the set up and use of the product, but are there any moments that fail the “could my mom make this work?” litmus tests? I will be looking to see if there are specialized skills and equipment to make the most of the experience.

Downloadable Content (DLC) and Total Cost of Ownership

In years past, DLCs were optional add-ons like cosmetics or original soundtracks to enhance an already-complete game experience. Some games have shifted to a DLC-driven monetization model where the base game is a barebones experience while the “full” game requires additional purchases at significant cost. Are additional DLC purchases practically required for GOLF+? We’ll find out together!

Compatibility and adaptability

Finally, we all come in various shapes and sizes. Whether you’re on the right or wrong side of the ball; scratch golfer or high handicap; young, old or in-between; playing in a garage, bedroom, or low-clearance basement; the experience should work for all of us. I’ll be including some friends and family in my tests to see if there is consensus in our experiences.

First Impressions (9 out of 10)

Here are my key first impressions for someone who may be looking at purchasing a Quest 3 specifically to play GOLF+.

• VR technology has advanced significantly, even from the launch of the then-revolutionary Oculus Rift. If you’re new to VR or haven’t tried the latest gear, you’re in for a real treat.
• As nice as the stock controller is, do yourself a favor and get a controller club accessory to enhance your experience. Here are the third-party controller accessories currently supported in GOLF+:
• The stock Quest 3 head strap is uncomfortable at best. Specifically, the plastic nubs on the back of the strap dig into your head. Highly recommend getting an aftermarket comfort strap:
  

Setting up the Quest was not the easiest of experiences. If you don’t fancy yourself tech-literate, consider enlisting some assistance.

As for the GOLF+ experience, my first impression was “Woah.” That’s my first impression. An audible “woah.” Setup is a breeze (recording below) and you’re immediately immersed in the VR golf experience.

Out of the box, the game is accurate to my faults. This is probably one of the few areas where GOLF+ makes a claim that we can test - “Accurate physics models that make you feel like you’re really on the course.” I’d say this is mostly accurate and my bad hits in VR fly exactly as they would in real life.

The one lowlight out of the box is the chipping experience. Of my entire game, I am most confident with my pitching and sand wedges. Where I can feel the difference between 10-, 25-, 50-, 75-, and 100-yard shots in real life, I get WILDLY different outcomes in GOLF+. In the practice range, I will try a 25-yard shot and occasionally flop it 10 yards or smash it for 50.

Minus a point from the first impressions for the high variability in wedge play here.

Aesthetics (8 out of 10) 

Despite not being hyper-realistic, the immersion created from the first-person point of view is incredible. As I mentioned before, I’m a long-time golfing gamer. Games are typically played in the third person looking down the line of your intended shot. Standing over the ball and lining up your virtual shot like you would in real life immediately makes the game feel special.

Club customization is available and does not affect game play. However, you’re out of luck if you want something other than Callaway, Taylormade, or PXG clubs. Additional OEM options would heighten the immersion for me.

Last, there is a strange flashing visual when using the colored sand wedges. This makes the clubs distracting to use, especially the copper wedge which ends up reflecting a deep blue:

Minus one each for limited club customization OEMs and odd lighting on the non-chrome club faces.

The Numbers (20 out of 20)

Let’s talk about two numbers here: in game distances and pricing.

For distance: The game won’t be accurate to your actual distances out of the box, but it is possible to tune your clubs to match real-life performance. However, unless you’re an absolute monster off the tee, playing your real distances will severely hamper your scores in tournament modes where you are forced to play from the tips.

On pricing: The base game costs $29.99 (before discount). At the time of this post, there are 30 “Add-on” courses and bundle on the Meta store for GOLF+. Prices for individual courses range from $3.99 to $14.99 with discounts available through various bundle pricing. Additionally, there is a GOLF+ Pass subscription priced at $9.99/mo or $79.99/year which grants offline access to all GOLF+ courses.

The add-on courses can be played in multiplayer mode, or on random availability through tournament or quickplay modes. The advantage of owning access to a course is to play single-player mode with your specific preferred tee, wind, green, and pin settings.

You’re looking at spending a little more than ~$200 to buy all of the bundles and the unbundled courses. Three new courses were released during the test, so expect more to be added as time goes on. Quite frankly, if access to these courses through multiplayer, tournament, or quick-play modes isn't enough, just buy the GOLF+Pass subscription and you’ll probably save money. If you plan on subscribing for more than 21 months in a row, consider purchasing the courses.

Players can also purchase in-game credits to obtain different club head, shaft, and grip designs. These are optional, don’t affect gameplay, and you can earn sufficient credits by playing the game itself.

No issues from me in this category!

On-Course (10 out of 20)

I’m using this category to examine how the VR experience translates to changes on-course in real life.

I love putting in real life, but I am awful at reading greens. The game allows you to visually see slopes but also gives you the option to display detailed slope topography maps by pressing the appropriate button on the controller, or lifting the club into the air (or squatting as you might in real life).

I really like this feature and it has improved my ability to judge breaks on the green. I am also significantly better at estimating putt distances since your distance-to-pin is always displayed in game. Overall, my distance control is greatly improved.

Even so, I was sad to report my worst round of the year after exclusively playing VR on Amateur mode for a few weeks. My shot was completely off with an out-to-in path more severe than it has been in years. My armlock mallet felt like swinging a boat anchor into a brick.

I was able to correct some of my swing faults by switching to Pro mode (and punish some of my bad habits in VR) as well as leave significant time to practice before any real-life rounds. Still, a scary thought that extensive virtual play could jeopardize your real game.

Minus 10 for VR potentially contributing to swing faults.

The Good, the bad, the inbetween (15 out of 20)

Lightning round here:

• I typically spent ~30 minutes playing a full 18. That's substantially faster than real life but budget your video game time accordingly.
• Multiplayer is a great socialization experience, and I played a few matches with other spies. Just like on the course, it’s great to bounce ideas off others and share in the ups and downs of your round. I could easily see MGS scheduling virtual events for members to play with each other, or a VR-only flight in the VCT.
• Scramble mode is a great addition and lends itself to even more socialization (or trash talk ).
• The gamified practice is fun and engaging. Again, I needed to be careful to not develop swing faults by practicing too much though. The one exception was putting practice which helped me improve in real life.
• If you can't tell, I love the ability to replay and share videos of my best and worst shots. Again, many game features lean into the socialization experience here.
• Swing analyzer is helpful to see the details of what might be going on in your VR swing, but it doesn’t exactly match what you might see with a real club. Your mileage may vary depending on your specific swing and VR accessories.
• Battery life in multiplayer is abysmal. You'll be lucky to get through an entire round. Consider purchasing an external battery pack or long USB cable if you play with others frequently.

Minus two each for the gamified practice developing swing faults for driver through wedges, and for the swing analyzer being potentially misleading for those trying to use GOLF+ as a training aid. Minus one for the poor battery life in multiplayer mode.

Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20)

Despite the potential risk of developing swing faults, there’s no chance I’m trading this.

If I was someone who already had a VR headset, GOLF+ would be an immediate recommendation at $29.99. If I didn't have a VR headset but I was interested in other VR games, I’d recommend the investment in a headset and games. If GOLF+ is the only reason you want VR, I'd think about spending the total money on a DIY simulator instead.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, GOLF+ is a game. It won’t replace time in the simulator. It won’t replace reps at the range. I believe it can, if treated correctly, help with putting and distance estimation for “feel” players.

It’s a fantastic avenue to socialize with friends, especially those far away. It’s a great way to familiarize yourself with a course before a televised match. It’s just fun.

It’s the best golfing video game I’ve ever played. Sorry Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10.

Final Score (82 out of 100)

Edited Friday at 11:38 PM by mynerds

[GregGarner]

Let's get this party started!

I'm Greg and I'm a former collegiate golfer that is still trying to enjoy some competition here and there, but mostly just enjoying the grind of a sport that can never be perfected. My wife and I live in Durham, North Carolina with a 17-year old that came to us through the foster care system. I play as often as she lets me, which is a couple times per week.

The other thing that is important to know about me for this test, is that I recently completed a PhD from NC State's College of Design (Go Pack!) and my dissertation was about... wait for it... improving VR designs through collecting quality feedback. Soooooo... yeah. Time to put my money where my mouth is, I suppose.

Perhaps surprisingly, I'm not a gamer. I don't own a gaming system and haven't for nearly 20 years. I had a Wii in college and played a lot of Wii Golf. But that's about it. The 17 year old, however, is on his Switch basically 10 hours/day, so we'll see if he takes to the Quest. While I may not be as much of a gamer, I'm fairly tech-minded, so I'm not concerned about any technological hiccups, but I will have a pretty keen eye towards the user experience (UX).

Let's get started and (hopefully) play some good golf!

First Impressions (9.5 out of 10)

Receiving this in the mail, I was pretty excited. I was expecting a Meta Quest 3 VR headset, a couple of controllers, and some sort of attachment for the controller so that I could swing it more similarly to a golf club. I was pleasantly surprised to find that we were also given an upgraded head strap. I only briefly tested the default strap because it was no comparison to the upgrade. Hot take: if you’re already spending the money for the headset, go ahead and get a better head strap. The difference in comfort is unbelievable.

The club attachment was engraved with Virtual Printality, which I suppose is the name of the company that designed and manufactured it. It’s a very high-quality 3D printed multi-material attachment to secure your controller and has a KNLY grip that mimics the GolfPride MMC grips, which I quite like. Overall, I was pleased with the attachment. I will, however, dock a half a point simply because I had some issue getting everything to sit flush when I attempted to secure the controller into the attachment. The thumb screws took a little finagling and if you don’t get a tight fit, the controller will bounce around a little bit and it’s moderately cumbersome to remove or reattach the controller. Honestly, once I got the controller secured, I didn’t remove it from the attachment for the rest of the test. Even if I wasn’t playing Golf+ and was just watching Netflix or something, I would just use the controller still in the attachment.

My first impressions of the gameplay were very positive. The graphics are well done, there are plenty of different play and practice options even if you never buy any of the upgrades. I found myself often gravitating towards the driving range just for the zen of it. One of the things that I found pretty quickly and then utilized for most of the test is that you can select background music and a YouTube playlist will play in the background. If you’re on the range, the video is actually embedded to where you can see it if while you’re hitting balls. (Yes, I’m one of those dang “music on the golf course” types.)

Some of the claims that Golf+ is making include that it’s a realistic experience on world-class courses, whenever you want to play. So far, check-check-and-check.

One other thing that I’ll note here before diving into the full review is that there are two “modes” for the headset. Some apps allow you to enable a ‘view through’ mode where it uses a camera on the front of the headset to recreate the world around you and this is useful especially if you’re just watching football or something passive and want to be able to pick up your phone, etc. The other mode, which is what is enabled for the Golf+ game, is immersive. In this mode, you have to establish a clear boundary so you don’t run into a wall or something. I’ll get into it more later, but immersive is far more convincing than you might expect! You really do feel like you’re IN whatever you’re viewing.

Aesthetics (8.5 out of 10)

Maybe it’s unfair to judge the Golf+ experience based on the Meta Quest 3 headset, but I do need to deduct half a point here simply for comfort purposes. The headset is big and pretty ungainly. I know it’s better than pretty much anything else out there, but there’s definitely plenty of room for improvement. I’m confident that future iterations of the headset will be smaller and lighter, but at least for now, you are definitely aware that you have a hefty computer attached to your face. (I’m not taking any points off for it, but I still think that you look pretty dumb to anyone else who sees you with the headset on. But that’s just my bias.) But the physical hardware products themselves are good and I don’t really have any complaints here. I’m curious how long the club attachment will last and whether or not I’ll need to regrip it eventually (ha!) and how that conversation will go with the pro at my club that does all my regrips…

A full point is deducted for fit-and-finish nitpicks for the actual Golf+ app itself and some UI clunkiness. For example, I really don’t like how the avatars don’t have legs. Not a huge deal, but it’s super weird in multiplayer mode to see your friends floating there with only half a body. In single-player mode, it mostly just annoys me that I can’t use my feet as a point of reference. If we were playing in View Through mode, then I would see my actual feet, but they would be on my carpet and not the wiregrass of Pinehurst No. 2’s waste areas. Since we’re immersed in the environment of the game, which I do really like, you lose that point of reference. In terms of the UI, some of the menu flows don’t really make sense to me and navigating them is a bit of a learning curve. Chalk it up to my doctoral work, I guess, but I’m really particular about the idea that “users don’t make mistakes, there is only bad design” to borrow from Don Norman. Not saying the menus are horrible, of course, just that they could be better and more intuitive. Another area for improvement is the controller UI. I didn’t realize I had unconsciously discarded various little shortcuts and hidden features until playing multiplayer and everyone else was zipping around, checking the slope of the green, and more. All while I just floated next to my ball waiting for my turn to hit. Oops.

Beyond that, the game play is beautiful and the physics are so smooth, which I really appreciate. The details on the courses are well done and they have done a tremendous job creating unique experiences for each course. For example, Butler Pitch and Putt is such a great Friday night vibe in downtown Austin and you really get a sense of that with how they’ve set up that track in the game. Having just played the Ocean Course in July, this was an easy 1-to-1 comparison and I can confirm that it compares very favorably. From a layout and course strategy perspective, I could absolutely see myself using Golf+ to prepare for a round at one of the courses in their library. Pinehurst No. 2 does lose a little bit of its natural beauty and charm, but of course it does because how would you possibly incorporate the black squirrels coming up to ask for a cracker or the smell of the pines you’re carving through. I haven’t played Pebble Beach in real life yet, but I would imagine it’s a similar (and understandable) shortcoming. BUT playing either of Pebble or Pinehurst is going to set you back more than the cost of the headset, soooooo… definitely no points deducted here. Very, very pleased with the UI once you’re actually out on the courses.
 

 

The Numbers (17 out of 20)

Here’s where the rubber meets the road and unfortunately, there are some point deductions here. The driving range in my very first session gave me an idea that something was just a bit off. The first couple of swings with a 7-iron were off-the-planet to the right. Block-slice. Strange, but whatever, it’s a video game, you’ll figure it out. Swing. Slice. Swing. Slice. Swing. Slice. I could feel my frustration rising. I switched to a wedge and it was much improved. The ball traveled approximately the distance I would expect from a wedge and was reasonably close to where I was aiming. Switch to driver and it was better than 7-iron, though still a little right of where I thought I would be hitting. My natural ball flight is a pull-cut with driver and a tight draw with my irons. Seeing a slight block with driver doesn’t freak me out, I do that on the course sometimes, especially if I get quick and/or the ball is too far back in my stance. But with irons, I never hit a block. If anything, my miss is a hot pull-draw. I’m not saying I’m a Tour-level ballstriker or that I have Tour-level control or anything, but as a 3 index, I’m at least reasonably confident of where my shots are going and, when I miss, I usually know why.

For the entirety of this test, I could not reliably hit my irons straight at my target.

It is single-handedly the most frustrating thing about the game for me and for that, I’m deducting 3 points. There were several times throughout the test that I either stopped my gameplay early or decided not to play at all, simply because of how frustrating it is to miss a green by 50 yards while holding an 8-iron. (Yeah, yeah, some of you are probably going to comment, “that’s just like real life for me!” but the scale of my misses with iron in hand is greater and unlike anything I’ve experienced in real life.) I even googled to see if others were having this issue and apparently, they are, but the primary solution I’ve seen so far is to go into the settings and artificially close the clubface by 15-20 degrees. Friends, that doesn’t work for me. I don’t set up based on the logo of my grip (IRL, I actually have my grips installed logo-down for exactly this reason), I set up based on where the face is aimed. So to have to look at a club with the face pointing 70 yards left? Can’t do it.

There is an advanced mode you can enable that gives detailed, launch monitor-style data for each shot. This can be used on the range or on the course, but during a round, I find it distracting, so I only use it at the range. I know my launch monitor numbers pretty well, so it was a lot of fun for me to compare what I was seeing in the game with what I know my numbers to be. Reader: it’s scary how close some of these numbers were. With driver especially, I found it to be close enough to believe that it was correctly interpreting my virtual swing into what I would actually do on the course. It was also these numbers that helped me to identify why my iron shots were so bad: the game was interpreting my iron swings as coming over the top (I don’t) with a wide open face (I definitely don’t). My typical path with a 7i is about 0.5 to 1.0 in-to-out and my face angle is basically square to target (hence tight draw). In the game, it was suggesting that my 7i swing path was 3.0-4.5 out-to-in and my clubface 15-20 degrees OPEN TO TARGET. Y’all. That’s not even close. I’m not sure what’s going on here, but it needs to get fixed. The only way that I found to make this even remotely playable is to swing at ~60-75% effort. Which is fine, until I’m between clubs and the reasonable decision would have been to take the shorter club and step on it, which IRL is no problem. It took tremendous discipline for me to continually take the longer club and do a half swing and in this regard, in no way mirrors how I would approach this situation on a real golf course.

The rest of the numbers are surprisingly close. I found that my in-game yardages were just a bit longer than in real life, probably because IRL I tend to scoop ever so slightly, hitting it higher and with more spin than I probably should. Or because it’s a game and you’re not swinging a real club. Who’s to say, really? You can also adjust the ‘power’ settings for your clubs, presumably so that you can get your in-game distances to match up with how far you actually hit the ball. But as I can tell from some of the in-game leaderboards, if you want to set records, you need to boost your power settings all the way up. I didn’t change this during the test. Too busy just trying to hit it straight.

I will give one point back (!) here because of how stinkin’ good the around-the-green experience is. The physics engine is pretty remarkable in being able to recreate the same kinds of shots and lies you would have IRL. For example, if you’ve got a downhill lie in a bunker, watch out, because you might just blast that thing over the green. Deep rough and need a full swing flop? It’s doable, but it’s still risk/reward and you might not pull it off. Bump and run? Go for it. High-spin pitch? Yep. Soft, floaty pitch? No problem. If you know how to manipulate the face and delivery, the game will respond. I was very, very impressed with the short game here. In fact, this is an area where I feel I could legitimately practice in the game and it would transfer well to real life.

 

 

I’ll also deduct a point here for the headset battery. It’s not horrible but it’s definitely not good. From a 100% full charge, playing solo, I got about 2 hours of gameplay, which is enough time to play a couple rounds and visit the driving range. However, if you’re going into multiplayer, you can expect much less. The testing group met up for a multiplayer session and we couldn’t even finish 18 before our batteries were done. Oh, and yes, you can get a portable battery pack for the headset as it uses a USB-C cable, but remember what I was saying about extra weight on your face? Yeah… I did try, once, to use it while plugged in. It works, but there is a reason I only tried this once… #TrippingHazard
 

On-Course (18 out of 20)

Maybe this section could be redubbed to ‘user experience’ but overall, I did enjoy the gameplay and being able to at least feel like I was golf adjacent, especially in a particularly rainy stretch here in North Carolina. Once you’ve got everything setup, just pick up the “club” and swing. For the most part, everything works really well.

 

I do need to deduct 2 points here as a follow-up to my iron issues mentioned above. So I already deducted 3 points because of how frustrating that aspect of the game was. But what I didn’t expect (and maybe should have…) was just how much transfer there would be from game to grass. The first time I played Golf+ was the night before a round of real golf. I got to the driving range before my round, picked up my 9i to start warming up and was immediately struck by how heavy the club felt in my hands. I had just played 2 days ago and hadn’t been to the gym in between, why did this 9i suddenly feel like it was a swingweight G10? I started trying to chip some balls with it and had the hardest time making solid contact. Even as I moved into full swings and up through the bag, everything felt heavy and I hit a lot of chunks. It took a good 30 minutes for me to adjust and start hitting good shots again. I had the same experience a couple days later when I played Golf+ and then went to the range the next day! Clearly I needed some kind of reset after gaming so that I wasn’t ruining my actual swing.

After a few rounds of Golf+ and as I started experimenting with how to fix my massive block-slices, my IRL swing started producing snap-hooks. I don’t know that I’ve ever, in my life, hit a 7i snap-hook as hard and aggressive as what I saw on the range, but it freaked me out. Here’s what I think happened: in order to stop hitting block-slices in the game, I had manipulated my swing, even though it wasn’t a real club, to be aggressively from the inside with a massively shut face, using my hands to shut it down at impact.

Safe to say, after that, I no longer play Golf+ the night before I have any sort of competitive round. Unfortunately for me, that was pretty often this fall, as I had about 4-5 competitive rounds per month during the testing window and not every night can be gaming night, lest I come out of virtual reality to find a very annoyed wife.

I’ve mentioned this already, but it bears repeating that the UX of the courses themselves is great. The holes are all well-mapped and reasonably accurate to real life (at least for the courses that I’ve played IRL and can compare to). The ambient sounds are really cool and definitely add to the game play. I am VERY appreciative that I don’t need to load up on bug spray and sunscreen to play these courses.

The Good, the bad, the in-between (20 out of 20)

I won’t deduct a point for it, but there is a significant shortcoming of the Quest and it’s in how difficult it is to truly have a multi-user experience. As best I can tell, there’s no way for multiple people who are physically together to share the same headset to play golf together. I suppose there might be a way for the Golf+ game to get around this, but it’s clearly a core assumption of the headset and the way Meta has designed it that each person will have their own headset and the only p2p interaction is through the device. I was actually hoping to play with our foster kiddo, who is a gamer, but there really isn’t a way to do that unless we both just take turns hitting shots as the same player. You can cast to another screen, so at least you can see what’s going on in the headset, but other than that, you’re kind of on your own.

Golf+’s response to the isolation (via multiplayer) is the best overall feature, in my opinion. The ability to have a multiplayer game, with live chat, is clutch. We were able to find a time that worked and we had at least three different time zones represented, including Australia! Getting to chat with the other testers while we played a 2v2 scramble was so fun and I think if you and your friends/family have a Meta Quest, a multiplayer round in Golf+ is well worth the cost of the game.

An additional note is that Golf+ gifted us with basically the keys to the kingdom. We were given tons of coins, which can be used to purchase additional equipment (and can also be earned through gameplay) but it’s important to note that you cannot buy a better game. The TaylorMade drivers go the same distance as the Callaway drivers. The Callaway irons are same performance-wise as the TaylorMades. You can buy different shafts, grips, putters, golf balls, but none of them make a performance difference. I actually really appreciate this. It’s a personal pet peeve in other video games where clearly the person who spends the most real dollars will have an advantage. In this case, it’s purely aesthetic. HOWEVER, you can make some modifications to your bag setup, which would have a performance difference. So if you want to drop your lob wedge and get a different club instead, such as a different gap wedge, you can, and that would (obviously) come with performance differences. Additionally, the Golf+ team gave us the full litany of courses to try out. I didn’t make it to all of them, but I found it most enjoyable to play courses I already knew, like the Old Course or Pinehust No. 2. That being said, I will definitely spend some VR time at Pebble Beach before my dad and I go out there next May. Maybe the caddies will be impressed with my course knowledge?

TOTALLY unrelated to the game of Golf+ but I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention that watching TV/movies in the Meta Quest is actually incredible. You can have it on view-through mode or immersive and either way, it’s like having the biggest TV you’ve ever seen right there in front of you. I am SO excited for a certain weekend in April to watch a certain golf tournament using the Quest…….

Play it or Trade it? (17 out of 20)

I’m gonna go with “play it” but probably not quite as enthusiastically as the others. Like I stated earlier, I’m not a gamer. When given the choice of VR or IRL, I’m gonna drive to the course. The solo-player aspect means that if I’m playing the game, I’m not interacting with my family (which, for some, may be a huge positive?) I think the spot where it fits most comfortably into my routine is in the evenings when my wife is getting ready for bed and I can hop on for 20-30 minutes and play 9-18 holes before she wants to watch a show or something. That also helps alleviate the battery life concern, I suppose.

I’m deducting 1 point for the scheduling aspect of playing and how difficult it can be for me to find time to play in addition to knowing that game time is not family time. I’ll deduct another 1 point here because even if I have time to play, I have to think about whether or not it’s going to affect my actual golf game, which is a higher priority for me. I live in an area with year-round golf, but I know there was some chatter about whether or not this could substitute for ‘practice’ for those living in colder climates and… I don’t think so. I think you’d have some serious swing flaws to work through come spring. Just my opinion at least.

I’m NOT deducting any points for the Golf+ pricing model. I think it’s completely fair, especially when you think about what its competition is. How much is your golf membership? This is less. How much is a round of golf at a public course? This is less. How much is TopGolf? This is less. (Fun fact: you can actually play at a TopGolf in the game, so really… 2 for 1?) How much is an hour on a simulator at one of those fancy golf simulator bars? This is definitely less. I will deduct a point for the pricing of the Quest headset, though. I get that it’s a really powerful piece of technology and that as consumer-grade electronics go, it’s less than an iPad (etc etc) but it’s still pretty cost-prohibitive.

If I didn’t already own a Quest 3, would I buy one just to play Golf+? No, I wouldn’t. Golf+ is great, it really is, but am I willing to drop $600 (when it’s all said and done) for virtual golf that may actually make me worse at real golf? Sorry, but no. If I already owned a Quest 3 and had any interest at all in golf, would I buy Golf+? Absolutely yes, even with the above shortcomings. It’s only going to get better!

Conclusion

The combination of the Meta Quest 3, club attachment, and Golf+ game create a compelling ecosystem for enjoying a golf-like experience. Nothing is perfect and there are always areas for improvement, but Golf+ is pretty dang close. Short game practice and multiplayer mode just by themselves are compelling enough to purchase this game. But add in the stunning visuals and ability to have a realistic experience on some of the most famous courses in the world? This is a no-brainer. If you’re a gamer and/or already own a compatible headset, download this game right now.
 

Final Score (90 out of 10)

Edited Saturday at 08:48 PM by GregGarner
Final review!

[Fongle]

G'day Spies!

My name is Toby, and this is now my second official test for MyGolfSpy, and also my second test of a tech product, with my previous one being the Hackmotion Training System last year (Link here), and I'm super excited and thankful to both the MGS team and GOLF+ for being able to test this one out.

Things have changed a bit for me since my last review, I still live and work in Brisbane, Australia, but I've upgraded my eternally patient fiancée to wife status, we've bought a house, and I've got (slightly) better at chipping the ball and have shaved a couple of strokes off my handicap.

I've been golf-mad since I was 7, and was scratch when I was younger, but I'd had a serious knee injury that had stopped me from playing until I had surgery a few years ago, and I've been back into the game I love with full force ever since. I'm also a lifelong gaming nerd, and I've been playing golf games dating back to PGA Tour '98 on the PS1. And with the deepest respect to my fellow tester @mynerds, Tiger Woods 2004 was the peak of golf gaming, but I'm willing to settle this dispute in the virtual courses ahead of us.

I tend to play at least once a week, and often use my Garmin R10 in the backyard with my iPad to play virtual courses and practice, and also play Sim golf at a few different venues quite often with friends. 

My goal for testing is to assess the viability of the GOLF+ game, along with the Meta Quest 3 headset, and the golf club accessory, as a replacement for playing either real golf, or sim golf.

I plan to be able to test and provide feedback on each of the 3 elements, both in how they perform individually, and as a package, looking especially at how the experience performs as a golf replacement, the comfort of playing a long session wearing a headset, and how my game translates to the virtual world. I'm very interested to see if this setup is going to show my natural shot shapes, and how natural it feels overall. I'm also planning at being able to give a comparison on how the game works with just the base starter package, and with the full package with all courses unlocked, as there looks to be quite a lot left out of the base game, and needing to pay for individual components or a subscription pass service in games these days is definitely not an industry trend I'm a fan of.

With part of the test also being the competitive aspect, I'm also wanting to test out how easy this is to set up and start, how convenient and fast it is to play a round, how balanced the matchmaking is, and whether or not this can scratch my competitive itch by providing a full golf experience.
 

First Impressions (8 out of 10)

When I first received my package in the mail, I had the Meta Quest 3 headset, and an aftermarket strap accessory arrive, as the golf grip accessory had been delayed. Getting set up with the headset was quick and easy enough, and after a couple of minutes trying the stock head strap and finding it uncomfortable to wear, I very quickly changed to the 3rd party version, and haven’t looked back. 

My first impressions launching into GOLF+ was how good VR has gotten. I’d tried some older generations of VR over the years, and it never quite did it for me, either the response was too slow, or the visuals were too grainy, and it never drew me fully into the experience. With GOLF+ it was immediately an order of magnitude beyond what I’d tried before, with crisp, clear visuals, seamless movement detection, and when I jumped into the practice range I was blown away at how hooked I was just 2 or 3 shots in. Within a minute the real world had faded away, and I was just in a fantasy driving range bombing drives (okay, maybe banana-slicing them in a mountain). The setup process was super quick and easy to get through as well, and the controls are very easy to learn and became muscle memory within minutes. I also found while just playing with options that you can play media within the game, adding a screen to play content off of websites like YouTube or Netflix, or music on Spotify etc which really added to making the initial experience feel world-class.

I deducted 1 point here as within about 15min of swinging while trying to hold and keep the Meta Quest controller aligned correctly through a swing, I was developing hand cramps. While that may be lessened somewhat while using the stock controllers with other VR headsets, the experience really needs a golf grip attachment to be viable, both for comfort, and because seeing a golf club and grip in my hands virtually, while actually holding a bulbous plastic controller is extremely weird. Having to immediately outlay another $30-$45 after buying the game just to have a proper experience with the game definitely is something prospective buyers should be aware of ahead of time.

I took another 1 point as while doing my initial testing and playing through different clubs in the practice range and courses, I found that the chipping and “feel” shots are incredibly touchy, and requires a lot of manual dialling to try to get consistent, and even now still aren’t always reliable. While I absolutely do not have the best short game in the world, I’m fairly confident with distance control at least, so when I’m taking a small easy backswing to try land softly 20ft away and blast the ball 50ft over the pin it was a jarring experience to say the least. 

Overall though, I was very impressed and enthused to get more into the experience.

Aesthetics (9 out of 10)

While the game doesn’t seemingly try for photo-realism in the graphics (and realistically is still beyond the capability of VR currently), the crisp and clear visuals are outstanding, and within a very short period of time I was drawn in completely. Smashing a drive and then tapping the trigger takes you to an aerial view, and watching the ball in first person while it soars through the air while taking in the beautiful and familiar vistas of some of the greatest courses in the world is an experience that can’t be beaten. Customising your clubs is available as well, with different options for putters, woods, irons and wedges, as well as grips and shafts, though the brands are limited a bit. I am deducting a point for the absolutely bizarre fans in the stands of the championship courses. They are always standing, arms at their sides, staring at you, and twitching a bit. It’s genuinely disconcerting, and it’s a strange choice to not have added at least some basic variance to their animations or behaviour. I’ve seen fans in the crowds of 15 year old sports games with more life to them, so they felt very out of place amongst the rest of the otherwise very polished experience.

The Numbers (14 out of 20)

For numbers I was trying to look at how GOLF+ translates my real world swing, distances and feel, and then as well how it works as a value proposition for someone wanting to buy it, and I did have some concerns on both fronts.

Firstly with pricing, you’ve got to look at buying a compatible VR headset, and then on top of that, as mentioned in my first impression, a golf grip attachment is pretty much a necessity. The standard head strap isn’t great and would likely need to be replaced too as it’s quite uncomfortable, and as I found out, the battery drains very fast on the headset, so if you’re wanting to play for a couple of hours uninterrupted you’ve got to add in cables and battery packs on top. 

Being conservative, you’re looking at roughly $350-$400 of hardware before even buying the game, which is another $29.99 on top. Once you’ve got the game, if you want to be able to pick a course outside the included 3 fantasy courses, you’re looking at anywhere from $3.99 for Butler Pitch & Putt to $14.99 each for The Old Course or Pebble Beach, with the majority being $9.99. I will note that you can play other courses randomly through Quick Play or Tournaments, but you can’t choose them at all, and being able to experience particular courses on demand is a huge selling point of the game to begin with. If you were to buy all the courses, using the bundles you’d be looking at just over another $200. There is always the option of the Subscription to gain access to the course list, which is $9.99 monthly, or $79.99 annually, but then if you cancel you’ve got nothing at the end of it.

This is a lot of money to outlay to be able to experience the fullest version of the game, and for someone who doesn’t already have a VR headset or wasn’t planning on getting one for other games/apps, it might be a hard sell. 

The other part of the numbers for me was wanting if my normal swing translates to the virtual world, and I really can’t say that it does. When I first started using GOLF+, I didn’t have a grip attachment, so I just factored all my wayward shots up to swinging a golf club via a game controller. Once the grip attachment arrived, I realised this was not the case, and I’ve been fighting an almost incurable massive slice with the longer clubs from driver to 4 iron ever since. Looking at the data, it’s showed the club faces being open outrageous amounts at impact (up to 20° in some cases), and I’ve really only been able to manage it by cranking the power assist to maximum and take very, very deliberate and quite slow back and forth swings, as well as try close the club faces down massively. This doesn’t happen at all with the shorter clubs, so I often find myself hitting straight pulls with those just from copying the same swing as the longer ones. 

On Course (13 out of 20)

I’m using this section to go over the actual golfing, competitive and user experience of GOLF+, and how it compares to real golf.

Overall, the user experience is quite good. The game is easy to navigate, most features are fairly intuitive, but it does have some frustrating areas. The biggest one for me was club selection, particularly for gapping. You can make some minor changes with using wedges of different degrees that affects their full swing distance, and can add a gap wedge if needed, but in doing so you’ve got to remove a club. In the real world that’s not as much of an issue, but with GOLF+ your irons are locked to 3-PW, so you’ve got to drop a wood instead. For me this led to having to drop the 5W for a GW, but it left some uncomfortable gaps in longer shots, and I really don’t know why there’s no option to drop a 3i instead, or to just shrink the gaps a little better.

For the golfing experience, this was definitely a mixed bag. When I could reign in the wild slices, and the chips were going the right distance, it was an incredible experience. Physically I could be standing in my office, and virtually I’m lining up an eagle putt at Kapalua, watching a PGA event on the in-game media screen, having an awesome time. The problem was when things weren’t going well, which was often, and then any time I picked up an actual golf club afterwards. Having to brute force change my swing to make it work in-game, coupled with the super lightweight grip, made transitioning back to the real world incredibly jarring. After the first time I’d spent doing putting practice in-game, and then tried to putt afterwards on my mat in my office, my Scotty Squareback felt like it was a sledgehammer. I had similar issues trying to chip balls in my backyard, with a real club feeling like it was made entirely out of lead, and I had absolutely no feel or touch with my chipping for a good while. I had the worst round of my life recently after playing a couple tournaments in GOLF+ the night before, and at this point I don’t think I can touch it at all if I have golf planned in real life anytime in the next few days.

For the competitive aspect of the game, I really felt like I had no chance at competing ever, with my rank in events miles behind the top competitors. While some people might have the drive to really grind out their in-game swing to be able to compete, the monumental gap between me and the top competitors made me not really even want to bother trying.

The Good, the bad, the inbetween (20 out of 20)

The best part I found with GOLF+ was the social experience, playing with the other testers, and just with random people from around the world. Watching each other play, congratulating each other on good shots, and just chatting with people the world over is such a great experience. Midway through the test as well, they added Scramble mode to the game, which I played with the other testers and had an awesome time with, and have had some great rounds with other people too. I can definitely foresee some MGS member shenanigans to be had with this feature in future.

I did find as well that I can actually get some real putting practice for long putts by strapping the controller to my actual putter, and playing that way. It’s a bit clunky but it works and I’ve really seen some improvements on long putts I otherwise have no way to practise normally.

Despite other issues I have had with the game, being able to go from a stressful workday to hitting shots on The Old Course within a minute is something I couldn’t have imagined being possible previously, and really can’t understate how cool it is. 

Play it or Trade it? (17 out of 20)

Definitely a keeper for me, but it does come with some caveats. At the start of the test, I wanted to know if it can function as a replacement to real golf, or even sim golf, and for me it doesn’t. What it does do is function as a good golf experience, a great golf game, and a quick escape to play 18 holes in 30min.

I do have to deduct points for the frustration with having to change my swing completely to play decent golf in the game, as well as the after-effects and time required of then having to transition back to real clubs again. It definitely makes me hesitant to want to play it if I know I’ve got golf scheduled soon, but there was a couple of very rainy weeks during the test that I could happily jump into sunny Hawaii and hit balls virtually instead.

If it was for someone who didn’t already have a VR headset, would I recommend it? …maybe.
It’s definitely not for everyone, and the costs especially may not outweigh the benefits. If you own a headset already, and you’re a golf fan, I’d absolutely recommend trying out at least the base experience and see how it works for you. It’s not going to replace real golf, or sims, and it is really just a game at the end of the day, but it’s a great golf game and awesome VR experience.

(Tiger Woods 2004 still reigns supreme for me. I’d reconsider if GOLF+ could get Feherty to narrate my ingame shots though)

 

Final Score (81 out of 100)

Edited 54 minutes ago by Fongle

[MGS-Forum-Mod]

Placeholder

[sirchunksalot]

Congratulations testers! 

This should be one of the most interesting tests of the year. I hope y'all enjoy it and I can't wait to see what you think of it. 

[ejgaudette]

Congrats testers.

Good luck with the testing!

[Rob Person]

Congratulations all!

[TJ Hall]

Congratulations testers…really curious to see how this works for you!

[TJ Hall]

Congratulations testers…really curious to see how this works for you!

[Josh Parker]

Congrats testers!  Interested to see how this one works. 

[LeakyValve]

Congrats testers!! Would love to see some recordings if possible!!!

[Shrek74]

5 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@GregGarner 

@mynerds 

@Fongle

Congrats testers!! I look forward to hearing all about this product. Looks like a lot of fun.

[mynerds]

Thanks to MGS and GOLF+ for this opportunity! I could not be more grateful or excited for this test.

We’ve had three tornados roll through our area in the last two days, so extreme inclement weather looks like our new norm. Adding that to Chicago’s infamously mild winters </s> make VR golf an intriguing prospect as an alternate way to enjoy the game.

Thanks again MGS and GOLF+!

 

[Eagle12]

Good morning everyone,

Congrats to the testers and I look forward to seeing/hearing the results regarding this.

Happy Golfing everyone!!

[TSauer]

Congrats, gang! I'm sorta regretting not throwing my name in the hat with this one, it's going to be a fun one I'm sure. Looking forward to following y'all on the virtual golf journey.

[pozzit]

Congratulations everyone. Have been eying up a Quest 3 so curious your experience with that and Golf+

[Mhubek_19]

Congrats testers! Looking forward to the reviews, and maybe finding a viable option for those of us without enough space for a sim!

[JoeLafives]

Should be interesting

[rkj427]

Congratulation to this group of testers.

Really looking forward to their comments and reviews as this may be something for those in northern climates to consider for winter use.

Edited July 16 by rkj427

[Timo2278]

12 hours ago, GolfSpy_APH said:

Continuing our trend of bringing varied opportunities to the MyGolfSpy Forum community, we have one that brings the golf course and your game to your living room with GOLF+ and the world of virtual golf.

About GOLF+ 

GOLF+ is the official VR golf game of the PGA Tour. Take a stroll through St Andrews, test your game at Pinehurst No. 2 or immerse yourself in the raucous excitement of the 16th hole at TPC Scottsdale. GOLF+ offers daily tournaments, a variety of multiplayer modes, 20 different real-world courses (and counting) and physics engineered by tens of thousands of real-world swings. GOLF+ is built BY golfers, for golfers.

The Testing Opportunity 

We are searching for three golfers to test and review the full GOLF+ experience. GOLF+ is available exclusively on the Meta Quest platform. Don’t have a headset? Not to worry. Testers will receive a Meta Quest 3 headset as well as a golf club controller attachment to bring the game to life.

For this testing opportunity, we want golfers to not only review the product and its features but also to compete against each other in tournaments and matches with members of the GOLF+ team.

We want to know how this virtual experience compares to your real-life experience. Can it take the place of a weekly round if the weather isn’t cooperating? Can it help provide accurate feedback on your swing and even improve your game?

The final portion of this testing opportunity includes the GOLF+ TOUR where our testers will compete with the rest of the GOLF+ community to see where they stack up.

Please welcome and congratulate our testers!

@GregGarner 

@mynerds 

@Fongle

Congratulations testers this looks like a fun product to test. 

 

[Stereotype]

Congrats to the testers! looking forward to reading your reviews. 

[GolfSpy SAM]

Congrats, all! Really excited to see how this one plays out - and hopefully I'll get to play along with you (with my Oculus 2) at some point! Weekly night 18, maybe?  

[Fongle]

Thanks MGS team and Golf+ for this opportunity. Super excited to be able to get into this one, run the game and headset through its paces, and challenge my fellow testers!

[Coulter]

Congratulations testers! This is a really interesting 1 to me as I think it would be the only way I could get my wife into golf. Hopefully it’s as good as advertised!

[William P]

Congrats testers! Looking forward to hearing about this one as I am intrigued by VR but haven't taken the plunge yet. Maybe this is the one that puts me over the top to purchase?

[Northern Monkey]

Congrats testers

[mynerds]

Today’s the day!

[TSauer]

19 minutes ago, mynerds said:

Today’s the day!

That was quick!

[LeakyValve]

@Fongle @mynerds All respect. Tiger Woods 05. Outkast's - I Like The Way You Move blasting on repeat. GOAT