GOLF+ - 2024 Forum Member Review

[GOLF PLUS VR]

Hi everyone! Matt from GOLF+ here, just wanted to hop in here and thank everyone for their interest in being a part of this Forum Testing. We're super excited to kick things off and hear about the journey of our testers as they enter the world of VR Golf!

Understanding that many of you may be new to the world of VR in general, I wanted to provide some background on our platform as well as the OFFER we have for all of our Spys here in the Forum.

For some background, GOLF+ officially launched back in 2021 and at the end of 2022 we partnered with the PGA TOUR as the Official VR Golf Game of the PGA TOUR. We now have more than 20 real-world golf courses in the game and have grown our course team to the point where we are now releasing new courses on a monthly basis!

The game itself is available exclusively on the Meta Quest headset. There are two primary versions of the Quest: the Meta Quest 2 - which is the older version and retails around $200, and the Meta Quest 3 - which launched last year and retails around $500. The playability of the game on both versions is essentially the same, with the biggest difference being the 3 has slightly better graphics quality and larger field of view in the headset. Still, however the majority of our player base is on the 2 rather than 3. Amazon has deals going on right now for Prime Day!

Once you have a headset, the game is purchased through the Meta Quest Store for $29.99. As you'll see from our testers, the base game comes with 3 "fantasy courses" that are designed after real world courses. The additional courses can then be purchased on an a la cart basis (ranging from $5-$15/course) OR by purchasing a GOLF+ PASS Subscription ($9.99/month for the Monthly Pass / $79.99/year for the Annual Pass) which provides full access to all existing courses. GOLF+ PASS Memberships also include some other real life golf perks like: discounts at Topgolf and 5i Golf, Free Arccos sensors, etc.).

OFFERS! 

For members of this forum, we're providing a $10 discount off the Game Purchase with the Promo Code: MGS-190889. Additionally, we're offering a $20 discount off the first year of an Annual GOLF+ PASS Subscription with the Promo Code: SPY-190889.

 

Looking forward to following the thread and I'll be around to answer specific questions people may have. Thanks all!

@GolfSpy_APH

[GolfSpy_APH]

3 minutes ago, GOLF PLUS VR said:

Hi everyone! Matt from GOLF+ here, just wanted to hop in here and thank everyone for their interest in being a part of this Forum Testing. We're super excited to kick things off and hear about the journey of our testers as they enter the world of VR Golf!

Understanding that many of you may be new to the world of VR in general, I wanted to provide some background on our platform as well as the OFFER we have for all of our Spys here in the Forum.

For some background, GOLF+ officially launched back in 2021 and at the end of 2022 we partnered with the PGA TOUR as the Official VR Golf Game of the PGA TOUR. We now have more than 20 real-world golf courses in the game and have grown our course team to the point where we are now releasing new courses on a monthly basis!

The game itself is available exclusively on the Meta Quest headset. There are two primary versions of the Quest: the Meta Quest 2 - which is the older version and retails around $200, and the Meta Quest 3 - which launched last year and retails around $500. The playability of the game on both versions is essentially the same, with the biggest difference being the 3 has slightly better graphics quality and larger field of view in the headset. Still, however the majority of our player base is on the 2 rather than 3. Amazon has deals going on right now for Prime Day!

Once you have a headset, the game is purchased through the Meta Quest Store for $29.99. As you'll see from our testers, the base game comes with 3 "fantasy courses" that are designed after real world courses. The additional courses can then be purchased on an a la cart basis (ranging from $5-$15/course) OR by purchasing a GOLF+ PASS Subscription ($9.99/month for the Monthly Pass / $79.99/year for the Annual Pass) which provides full access to all existing courses. GOLF+ PASS Memberships also include some other real life golf perks like: discounts at Topgolf and 5i Golf, Free Arccos sensors, etc.).

OFFERS! 

For members of this forum, we're providing a $10 discount off the Game Purchase with the Promo Code: MGS-190889. Additionally, we're offering a $20 discount off the first year of an Annual GOLF+ PASS Subscription with the Promo Code: SPY-190889.

 

Looking forward to following the thread and I'll be around to answer specific questions people may have. Thanks all!

@GolfSpy_APH

Thank you for making this available to forum members!

[mynerds]

Quick evening update - the package arrived!

I've been documenting photos and initial thoughts for my unboxing/initial thoughts post, but here's a quick preview on the hardware side:

[TSauer]

2 minutes ago, mynerds said:

Quick evening update - the package arrived!

I've been documenting photos and initial thoughts for my unboxing/initial thoughts post, but here's a quick preview on the hardware side:

Wooo! Love that they throw an actual grip on the controller, that's pretty neat.

Also.... that PC setup looks slick!

[Fongle]

16 minutes ago, mynerds said:

Quick evening update - the package arrived!

I've been documenting photos and initial thoughts for my unboxing/initial thoughts post, but here's a quick preview on the hardware side:

That looks great, can't wait for mine to arrive. Glad to see it's got that style of grip too, was concerned I'd be getting some very strange looks from the pro shop when I had them put an MCC+4 on a VR controller

[LeakyValve]

I don't know how tech advanced any of the testers are. But I would love love love to see a live recording of someone playing (like a live stream). Even a video or two of things like set up and a review!!! 

[mynerds]

13 minutes ago, LeakyValve said:

I don't know how tech advanced any of the testers are. But I would love love love to see a live recording of someone playing (like a live stream). Even a video or two of things like set up and a review!!! 

At the risk of overpromising, live streaming is in the works.

As we wait for the other testers to get their equipment and come online, I spent time yesterday experimenting with streaming. As with all things tech, there are several means to the same end. There are at least two built-in methods for streaming ("Casting" and "Live") that seem to work well enough. I am still troubleshooting some microphone issues that impact the streaming experience though so we're not quite ready for prime-time yet. There are some other paid services that offer a higher level of stream control (bitrate, resolution, OBS integration, etc...) that I may consider purchasing based on further testing of the native functions. More to come on this front!

I will say, I've been surprised at how steep the learning curve has been navigating the interface and how little built-in instruction is provided by Meta. I've had to resort to a LOT of "let's see what this does" in the VR interface, and I can see how someone not technically inclined may easily get frustrated with VR navigation.

[LeakyValve]

@mynerds interesting about the lack of instruction. Kinda thought when you would boot things up it would run your through a suite of instructions. 

 

As for the streaming side my thought would be to just add VR as a source into your software. Add the VR as a source. Mic as a source and so on. I use streamlabs. I found issues with bitrate when resolutions were different (monitor is 1440p trying to stream in 1080). 

[mynerds]

26 minutes ago, LeakyValve said:

As for the streaming side my thought would be to just add VR as a source into your software. Add the VR as a source. Mic as a source and so on.

You would think it would support integration with StreamLabs given that Oculus supported it, but nope! Per Meta, you have to cast to a browser, then integrate the browser as your source in OBS. You lose a lot of stream control the moment you cast to the browser as a middle-man. and it seems I'm not the only one that experienced audio issues with this method.

Edited July 19 by mynerds

[LeakyValve]

@mynerds that is indeed weird. Could you just cast directly to YouTube?

[GregGarner]

Package has arrived and I'm starting to figure out how to use the headset. Our Golf+ codes haven't yet come through, so I'm still just learning the UI, but I can already tell it's going to be a challenge to keep my review focused solely on the Golf+ app/experience without also sharing some takes on the Meta Quest experience overall. But I'm sure you all won't mind hearing more about the headset too!

If anyone wants to send me a follow request, my Meta Horizon name is GregGarner87, though I'm still trying to figure things out.

Spoiler alert: there's a real chance I spend a good chunk of the weekend watching The Open in VR.

     

Edited July 20 by GregGarner

[Josh Parker]

Really keeping an eye on this test.  It's an interesting one and something I may have to try out at some point depending on the reviews.

[GregGarner]

Quick update - today I learned two important things about me/this test.

In no way will I be using this for tournament prep! (at least not yet)

Basically, I tried out the unit last night, spent a lot of time at the virtual range, and even played 9 at Sawgrass. I'll save some of the juicy details, but basically, I didn't get a flush fit with the controller on the club accessory and the tiny bit of space between the controller and the accessory caused me to hit these weak, block-slices with irons. Driver was great, wedges were fine, but irons? Sheesh. Had to feel like I was hitting snap-hook punch-outs to hit it anywhere near my target. (I think I know how to fix this, but didn't have time last night. Didn't think it was that big of deal at the time.)

Fast forward to this morning, as I'm warming up for my Men's Golf Assoc. "Pick a Pro" Open Championship, and I'm hitting the most ridiculous pull-hooks with all of my irons. Whoops.

Eventually adjusted and even ended up finishing in the money, but wow that warm up was unsettling! Kind of amazing that there was any transfer, to be honest. Makes me more motivated than ever to make sure that I get the specs dialed in for the game so that I'm not ingraining bad swing habits!

 

UPDATE TO MY UPDATE:
Was able to get a secure/flush connection with the attachment/accessory and the controller (no more rattle/extra room!) and unfortunately it actually didn't change the irons. Driver and wedges are still good. But for whatever reason, the irons aren't even close to any kind of shot I've ever hit in real life.

I went to the 'Analyzer' feature on the practice tee/driving range and it gives you a ton of in-depth data. It was showing that I was about 1-degree in-to-out on my path (which I know is exactly where I'm at in real life) but my club face is consistently 15-30 degrees open! At one point, I rotated the club in my hands by about 45 degrees so that the face was pointing to my lead leg and put a normal swing on it. This time the club face was only 2 degrees open! Hoping my fellow testers aren't experiencing this issue

Edited July 22 by GregGarner

[Fongle]

On 7/21/2024 at 6:56 AM, GregGarner said:

Hoping my fellow testers aren't experiencing this issue

I am still (very impatiently) waiting for my device to arrive. Have you had a chance to try it out yet @mynerds? Curious to see what your initial impression has been so far

[mynerds]

@Fongle I was able to play a bit this weekend. I caught @GregGarner online at the same time but couldn't figure out how to join his session as a spectator (if that's a thing).

The preview of my first impressions as I write up my formal info is that, for as awful as the Meta user experience has been, the GOLF+ immersion is unbelievable. It's been more forgiving than real life, but there have been a few subtle experiences that really put it over the top. The biggest one I noticed is that if you squat down like you're trying to read a put, the game overlays some topology lines to help better read the green. There wasn't any instruction on that feature, but I naturally dropped my stance to get a better view while putting and had an audible "wow!" moment.

On the downside with Meta, I cannot for the life of me get access to the screenshots and videos I recorded on the device. I've installed the Quest Link, I've connected to my computer, I've followed all of the prompts per Meta instructions but can't get the device to show up as a new device. Once I get access, I'll upload the videos and screenshots here. (Edit: for clarification, all of the screenshots and videos are available via the phone app. They're cumbersome to export for editing on a PC from the phone, and it really shouldn't be so much effort to plug the headset in and access the media. If that's the last line of resort, so be it though!)

@LeakyValve Meta's "cast to youtube" feature really doesn't work as described from what I've seen. You're supposed to find your youtube channel, which will show your chat window in the headset. You still need to cast to a browser, then have that browser cast as a source in OBS. I'll be happy to be proven wrong here, but its a surprisingly clunky set up given that other apps like Discord have a one-click streaming option. On top of that, my YouTube channel isn't found when searching in the headset app. I'd show you screenshots of the issue, but see above for the woes getting access to the internal headset storage.

Edited July 22 by mynerds

[GregGarner]

5 minutes ago, mynerds said:

@Fongle I was able to play a bit this weekend. I caught @GregGarner online at the same time but couldn't figure out how to join his session as a spectator (if that's a thing).

The preview of my first impressions as I write up my formal info is that, for as awful as the Meta user experience has been, the GOLF+ immersion is unbelievable. It's been more forgiving than real life, but there have been a few subtle experiences that really put it over the top. The biggest one I noticed is that if you squat down like you're trying to read a put, the game overlays some topology lines to help better read the green. There wasn't any instruction on that feature, but I naturally dropped my stance to get a better view while putting and had an audible "wow!" moment.

So first of all, that's amazing, I didn't know there was a spectator mode! Will definitely have to try that out if I catch you guys online!

And seconded. The initial impressions of Golf+ are very, very positive. I did figure out how to just leave the topology lines 'on' permanently and that's really helped. I'm also loving the 'advanced stats' you can get for every swing. As someone who knows their numbers and has spent a fair bit of time on launch monitors, it's scary close (except for face angle, of course). Super impressive physics engine.

[GolfSpy SAM]

6 minutes ago, GregGarner said:

So first of all, that's amazing, I didn't know there was a spectator mode! Will definitely have to try that out if I catch you guys online!

And seconded. The initial impressions of Golf+ are very, very positive. I did figure out how to just leave the topology lines 'on' permanently and that's really helped. I'm also loving the 'advanced stats' you can get for every swing. As someone who knows their numbers and has spent a fair bit of time on launch monitors, it's scary close (except for face angle, of course). Super impressive physics engine.

Oh man! I'm wondering if this stuff is available in the Quest 2 that I have - I've never actually bothered to delve too deep, mostly just hit the range and hit the course.  So cool, though!  

Super curious about the irons being the only club where it's reading it that open.  Maybe @GOLF PLUS VR (Matt) has a tip or trick as to how to dial in specific clubs? Is that even possible?  I know when I was playing a bunch last year, I was seeing driver basically just slice off the planet, but my irons and wedges were VERY similar to real life.  And even though - yes, my miss is a slice, it's not usually THAT pronounced, lol.  It would be fun to see if you could play with shaft type / flex, etc, to dial in closer to what you / we see on-course.  

Can't wait to get a game going with you all!

[GOLF PLUS VR]

18 hours ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

Oh man! I'm wondering if this stuff is available in the Quest 2 that I have - I've never actually bothered to delve too deep, mostly just hit the range and hit the course.  So cool, though!  

Super curious about the irons being the only club where it's reading it that open.  Maybe @GOLF PLUS VR (Matt) has a tip or trick as to how to dial in specific clubs? Is that even possible?  I know when I was playing a bunch last year, I was seeing driver basically just slice off the planet, but my irons and wedges were VERY similar to real life.  And even though - yes, my miss is a slice, it's not usually THAT pronounced, lol.  It would be fun to see if you could play with shaft type / flex, etc, to dial in closer to what you / we see on-course.  

Can't wait to get a game going with you all!

Good conversation so far! I'll touch on a few of the key notes that I've seen so far...

Regarding the topography/slope lines of the green, very funny that @mynerds discovered this by squatting down to read the green! It was probably just a coincidence, as you can get the lines to appear by lifting the club attachment up vertically in the air (or by pressing the side trigger if you don't have a club attachment). Lifting the club up in the air when in the fairway or on the tee will also display where the flag is.

Regarding @GregGarner note about the iron club face being off but not driver or wedge - this one is a bit odd. I'm wondering if the iron swing may be a little different than your wedge/driver swing and it's causing a tracking issue with the headset? In general, you can adjust the draw/fade bias on your clubs by going to Settings -> Controls -> Adjust Clubs to dial them in how you want. I'd also try resetting your club attachment setting. Sometimes it's best even if the club attachment is one of the options listed, to set it up using the Custom option.

Lastly, in terms of getting screenshots/recordings, you'll record them in the headset and then you should be able to access them on your Meta Quest mobile app. On your headset, go to Camera -> Library -> Click the three dots next to image/video you want to share and select "Sync Media". It may take a few minutes, but then you can open the Mobile App, go to Library and they should be there.

[GregGarner]

18 hours ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

It would be fun to see if you could play with shaft type / flex, etc, to dial in closer to what you / we see on-course.  

I actually had this thought too! The iron swings actually remind me of one time I was trying to swing A-flex shafts and I just couldn't get the timing right. Everything was a block slice. IRL, all of my irons are tight draws and my miss is a sweepy draw/hook. I've been doing some reading of others reviews as well as they've had similar issues, albeit throughout the bag. The next thing I'm going to try is putting the ball WAY up in my stance. IRL, I play almost all of my irons center or just forward of center, but in the game, I think I'll put them off my lead foot and see if that helps square it up.

And thanks @GOLF PLUS VR, I've been tinkering with the settings, but hadn't gotten too radical yet. I'll see about making these changes! One of the reviews I was looking at actually adjusted all of their clubs closed by 20-25 degrees and that straightened everything out. Looks kinda funny, but if it works!

[mynerds]

12 hours ago, GOLF PLUS VR said:

Regarding the topography/slope lines of the green, very funny that @mynerds discovered this by squatting down to read the green! It was probably just a coincidence, as you can get the lines to appear by lifting the club attachment up vertically in the air (or by pressing the side trigger if you don't have a club attachment). Lifting the club up in the air when in the fairway or on the tee will also display where the flag is.

I'll challenge you on this being coincidental - I'm fairly confident that squatting triggers the topology display. I haven't adjusted the camera recording settings yet, and YouTube seems to treat every video less than a minute long as a short, but here's a clip of what I'm experiencing:

Note that I'm deliberately holding the club in place when squatting, and no change occurs when moving the club while squatted. Lifting the club while standing does seem to work as well though!

[GolfSpy SAM]

1 hour ago, mynerds said:

I'll challenge you on this being coincidental - I'm fairly confident that squatting triggers the topology display. I haven't adjusted the camera recording settings yet, and YouTube seems to treat every video less than a minute long as a short, but here's a clip of what I'm experiencing:

Note that I'm deliberately holding the club in place when squatting, and no change occurs when moving the club while squatted. Lifting the club while standing does seem to work as well though!

I'm not going to lie - I absolutely LOVE this feature, lol.  Feels VERY true to life, in a way that VR keeps surprising me by.  BTW, the club-holder I now have is MILES better than the one I had bought previously.  Everything about it is better - the weight of it feels more realistic, the double-velcro straps (For those of you with Oculus 3, I have Oculus 2, so it's a slightly different setup than you all have) genuinely keep the controller in place, and swinging it feels ... real, in a way that's almost confusing, lol.

Really excited to see you all on the "field" of battle!

[TSauer]

So, what’s been everyone’s favorite course to play? 

[Fongle]

A very unexpected, but welcome delivery this afternoon just as I finished work, wasn't expecting it to arrive til next week.

 

No golf controller as of yet, not sure when that's due to arrive, and with the timezone difference I haven't been able to get the GOLF+ key yet, but I have managed to get my account set up and have a play around with the features of the headset. I haven't picked up a VR headset since trying the Oculus Rift S at PAX about 5 years ago, and the difference between that and this has been mindblowing so far.

Cannot wait to start playing golf with this thing.

Username is Fongle, account name is Fongle89 if anyone wants to add me 

Edited July 24 by Fongle

[GOLF PLUS VR]

12 hours ago, mynerds said:

I'll challenge you on this being coincidental - I'm fairly confident that squatting triggers the topology display. I haven't adjusted the camera recording settings yet, and YouTube seems to treat every video less than a minute long as a short, but here's a clip of what I'm experiencing:

Note that I'm deliberately holding the club in place when squatting, and no change occurs when moving the club while squatted. Lifting the club while standing does seem to work as well though!

You know what, I stand corrected!

I looked into this and you are absolutely correct, crouching down on the green WILL display the contour lines. However, it's not the actual act of squatting down that prompts it, but rather the proximity and tracking of the controller with the headset. For instance, if you were to put your hands and club behind your back (which there would be no real reason to do!) and crouch down, they wouldn't appear.

Nonetheless, great find! I still learn something new every day!

[LeakyValve]

@mynerds GAMEPLAY!!!!  looks great!

[mynerds]

I'm trying to get the media recording dialed in before posting my full impressions. Here's a replay of my best shot of the day yesterday using the default recording settings versus Matt's recommendations:

Default settings:

Landscape mode, 60 FPS, 20 Mbps:

Note that the landscape mode causes the recording to be considered a "video" and not a "short" despite the sub one minute duration. I noticed a slight performance hit in the game after recording the higher quality video, which I suspect was related to some media synchronization between the headset and the mobile app.

The quality is night and day to me and I'll stick with the higher quality settings here. I'll see if I can re-record some of the content I had already created, otherwise we'll just keep this standard going forward!

[Fongle]

Got the GOLF+ key last night, and downloaded it and had a very quick trial of things before bed, and I've got to say, playing with just the Meta controller didn't feel ideal. With no weight to it at all, I felt I like was getting stuck through my swing, and in the end starting just flicking my wrist one handed like a Wii controller. Putting felt a bit better, but especially as I play with heavier shafts normally, having no weight at all feels bizarre so far.

I'm going to make some time to play a full round with just the controller later today, as I think it's important for the test to get an idea of what the base experience will be for someone who doesn't have a golf grip accessory, and to compare the two experiences.

[Fongle]

Played a bit more today, definitely cannot see playing full rounds with the Meta controller being a viable option for me, I started getting cramps in my hand from holding it, so I'm really keen to get my hands on the golf grip. Overall the physics and swing recognition are feeling great, but I have noticed small things that are a bit off. I've learnt that while you can open the face super wide for a flop shot, you've got to slow the swing right down or you'll just blast the ball over the green. There's a lot of adjustable settings for bunker feel and wedge power etc, I'm going to have to find some tweaks to make because all my feel is completely off for it currently. 

@mynerds and @GregGarner, how have you guys found the battery life? Feels like it burns through battery super fast for me, barely over an hour playtime and it was at 15% charge. I think at this stage I'm going to need to look at an external battery pack if I'm going to play longer sessions. 

Finally, the best shot from my rounds this afternoon, made this from a tricky lie in the pinestraw and made the putt for my birdie. 

 

Edited July 25 by Fongle

[mynerds]

7 hours ago, Fongle said:

@mynerds and @GregGarner, how have you guys found the battery life? Feels like it burns through battery super fast for me, barely over an hour playtime and it was at 15% charge. I think at this stage I'm going to need to look at an external battery pack if I'm going to play longer sessions. 

I played through all four mini games, plus a quick 9 and ended with 71% battery life. Quite frankly, my eyes will get tired before my battery runs out, but I can see how this would be problematic on a longer session. I have most of the quirks ironed out for streaming, so I’ll take a look at that additional battery tax as well (if any).

In other news, another QOL feature I really like are the visual cues for wind direction. Check out the trees and leaves that help you get a sense for the virtual wind, rather than looking at displayed stats and an arrow. It’s subtle, but really helps with the immersive experience.

 

[GolfSpy SAM]

For what it's worth, one of the things I noted with the Quest 2 early on was that it struggled to finish 18 holes, even with a full battery.  However, I found a relatively easy workaround for this, by finding a long (6') USB-C cord, and having it plugged in to a Macbook Power Brick (larger amperage).  While not IDEAL (ideal would be a small USB-C power bank in a back pocket with the cord running up my back to the headset, but that may be a future purchase), it still gets the job done, and I've found that as long as my back is to the cord/plug, it never really gets in the way. 

If you DO decide to go this route (or something similar), just make sure the brick you're plugged into has enough power to actually charge the Quest, as just plugging in to a small brick (think small iPhone or iPad sized plug) will still drain the battery life (though admittedly slower than without anything).

Hope this helps!