Gameplay wise, everything is just as good as it was in prior entries to HB’s 2K and Golf Club series. From physics to accuracy, teaching the player how to wedge out of a sandy bunker or chip themselves out of the rough and onto the fairway while avoiding a water hazard, and making it onto the green are all picture perfect. But what’s the difference? How has it improved? MyCareer can be highlighted as somewhat streamlined instead of a seamless slog, that aids the player rather than challenging them, but this can also be a downside to what players want out of their simulated golfing experience. The giveaway of tutorialising the gamer instead of imposing an impeding goal here is fine for newcomers, but for the intermediate or expert can be frustrating to deal with. Licensing issues between 2K and EA’s PGA Tour hold the title back from utilising any notable courses from the Masters Tournament and others, stifling what could very well be a rich and diverse range of choice here.

We’re instead parlayed with a preliminary prize of basic brand courses that aren’t as popular as the former. The courses still shine with exemplary design, and realism. Great lighting and architecture are fantastically demonstrated to give players something to gawk at, but is disrupted solely by player models and buggy commentary. The models themselves are as detailed as crash test dummies, and have just as much personality as one. The frustration of landing the pond would send a player up the wall, or even show some anger toward their fouled efforts but these characters stand there, stoic and emotionless while the commentators either cover for their miss or call it entirely wrong. The new and optional swinging system is welcome for those that can master it, but I can see fewer players engaging with its unfamiliarity and frustrating direction – best to keep that one off.