The Golf Club News Post

More Details Emerge About The Golf Club

01:50 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

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Member Comments

# 41 ralphieboy11 @ 01/25/14 10:30 PM

I am excited about what I've seen, but the difficulty of the game concerns me as well. There are no sliders to make things more difficult for those that prefer a harder experience.

While the course tutorial was great, the developer hit basically the same shot over and over again on the par 3 hole. Very straight but slightly long.

I know it is tough for developers because if you make the game too difficult people will be turned off. It seems even developers of MLB the Show realized this in the past year. They made the game more accessible by opening up the timing window and making the game easier for beginners.

I have visions of people shooting 20 under on some of these generated courses, and the only way to combat it is going to create unrealistic courses that are sort of on 'steriods'. I really hope that's not the case because what we've seen so far looks awesome.

# 42 OnlookerDelay @ 01/26/14 01:42 AM

They still haven't told us anything about how the basic swing difficulty is derived. It sounds like there might be an "X" factor involved based on this statement in their feature list under "Intuitive Control System":

"We’ve created and fine tuned a swing mechanic that is more about feeling and fluidity above the users’ accuracy of hitting a marker on a power bar."

Feeling... and especially fluidity, *suggests* to me that something special might be under the hood. I think an analog swing interface would work with a thumbstick if rhythm was a proportional component in it. Links 2004 had a hint of a rhythm component in it and it distinguished that game in a positive way for me. I got my best clubhead speed when I had a more controlled rhythm, as opposed to a quicker "twitch", ala Tiger Woods XXXX. I would also get more severe accuracy errors when my swing plane strayed during an out of rhythm swing in Links 2004.

Seymour and ComfortablyLomb, I welcome and appreciate your opinions here. I'm one of those who tends to get unjustifiably giddy over feature lists, only to have my bubble burst by the final product. Tiger Woods PGA Tour '14 was a classic example of that - I can't remember when I've ever been more disappointed in a game in the current-gen.

ComfortablyLomb, the game will start out as a thumbstick interface only, but the devs have already indicated that they are set on introducing mouse and keyboard control for the PC. I think they're going to have to for the PC version to have a chance. I'd guess that the percentage of PC gamers who play with gamepads is too small for a niche market game like golf.

# 43 Skyboxer @ 01/26/14 10:57 AM

The main thing I look at is I have given EA many years so I'll surely give HB a few to build on the game. I Will support them each year until I see they aren't improving etc. .it's not going to be perfect year one I'm sure.

# 44 ComfortablyLomb @ 01/26/14 12:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	They still haven't told us anything about how the basic swing difficulty is derived. It sounds like there might be an "X" factor involved based on this statement in their feature list under "Intuitive Control System": "We’ve created and fine tuned a swing mechanic that is more about feeling and fluidity above the users’ accuracy of hitting a marker on a power bar." Feeling... and especially fluidity, suggests to me that something special might be under the hood. I think an analog swing interface would work with a thumbstick if rhythm was a proportional component in it. Links 2004 had a hint of a rhythm component in it and it distinguished that game in a positive way for me. I got my best clubhead speed when I had a more controlled rhythm, as opposed to a quicker "twitch", ala Tiger Woods XXXX. I would also get more severe accuracy errors when my swing plane strayed during an out of rhythm swing in Links 2004. Seymour and ComfortablyLomb, I welcome and appreciate your opinions here. I'm one of those who tends to get unjustifiably giddy over feature lists, only to have my bubble burst by the final product. Tiger Woods PGA Tour '14 was a classic example of that - I can't remember when I've ever been more disappointed in a game in the current-gen. ComfortablyLomb, the game will start out as a thumbstick interface only, but the devs have already indicated that they are set on introducing mouse and keyboard control for the PC. I think they're going to have to for the PC version to have a chance. I'd guess that the percentage of PC gamers who play with gamepads is too small for a niche market game like golf.

Right, not everyone has a gamepad. I think I have an old one kicking around but I haven't used it in years. Gamepads are certainly a niche on the PC market. Heck, I'm on PC for about 90% of my gaming and I prefer using a keyboard and mouse. My real issue is that I think a mouse-based swing, as in one where you go back and forth with the mouse, is an inferior method of swing control. It's easily subject to abuse and even making it more tempo-based will not prevent people from simply moving their mouse along a straight edge and removing that margin of error. Developers seem to love a mouse/stick swing because it allows for more ball flight outcomes that a simple traditional 2/3-click swing, but when playing against other humans, it's broken IMO because other humans don't necessarily "play fair."

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seymour Scagnetti


	Onlooker, you're a good guy so I really hope the game is something you end up really enjoying. A coourse creator sounds cool but to me it's never been a must have feature because TW14 gave you alot of top notch courses. The things for me that make a great golf game (difficulty, involving single player mode and presentation) just don't seem to be there. I may have become jaded with video games but saying they will continually listen to the community and continually update the game is a more " I'll beleive it when I see it" proposition. It looks like it's gonna be a bare bones golf game focused on online play which is fine if that is what you're looking for. To me that gets old fast. I don't particularly care about a PGA license because like almost everyone else I use my own golfer. Just want the game to have a presentation and difficulty that makes you wanna play every day.

I agree regarding the licensing aspect. I don't think the PGA Tour license is anything more than a tool for marketing for the EA game (not that there is anything wrong with that--this is merely an observation, not a position). Even as someone who tunes into several PGA events a year, I certainly have little interest in playing as a particular professional. It doesn't seem like other players care much about the pros in the game either.

I do disagree with you regarding the course creator. Back in the Golden Age of golf games, the late 90s and early 00s, course designers in part drove the PC communities for the Jack Nicklaus, PGA, and later Tiger games. Those games came with a few competent courses, but user designed courses were common and regularly of high quality. Some were real life recreations and others were fantasy courses (often made to look like real tracks). I have little doubt the sandbox/design crowd would do wonders with a powerful modern course design program. That this game comes with one is a huge positive.

But of course, the actual gameplay mechanics are everything. A pretty game with bad gameplay is hollow and useless. Of course, my disconnect with the playing base is already somewhat self-apparent: someone in this thread mentioned that the player models and animations are less than stellar. They look fine to me, or at least good enough considering their relative importance next to the gameplay and overall presentation package.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyboxer


	The main thing I look at is I have given EA many years so I'll surely give HB a few to build on the game. I Will support them each year until I see they aren't improving etc. .it's not going to be perfect year one I'm sure.

I think it is hard if not impossible to nail a game upon release so I would hope people around here are somewhat constructive with discussion and complaints, at least early on. If the developers don't come through on their promise to make improvements and changes with regularity, then that will be another matter. That they are indicating so early on that new iterations will be frequent, I think that means they know updates will be necessary from day one.

# 45 MERACE @ 01/26/14 05:42 PM

Here's a link to a thread at the HB Studios The Golf Club forums that addresses some concerns expressed here on gameplay:

How Will The Golf Club Represent The GAME of Golf

http://www.hb-studios.com/forum/index.php?topic=582.0

"Hi guys,
It's a balancing act at this stage. As you've rightly said for the first iteration of the game we have concentrated on a solid base to develop from. The goals of the game at the start was to make a fun, challenging game that was a bit different than what was out there already.
As you've also pointed out, we're also an indie developer. This means that not everything we want to go in can get in. So for the first release we wont have every option available to a golfer in real life, for example drops, although it is on our list. The time needed on this would have drastically impacted other features, as having infinite course creates a whole world of new edge cases other games dont have to worry about.
We do match the rules as closely as possible though, and we've tried to mimic how us amateurs play rather than pros. For example you do get penalty strokes for hitting the ball in the water, and then you retake the shot from where you are. It's not ideal but small steps in the right direction are better than stretching ourselves too thinly and getting nothing right, which I think you'll agree on

I think you'll enjoy what we have, and I think you'll very much enjoy helping us evolve the game in the time ahead."

-MERACE

# 46 Skyboxer @ 01/26/14 06:02 PM

At this point you seem to just be looking for reasons to constantly down the game.
What part of new game from scratch don't you understand? The part of limited funds.. etc.. etc..
Let alone it's not a huge company like EA. EA didn't even get drops right.

This isn't EA and taking "EA excuses" and throwing that on a totally different company is beyond fair.

# 47 MERACE @ 01/26/14 06:14 PM

Here's another link partially addressing presentation and specifically audio:

http://www.hb-studios.com/forum/index.php?topic=567.0

"Hi guys, thanks for the question - I've been lurking around here waiting for some audio questions hah. Our commentary system is going to be ever-evolving so what you get a launch will be cool but what you will get later will be super cool.

The commentary will be less traditional than we've seen in other golf sims. I wanted the overall audio experience to be a relaxing experience so the commentary reflects this in its casual tone. I want it to act like any other golfing buddy you'd be out on the course with. Nice an casual without being too talkative. The commentary will mainly serve as a guy to give you relevant info like your score, if there are hazards off the tee, how your friends are doing compared to you, etc. I'd like the commentary to be one part useful, one part entertaining and one part not-all-in-your-face.

And yes, you can disable the commentary but I'm really trying to make a game where the commentary doesn't annoy people. Since is self published we have some really fun ideas for commentary as to how it can evolve after launch. I really want to have a dialogue with the fans out there who are playing it all the time and adapt it with the help of their input. For example I have set up a twitter account just for the voice of 'The Golf Club' - https://twitter.com/NewVoiceOfGolf

This has never been done before (to my knowledge) and I think it's a great opportunity to make a game with commentary that people actually like to listen to. Another first is that I am actually the voice talent but am also implementing the commentary so I don't have to wait to book someone in the studio to add new content.... this is where we will really be pushing the envelope. We will be able to change the commentary with each update and add new (or remove annoying ^_^) commentary over the life of the game.

As for the ambience, we have a really cool system in place that gives each course theme its own feel and adapts depending where you are on the course. So it'll never sound same-y

Lemme know if y'all have any other questions! And follow the voice on twitter!! He's always looking for input from the fans!"

-MERACE

# 48 MERACE @ 01/26/14 06:20 PM

When it comes to new game announcements (especially sports games) there are two extreme camps some people fall in - Paula Pollyanna or Debbie Downer.

I fall in the camp somewhere in between - Henry Hopeful.

-MERACE

# 49 Skyboxer @ 01/26/14 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seymour Scagnetti


	I really don't care how much funds they have. I want a simulation type golf game and if a company had limited funds to develop one than I have limited excitement about it coming out. Do you have a relative that works for this company? This board is hilarious. People only want total agreement because everything should be peaches and cream on this board. I didn't get the memo that this was a cheerleading thread for this game. I have as much reason to be pessimistic as you do being optimistic. You have your opinion and I have mine. Just because a developer is putting out info and is being accommodating to gamers doesn't mean much. They want you to buy their game, they are in it to make money. EA is very accommodating the month before their games are released and what happens 2 weeks after its released.......the sound of crickets.

You really have zero clue what you are talking about.
I'm not being optimistic at all. In fact I stated many Times that the game would probably not be all that great at the start.
I'm just being fair and realistic about a new game built from scratch. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt at the start and don't have unrealistic expectations for a first release game.
So no I won't be spewing negativity after every single update. If after a few releases they aren't where I feel they could have been then ill share my disappointment.
Again this isn't EA which had years with the game. ..lmao

I'll just do what I should have done before and use ignore button.

# 50 SinisterAlex @ 01/26/14 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seymour Scagnetti


	Lol, I love it when people need to proclaim proudly that they are going to use the ignore button (99% of the time they don't) like anybody gives a crap about it.

I just used the ignore button.

# 51 jmaj315 @ 01/27/14 01:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MERACE


	Here's a link to a thread at the HB Studios The Golf Club forums that addresses some concerns expressed here on gameplay: How Will The Golf Club Represent The GAME of Golf http://www.hb-studios.com/forum/index.php?topic=582.0 "Hi guys, It's a balancing act at this stage. As you've rightly said for the first iteration of the game we have concentrated on a solid base to develop from. The goals of the game at the start was to make a fun, challenging game that was a bit different than what was out there already. As you've also pointed out, we're also an indie developer. This means that not everything we want to go in can get in. So for the first release we wont have every option available to a golfer in real life, for example drops, although it is on our list. The time needed on this would have drastically impacted other features, as having infinite course creates a whole world of new edge cases other games dont have to worry about. We do match the rules as closely as possible though, and we've tried to mimic how us amateurs play rather than pros. For example you do get penalty strokes for hitting the ball in the water, and then you retake the shot from where you are. It's not ideal but small steps in the right direction are better than stretching ourselves too thinly and getting nothing right, which I think you'll agree on I think you'll enjoy what we have, and I think you'll very much enjoy helping us evolve the game in the time ahead." -MERACE

So eventually... It would be amazing if the game also (somewhat) taught you the rules of golf. I've been playing for years and always have to guess on what I'm able to do after hitting it into a water hazard. In short it would be nice to get all legal drop options.

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	We got some relief on this today it seems... a couple of developers have confirmed that the way to have multiple pin settings for a course is to, in essence, create four unique courses. ....... How does this sit with you guys? Are there problems with this that I'm not seeing?

I think its 100% okay... when you think about it, this is how it is on TW

Quote:

Originally Posted by lhslancers


	You don't want the developers making scoring difficult by placing pins in impossible locations Nor do you want them making fairways that play like Mario Golf. If they don't have a way to increase the difficulty by making the analog swing more or less sensitive then the only way it could be done would be to add in the old 3 click swing system where difficulty could be increased by a smaller hitting area or an increased swing speed meter. The game looks promising but I wouldn't want a game that I could shoot 60.

I mean if you shoot 60 one time in say.... 4 or 500 rounds.... i think id be okay with that lol

# 52 rolltide1017 @ 01/27/14 10:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skyboxer


	You really have zero clue what you are talking about. I'm not being optimistic at all. In fact I stated many Times that the game would probably not be all that great at the start. I'm just being fair and realistic about a new game built from scratch. I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt at the start and don't have unrealistic expectations for a first release game. So no I won't be spewing negativity after every single update. If after a few releases they aren't where I feel they could have been then ill share my disappointment. Again this isn't EA which had years with the game. ..lmao I'll just do what I should have done before and use ignore button.

I think you're being a little harsh towards Seymour's opinion. I share some of the same concerns he has about the game. Not even getting drops right means there're not getting the game of golf completely right but, neither has TW to this date.

I can deal with not being able to move around on the tee box but, I hope they change that in the future. Drops on the other hand, are a basic fundamental aspect of the sport and not including them puts a damper on this game IMO. Having to re-hit every time you land in a hazard is not the way the game was meant to be played. Very few times in the game of golf is re-hitting the best choice, that's why you don't see pros do it that often.

I play golf in real life and I'm not that good which means I have a lot of practice hitting hazards and taking drops. The only time I may re-hit is if I hit a hazard from the tee. Most other times I'm taking my drop because it normally takes the hazard out of play or lessens its influence on your next shot. If a basic fundamental of football or baseball was left out of one of those games there would be a huge uproar on this site so, I don't understand why it is taboo to be disappointed when these devs have admitted that they haven't even gotten the basic fundamentals of the sport right.

They claim to be a sim golf game but can't figure out how to get drops in, that's not sim golf IMO. I'm still going to support this game because I think it looks pretty good and has great potential, I just hope that 2 or 3 years from now we are not still waiting for drops to be added to the game.

# 53 ralphieboy11 @ 01/27/14 11:46 AM

I would imagine drops not being in has to do with the infinite amount of courses that could become available.

When you put the course creator in the hands of the masses you never know what people might design. What if someone creates a completely island green without a drop zone? Certainly seems like that will be possible. If the ball goes into the water on the tee shot, where do you drop the ball. Onto the green?

There are many other scenarios like this that could become difficult to program when you factor in golf rules like natural water hazards, lateral water hazards, drop zones, out of bounds, etc.

I would think the developers would address these issues in later installments, but for now I don't blame them for just wanting to get a working game into the hands of the public.

# 54 Skyboxer @ 01/27/14 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rolltide1017


	I think you're being a little harsh towards Seymour's opinion. I share some of the same concerns he has about the game. Not even getting drops right means there're not getting the game of golf completely right but, neither has TW to this date. I can deal with not being able to move around on the tee box but, I hope they change that in the future. Drops on the other hand, are a basic fundamental aspect of the sport and not including them puts a damper on this game IMO. Having to re-hit every time you land in a hazard is not the way the game was meant to be played. Very few times in the game of golf is re-hitting the best choice, that's why you don't see pros do it that often. I play golf in real life and I'm not that good which means I have a lot of practice hitting hazards and taking drops. The only time I may re-hit is if I hit a hazard from the tee. Most other times I'm taking my drop because it normally takes the hazard out of play or lessens its influence on your next shot. If a basic fundamental of football or baseball was left out of one of those games there would be a huge uproar on this site so, I don't understand why it is taboo to be disappointed when these devs have admitted that they haven't even gotten the basic fundamentals of the sport right. They claim to be a sim golf game but can't figure out how to get drops in, that's not sim golf IMO. I'm still going to support this game because I think it looks pretty good and has great potential, I just hope that 2 or 3 years from now we are not still waiting for drops to be added to the game.

No I'm not. A game that is in stage 1 of existence ..yet he continues to act like it should have all the bells and whistles of a game in it's 10th year.
Again they have been straight forward about what steps they are planning and simply don't have a multi million dollar budget.
Man we can all say what we want in the game and we can hope it gets there but to constantly chime in negatively because something isn't in the first release is ridiculous.
I keep forgetting that is OS these days.
We've all said things we want etc.. and that's what we should do so the developers know what we want.

Again it's all well and good to show what we want the "end game" to be and yes to even be critical when improvements are not made.
And throwing things EA said at them like they said it. How does that make any sense whatsoever?
Them wanting to be a sim game doesn't = "Hey we can get everything done in the first release of the game" ...that's the point.

We all hope the game eventually gets to the stage we want it but for Gods sake give them at least 1/5 the chances we gave EA. We've been posting at both boards in dialog with the developers about whats in and not and what we'd like to see.

If they don't make improvements each release you can best be sure most will start to be more critical.

In any case I'm moving on so this doesn't continue to derail the thread.

# 55 jmaj315 @ 01/27/14 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ralphieboy11


	I would imagine drops not being in has to do with the infinite amount of courses that could become available. When you put the course creator in the hands of the masses you never know what people might design. What if someone creates a completely island green without a drop zone? Certainly seems like that will be possible. If the ball goes into the water on the tee shot, where do you drop the ball. Onto the green? There are many other scenarios like this that could become difficult to program when you factor in golf rules like natural water hazards, lateral water hazards, drop zones, out of bounds, etc. I would think the developers would address these issues in later installments, but for now I don't blame them for just wanting to get a working game into the hands of the public.

This makes me want them to give us the freedom of adding specified drop areas for situations like that.
Also (i might have said this in the other thread) the ability to determine which hazards are red, yellow, or white staked. That would be cool

# 56 Lieutenant Dan @ 01/27/14 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ralphieboy11


	I would imagine drops not being in has to do with the infinite amount of courses that could become available. When you put the course creator in the hands of the masses you never know what people might design. What if someone creates a completely island green without a drop zone?

Get your snorkel, wedge, anti-alligator spray and play it where it lies, son!

# 57 OnlookerDelay @ 01/28/14 07:55 PM

I don't know how many here are interested in the PC version as mouse control players only, but HB Studios did confirm today that they are going to have mouse support for the PC version at launch, but not in the closed beta. They didn't elaborate what they meant by mouse control. Could it mean analog/trueswing, 3-click, or both? Hopefully, we'll get an answer to that soon.

# 58 pietasterp @ 01/28/14 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	I don't know how many here are interested in the PC version as mouse control players only, but HB Studios did confirm today that they are going to have mouse support for the PC version at launch, but not in the closed beta. They didn't elaborate what they meant by mouse control. Could it mean analog/trueswing, 3-click, or both? Hopefully, we'll get an answer to that soon.

I would imagine eventually, when my desktop PC completely dies, I'll replace it with something competent...at which point I'll pick this game up. I just can't imagine designing courses with an Xbox controller....

# 59 OnlookerDelay @ 01/28/14 10:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pietasterp


	I would imagine eventually, when my desktop PC completely dies, I'll replace it with something competent...at which point I'll pick this game up. I just can't imagine designing courses with an Xbox controller....

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.

# 60 jmaj315 @ 01/29/14 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OnlookerDelay


	........ Could it mean analog/trueswing, 3-click, or both? Hopefully, we'll get an answer to that soon.

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!!!)

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