EA Sports PGA Tour (2023)

A technically solid game that has some pretty glaring issues with presentation, I still found myself going back to play round after round. It's challenging and rewarding, even if it's not the best entry in the long history of golf titles.

With so many ways to test your skills and so many gorgeous courses to explore, EA has bounced back with a long-awaited PGA installment that seems entirely focused on pleasing the fans. There's so much to do and so many challenges to conquer that any golf fan should be preoccupied and satisfied with this game for quite some time. And when courses look this gorgeous, playing a virtual 18 holes at your favorite location will never get old. I'd say EA is more than deserving of a resounding golf clap.

Player customisation (historically a really big deal in this series) is laughably limited, the menus are buggy, there’s terrible lag when taking shots, and there’s no proper tutorial to explain how all the complex systems work. And yet it is the best-looking golf simulation around thanks to the heft of EA’s vast resources. Knowing the importance (and price) of the PGA licence, it’s hard to imagine the various issues won’t be fixed. But it was obviously released way too soon and currently sits in the rough.

EA Sports PGA Tour is a good comeback for virtual golf, but it's a live service game that still feels unfinished and occasionally clunky. It lacks the LPGA Tour and has a slow, glitchy interface with unintuitive elements. There are no tutorials or explanations for those unfamiliar with golf, but it's enjoyable for those who know the sport and will offer more over time.

As golf games go, this is the most fun I have had in a while. It's a massive improvement over recent years' titles. The career mode is both addictive and rewarding, it's full of contact and the presentation is both cinematic and beautiful. A few issues will not get in the way of what I think is the best golf sim around at the moment. Let's hit the greens, people!