Growing up, I spent quite a bit of time on golf courses. My parents used to play somewhat competitively at the two local clubs my town had, and I’d spend a whole day on the course just walking around. It wasn’t long before I decided I wanted to give it a try myself, and so I started going every Saturday morning to the kids training events they held. Unfortunately, I never quite got the hang of it, so I gave up, and it wasn’t until I moved to Brisbane and my parent’s house backed onto a golf course that I gave it another try.

If there was a developer that was going to get me excited about a digital golf game, it was 2K Games, and the announcement trailer was badass to say the least. With the excitement came the invitation to take part in an early PGA Tour 2K21 Hands-On with the game at 2K’s latest Virtual Preview Event, and needless to say, we here at MKAU jumped at the opportunity. Like most sporting games developed by 2K Games, PGA Tour 2K21 is as close to the real thing as you can get, with the ability to sit back in your comfy gaming chair while smashing a ball around with the world’s best.

Sneak Peek at the PGA TOUR 2K21 Career Mode

PGA Tour 2K21’s main focus is the PGA Tour, a series of events where you take your custom created character and progress through the different tours, similar to seasons in many other sports. Once you’ve built your character in MyPlayer, you can start making your way up the ladder, earning the in-game currency that will allow you to further customise your character with new clothing or your own set of golf clubs, tailored to your personal play style. As you play the different courses, you’ll also have a chance to earn bonus EXP or currency, with each hole having its own little challenge and reward, followed by an overall reward for completing the course within its own challenge.

Players will also be able to hone their skills in a practice rounds, allowing you to learn the basics in non-competitive game play, hopefully giving you an advantage over the competition when the time arises. You’ll also be able to calibrate your swing, which I found came in handy when using the mouse as I was all over the place to begin with. Players will want to make sure they make use of this, as certain PGA Tours will require you to have a certain handicap before you can take part in them.

Dream It, Build It with PGA TOUR 2K21 Course Designer

Interestingly, 2K Games have also introduced a course designer, allowing players to custom build their own course, which once published can be accessed across all platforms. You can make the course as simple as you’d like, allowing anyone to jump in and have a fun game, or utterly evil, covered in water, sand traps, hills and other obstacles, complete with 18 par 5 holes. The choice is completely yours! Of course, being the sucker for punishment that I am, I did just this, and while the course was incredibly beautiful and well detailed, I ended up closing it down after a couple of holes.

From the beginning, each round will take approximately half an hour to complete, depending on how well you play. For the most part, I was sitting even or just under par and the game flowed well. The courses supplied with the game are all real world locations and are truly full of amazing details. The animated crowds applaud when you perform well, and share your frustration when you’re having a bad time. Just like watching on TV, the announcers will give a play by play run down of how you’re going, commenting on the number of birdies and bogeys you may be getting. While I didn’t feel like I was really playing golf, I sure felt like I was watching on TV.

Due to be released on the 21st of August 2020, PGA Tour 2K21 is one for the fans and new comers alike. With the incredible character customisation on offer, through to being able to create your own course, PGA Tour 2K21 has something to offer everyone. Now if only I could translate my game performance into real life, I might be able to make some money.

Developer Walkthrough of PGA TOUR 2K21

Written by: MKAU Gaming