PGA TOUR 2K23 is over that green horizon, arriving 14 October for all Standard owners. The non-golfer is once again preparing to tee off and attempt some semblance of competency with all the relevant assist options enabled where possible. You’ll need to wait on for the look at the MyCareer tracks, so for now, let’s take a little time off for something more relaxing.

TRIMMING THE GRASS

It’s off to the races, after I tweak the settings. On starting up, you get to pick the control schemes between Mouse and Keyboard, or 3 Click Controls. I opted for 3 Click, which is a slight misnomer as you still do use the keyboard for some menuing. It is a change from the previous time I tried a PGA game, though, wherein I had to actually physically pull back the mouse for more awkward control schemes.

For difficulty, there are the Beginner, Amateur and Pro options with Pro getting marked as the “expected matchmaking difficulty. This can be further tweaked through the settings menu which will affect the EXP multiplier.

TOUCHING THE GRASS

One thing that genuinely astonishes me – in a good way – is the soundtrack. I’m sure most people wouldn’t expect a “mere golf game” to have these tracks I feel like I would expect more of a dance club, or those royalty free playlists you have in-between streams. By all means, you should definitely give these bops a listen to.

The menus are quite clean, with them possibly even giving you way too much information – at least for a greenhorn. I’m pretty sure the more seasoned golfers will much appreciate the additional icons and indicators to help them line up that perfect shot. The equipment has been rendered in loving detail, though I can’t say I feel the same for the human models which, while fine, do come off as a little stiff.

PONDERING THE GRASS

I wonder if it’s because of the different control scheme that i prefer using, but the tutorials this time feel much easier to follow. John McCarthy reprises his role to provide the commentary, providing the encouraging word here and there as I mostly ace the tutorial. You can quit and revisit these basics at any time.

You don’t “really” need the tutorial for Topgolf, which is akin to a party game. You can play locally with up to 3 other players, or fill the slots by inviting in friends or matchmaking online. Each person has 10 shots to try score as many points as possible.

You need to land the ball into the targets you see on the field. The further the target is, and the closer to its center you get, the more points you can earn. A highlighted target nets you 2x points, and doing so will grant you a 3x multiplier for the next shot. I didn’t play it online or with other friends, just taking my own sweet time solo.

There aren’t many settings to tweak prior to a Topgolf game at this point, with options only to adjust the turn order, or messing with the wind speed and direction. Though I did have the main game set to Beginner difficulty, it doesn’t apply here. You will need to switch clubs and adjust the power for yourself to actually try scoring successfully.

Handily enough, you can earn some EXP towards your overall progression so long you’re online.

LYING ON THE GRASS

Topgolf is no mini golf, of course. I do like it as an option for some more simple golf-related mini game since it still works in some of the deeper mechanics you get from the full game itself. It’s definitely got a much, much lower barrier of entry to get non-golfers to try out something tangentially related to golf.

I’ll be working through the meat of the myCareer stuff in the mean time, so see you next time!