Electronic Arts has big plans for its new golf game PGA Tour. Real next-gen golf is promised with this one. PGA Tour is said to be nothing less than the “most technologically advanced golf game of all time” that was “developed from the ground up for the next-gen platforms”. Which is just as well, it’s time to leave the old consoles behind and look to the future. In this case, that means you can look forward to an extremely beautiful implementation of the sport, that much is fair to say.
What particularly stands out is the attention to detail with which the makers approach the whole thing in order to bring golf to the screen as realistically as possible. As producer Ben Samsour explains, they worked with former geologists on the implementation of the golf courses. Courses were analyzed using techniques such as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging), photogrammetry and GPS mapping. And not just on the ground, but also from helicopters and planes and using drones. There’s a lot of effort behind it, considering that there are 30 courses in the game at launch.
Realistic Golf
You pay a price in the sense that you have 4K resolution on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, but no more than 30 frames per second. The developers justify this with the attention to detail of the game, which is based on the Frostbite Engine developed by DICE.
As far as the tee is concerned, the developers rely on a mechanism that is summarized under the term Pure Strike: “It’s the best and most authentic golfing experience that has ever been made,” promises Ramsour. This extends to the behavior of the ball, the physics effects on the courses. All of this should ensure that “every swing feels super realistic”.
Established technologies such as ShotLink and TrackMan help here. They should work together to ensure “unique swings that feel fluid and realistic results with every shot”. “One of the most meaningful ways you can interact with Pure Strike is through the strike types,” explains Ramsour. “We’re introducing 20 different shot types. Each time you approach the ball, you choose not only your racquet, but also the type of shot you want to make.”
“Each shot type is unique to each club and trajectory, giving us behind the scenes over 1,300 unique physics profiles that drive those shot types. We engineered them using ShotLink and TrackMan data so each shot has ball speeds, launch angles, spin rates and… creates a shot spread that you would expect in real life.”
You can only use the analog stick to execute the punch, at least at launch. “We know from previous golf games that this is the most commonly used swing mechanic,” explains gameplay designer Craig Penner. “It’s most natural for the players to interact with the ball and feel the momentum.” But: A three-click control is still to come, but only sometime after the launch. By the way, PGA Tour stages perfect timing or perfect shots in “Big Hit Moments”, you see the shot with a special effect and in slow motion.
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What is this grass?
The game’s level of detail even extends to different types of grass, such as Bermuda and Rye. For example, with Bermuda, the ball may land on top of the grass or slide down. With Rye, the latter happens more often. “As already mentioned, we went into great detail during the talks with those responsible for the various golf courses,” explains Penner. “And one of the questions we asked was what kind of grass they use on the green and the fairway.”
A lot of work also went into the ball behavior, it was redesigned from the ground up. New technologies are expected to more realistically simulate jumping and rolling over different types of terrain and environmental conditions. Ultimately, it’s about “every course challenging you in the same way as the pros do,” emphasizes Penner.
But enough about the technology, what can you actually play here? For example the career. You create a character – male, female or gender neutral – and choose a starting point. This can be the PGA Tour, but also top amateur events or the Korn Ferry Tour. You earn experience points, which level up your character, and skill points. The latter improve your skills and unlock new types of punches in several stages as well as advanced types of punches.
Your character’s skills are more useful for some courses than others. For example, one course may have more emphasis on power and putting skills than others. All the better if you have already invested more of your points in it. On top of that, you unlock additional gear and clothing. More than 40 brand partners have been brought on board for equipment, and well-known clothing brands are also represented in the game.
Your character and the game modes
Whatever you do in the game affects your character’s progression. Apart from your own character, you can of course also play well-known golfers – current and former. And then I have to come back to the technology behind it. According to Penner, heads and bodies were scanned using technology that is otherwise used for Hollywood films, with more than 130 cameras being used at the same time. “We even took shots in different poses to see the muscles moving in the players’ faces and bodies, so that each athlete moves like they do in real life,” he says.
What else is there besides career? Social modes including Match Play and Alternate Shot that you can play offline and online. Competitive golf is self-explanatory and the tournaments are limited-time events. Here everyone competes for themselves, after which the final score is sent to the global ranking list. You will ultimately receive rank points after your final positioning has been determined. Ongoing seasonal events are also planned, and up to 16 players can compete simultaneously in online matches.
And then there were the challenges. These are server based and receive live updates based on what is happening in the real world of golf. But that’s just one aspect. At the same time, of course, you can also use historical data to create challenges, which would result in “almost infinite possibilities”. Likewise, one can quickly create new content based on what is happening in reality, “near real time”.
The launch of the game is not enough. Post-launch updates are planned, such as the Majors, the FedEx Cup and the Rider Cup. The developers promise new content from current and historic moments in golf, including new challenges, courses, online tournaments, equipment and more.
It won’t be long before you can experience it all for yourself: PGA Tour will be released on March 24, 2023 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
