Golden Tee Golf (iOS/Android) | Impressions

It’s no secret that this channel has a long history with the classic arcade golf series “Golden Tee”, so you can imagine my surprise when I found out that a mobile Golden Tee game was coming to Android and iOS this month. Well, thanks to our friends at Incredible Technologies, we got to try out the game a little early, and we wanted to give our impressions before it launches next week on October 28th.

When you first start the game, you’re brought in to a tutorial where you quickly find that this is an authentic Golden Tee experience. Besides swapping the trackball for flicks on the touchscreen , nothing seems to be sacrificed from the gameplay. This becomes even more clear when you start your first 9 hole course and start to really get into the game.

While it does take a bit to get used to flinging your finger back and forth to swing your clubs, once you get a feel for how to control your shots, there’s nothing better than executing one exactly how you planned it, and when you need help, there’s always the shot guide to show you how to better control your shot at any point.

The one thing I will say is a little rough is putting. Without being able to feel how you’re following through you’re left to kind of fly blind during your short game. Full disclosure: I’m terrible at putting in the new Golden Tee games anyway, so this could just be me.

We do have to address here that this is a free-to-play mobile game, so like many others, there are various types of in-game currency that can be spent on various upgrades, consumable power ups, and cosmetic items. As you play the game, you earn levels to your clubs, but by paying cash, you can get those early, or get special clubs altogether.

There’s also one-time use upgradable tees that provide you an advantage on your tee shots, as well as balls that give you a special ability on your shot, such as backspin or stopping right on impact. These are unlocked in various loot-box-esque cases.

In my play, I never really used any of these , although I do think that those playing more competitively could easily work these into their repertoire. The one thing I did find very useful were mulligans, which give you a do-over when you mess up a shot.

I unlocked these organically, so I’m not sure if they are purchasable, but that’s where I feel I’d be spending any microtransactions. That or in the cosmetic shop. Besides playing through the campaign, which just takes you through the various courses in regular solo golf games, there’s various modes that were a great addition to the game.

There’s the “Daily 9” which gives you one shot on 9 holes, where you have to get as close to the pin as you can on your first shot . At the end, you get pitted against other players and the best score wins the best prize. From what I can tell, this is the only mode that gives you a mandatory wait period between rounds .

This isn’t too bad, since it’s an incentive to come back to the game throughout the day. Contest mode is the classic Golden Tee tournament where you play 9 holes against other players, putting your currency in the pot to try to walk out with the most.

Besides experience and various other loot, this will quickly win you the silver currency used in the various activities and upgrades in the game, provided you play better than the rest. Now, Challenge mode is where the boys become men. This was by far the most fun I had with the game.

Each challenge provides you with various conditions and a goal, with three shots to get the most points you can. You’ll start off breezing through, but eventually get to some that you’ll be playing over and over to try to perfect. Besides being a super fun bite-sized challenge, these stages also have the side effect of forcing you to really learn your way around your clubs and shots.

I actually got way better at the game just from a couple hours of challenges. Because we got the game before it’s wide-release, I was unfortunately limited to playing the game in isolation. I feel that with the addition of other players to compete against, especially in the Daily 9 mode, there will be a lot more entertainment value, but I obviously can’t speak on that now.

While I loved playing Golden Tee Mobile, there are a few minor things that I would have loved to see. One is that the game feels like it would be so much better suited for portrait mode. It’s a bit nitpicky, but when I hold my phone with two hands and try to reach over to swing my club, it gets a bit cumbersome.

I pretty much have to play with my phone on the surface of a table. Another thing that would have been nice is a hot-swap/pass-the-phone multiplayer mode. I’m not sure if the full release will allow private matches, but the best part of Golden Tee is huddling around the machine and trying to one-up your friends’ last shot, and I think that could really work here.

Although that does complicate things considering the player progression and power-up systems. I give Golden Tee mobile a final score of 4 out of 5: download it. Special thanks to our channel members and Patrons: Tetaun BrYANT Jeramy Carlson Ryan Post Tom Callahan Alan Sinclair Stephen Castaneda T.U.M Kristin T.