The Golf Pro

Last updated
The Golf Pro
TheGolfPro cover.png
Developer(s) Empire Interactive
Publisher(s) Empire Interactive
Platform(s) Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: 1 April 1998
  • EU: 1998
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Single-player

The Golf Pro (full title: The Golf Pro Featuring Gary Player) is a 1998 golf video game developed and published by Empire Interactive for Microsoft Windows. The game features professional golfer Gary Player, as well as two golf courses and a mouse-controlled golf swing method known as Mouse Drive. The game was generally praised for its graphics, but criticized for its limited camera angles. By early 1999, The Golf Pro 2 had been released in the United Kingdom.

Contents

Gameplay

The Golf Pro features three playable golfers, including professional golfer Gary Player, who also provides advice to the player. Two real golf courses are featured: St Mellion, and Hilton Head (designed by Gary Player). [1] [2] To take a golf swing, the player uses a method known as Mouse Drive, in which the computer mouse is moved side-to-side to simulate the swing. [3] Letting go of the left mouse button at certain points in the process alters the height or distance of the swing, depending on when the button is let go. [1] [4] For an adequate golf swing, the player must turn the mouse at certain points to alter the performance of the club head. [5] [4] The Mouse Drive uses precise movements from the computer mouse, and a mouse calibration process must be completed before playing. [6] The game features commentary relating to the player's golfing. [2]

Development and release

The Golf Pro was developed and published by British company Empire Interactive, [2] [7] and was released for Microsoft Windows. [4] The game was in development in 1996, but its release was delayed. [8] The real golf courses were surveyed for use in the game. The game's courses include elements from their real-life counterparts such as trees and hazards. [9] The game's digitized golfers were video-captured using high-speed film. [9] [10] The Mouse Drive uses 12,000 frames of animation to represent more than 90 potential golf swing variations. The game does not include a traditional click-based swing method, as Empire Interactive felt confident that the Mouse Drive would be adequate on its own. [9] David Pringle, the game's project manager, said, "There's only so much you can do with the traditional click-click-click system. […] After using our Mouse Drive system, few players will wish to return to the traditional method." [11]

Alistair Cochran was brought in to improve the game physics. Cochran was an expert on golf physics, and was the scientific advisor to The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. Pringle described Cochran as "basically the expert world-wide on what happens when a club hits a ball." Pringle said he was glad that Cochran worked on the game "because it means the ball physics are a lot better than they would have been." [10]

In the United States, the game was released on 1 April 1998. [12] [13] [14] The game had also been released in the United Kingdom by that time. [2] At the time of its release, the game did not include a multiplayer feature, although one was intended to be added in later through a patch. Upon release, the game featured computer-controlled golfers for the player to compete against, although they lacked artificial intelligence and their actions were pre-recorded, making their gameplay the same during each round. [3] [1]

Reception

The Golf Pro was generally praised for its graphics. [3] [1] [6] [2] Some critics also praised the game physics, [1] with Tasos Kaiafas of GameSpot calling them "impressively realistic, so much so that the game could be used as an instructional tool." [5] The game was criticized for its limited camera angles, [3] [1] [6] [2] [4] and the small number of courses also received some criticism. [3] [6] Kaiafas was disappointed by the game's graphics, which are pre-rendered. [5]

Gordon Goble of Computer Gaming World praised the realism of the Mouse Drive and wrote that The Golf Pro "does mouse driving better, and with more innovation and complexity, than the competition." [1] Patrick McCarthy of PC Zone praised the game but stated that players would need to practice the Mouse Drive in order to use it adequately. [2] Kaiafas stated that for players who have the patience to practice using the Mouse Drive, "The Golf Pro does present some new challenges that can be fun to master." [5] James Bottorff of The Cincinnati Enquirer wrote that the Mouse Drive "offers as real a swing as I've seen on the PC. […] This is a welcome change from the traditional three-click approach." [4]

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote, "For all its complexities, the Mouse Drive isn't that difficult to pick up" thanks to the advice given by Gary Player. [7] Jeff Lackey of Computer Games Strategy Plus wrote, "If The Golf Pro had come out a couple of years ago, it would have been hailed as an excellent golf sim. In today's environment, it is an average golf sim with a great swing interface." [3] Steve Owen of PC Gamer UK praised the commentary and called The Golf Pro a "very accomplished, impressive and enjoyable game, but there is little that is truly astounding or original about it." Owen criticized the difficult putting, and stated that the Mouse Drive would have been an innovative feature in 1996, but that the game's "unexpected delay, however, means that everyone else has got there first." [8] In a 1999 review, Mark Hill of PC Zone wrote that "there's no excuse for not including an alternative" to the Mouse Drive. Hill considered the Links series and the Tiger Woods series superior. [16]

The Golf Pro was a runner-up for "Best Sports Game" in PC Zone's 1998 Reader Awards, losing to World Cup 98 . [17]

The Golf Pro 2

By early 1999, The Golf Pro 2 had been released in the United Kingdom. It features Gary Player and one golf course: Wentworth. Craig Vaughan of PC Zone rated it 70 out of 100, stating that while the name suggests a sequel, "The Golf Pro 2 is merely a disappointing course data disc that fails to deliver anything radically new." Vaughan further described it as a "half-price, cut-down version of the excellent The Golf Pro." [18] PC Gamer UK's Steve Owen rated it 80 percent and again criticized the putting, while stating that the game seemed like an add-on disc. [19]

Related Research Articles

<i>Star Trek: Birth of the Federation</i> 1999 video game

Star Trek: Birth of the Federation is a 4X turn-based strategy video game developed by MicroProse and published by Hasbro Interactive. The game was initially released in 1999 for Windows personal computers.

<i>Motorhead</i> (video game) 1998 video game

Motorhead: High Velocity Entertainment is a racing video game developed by Digital Illusions CE AB for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows.

<i>Warlords III</i> 1997 video game

Warlords III: Reign of Heroes is a computer wargame released in 1997, and the third release in the Warlords video game series. In 1998 it was followed by the expansion Warlords III: Darklords Rising.

<i>Actua Golf 2</i> 1997 video game

Actua Golf 2 is a sports video game developed and published by Gremlin Interactive for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. Development of the game was underway as of August 1997, and it was released in September 1997 in Europe, and in June 1998 in North America. A Sega Saturn version was planned, but eventually cancelled.

NCAA Football '98 is a video game of the sports genre released in 1997 by Electronic Arts. The game featured University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel on the cover.

<i>F1 Racing Simulation</i> 1997 video game

F1 Racing Simulation is a racing simulation game, developed for Microsoft Windows by Ubisoft in 1997. The game is based on the 1996 Formula One World Championship, and is the first of the Racing Simulation games made by Ubisoft, being the predecessor to Racing Simulation 2, which was released in 1998.

<i>NBA Fastbreak 98</i> 1997 video game

NBA Fastbreak '98 is a basketball simulator released for the Sony PlayStation in 1997. It takes place during the 1997-98 National Basketball Association season. It was published by Midway Games and GT Interactive. Originally announced under the title "Hardwood Heroes", the game was released with minimal changes as NBA Action 98 on Sega Saturn and Microsoft Windows, published by Sega. Another version was being developed by Z-Axis for the Nintendo 64 under the title "NBA Fast Break 64", with a prospective November 1997 release, but it was cancelled.

<i>Links LS 1997</i> 1996 sports video game

Links LS 1997 is a golf video game developed and published by Access Software for DOS. It was released in 1996, and is part of the Links video game series, following Links 386 Pro (1992). It was followed by Links LS 1998.

<i>Top Gun: Hornets Nest</i> 1998 video game

Top Gun: Hornet's Nest is a 1998 combat flight simulation game developed by Zipper Interactive and published by MicroProse for Microsoft Windows. It is loosely based on the 1986 film Top Gun, and is a sequel to the 1996 game Top Gun: Fire at Will. The game was criticized for its lack of realism and its flight physics.

<i>Grand Slam</i> (video game) 1997 sports video game

Grand Slam is a baseball video game developed by Burst Studios and published by Virgin Interactive Entertainment for the Sony PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and Microsoft Windows in 1997.

<i>Jack Nicklaus 6: Golden Bear Challenge</i> 1999 video game

Jack Nicklaus 6: Golden Bear Challenge is a golf video game developed by Hypnos Entertainment and published by Activision for Microsoft Windows. It is part of a series of golfing games named after golfer Jack Nicklaus, and is the first in the series to feature him as a playable golfer. Producer and designer Mike Franco, who produced previous games in the series, began working on the game in November 1997, when Jack Nicklaus 5 was released.

<i>Game, Net & Match</i> 1998 sports video game

Game, Net & Match! is a video game developed by German studio Media Games and published by Blue Byte for Windows in 1998.

<i>Links LS 2000</i> 1999 video game

Links LS 2000 is a golf video game developed by Access Software and published by Microsoft. It is part of the Links series and was released in 1999 for Microsoft Windows, and in 2000 for Macintosh. It was followed by Links 2001.

<i>Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition</i> 1998 video game

Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition is a 1998 golf video game developed by American studio Friendly Software and published by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows. It is the fourth game in the Microsoft Golf series, following Microsoft Golf 3.0. The game uses a revamped design that is substantially different from its predecessors.

<i>Microsoft Golf 1999 Edition</i> Developed by American studio Friendly Software

Microsoft Golf 1999 Edition is a golf video game developed by American studio Friendly Software and published by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows. It was released in the United States in late 1998. It is the fifth game in the Microsoft Golf series, following Microsoft Golf 1998 Edition, which was also developed by Friendly Software.

<i>Links Extreme</i> 1999 video game

Links Extreme is a 1999 golf video game developed by Access Software and published by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows. It is the first game in the Links series to be published by Microsoft, which purchased Access Software a month prior to the game's release.

<i>PGA Championship Golf 1999 Edition</i> 1999 video game

PGA Championship Golf 1999 Edition is a 1999 golf video game developed by Headgate Studios and published by Sierra Sports for Microsoft Windows. The game includes eight golf courses and a golf swing method known as TrueSwing, which uses the movement of the computer mouse to simulate a golf swing in real-time as the player makes the shot. Also included is the ReadyPlay feature, allowing golfers in a multiplayer group to play at their own pace without waiting for others to finish their turn. The game was praised for its variety, including its TrueSwing and ReadyPlay features, although its golf commentary was criticized. The game was followed by a sequel, PGA Championship Golf 2000.

<i>Front Page Sports: Golf</i> 1997 video game

Front Page Sports: Golf is a golf simulation video game developed by Headgate Studios and published by Sierra On-Line for Microsoft Windows. The game was released in 1997, after nearly three years of development. It was particularly praised for its TrueSwing method, in which the player uses the computer mouse to simulate the golf swing.

<i>Pro 18 World Tour Golf</i> 1999 video game

Pro 18 World Tour Golf is a video game developed by Intelligent Games and published by Psygnosis for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation in 1999.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Goble, Gordon (August 1998). "Chip Shot (The Golf Pro Featuring Gary Player Review)" (PDF). Computer Gaming World . No. 169. Ziff Davis. p. 211. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 McCarthy, Patrick (April 1998). "The Golf Pro". PC Zone . No. 62. Dennis Publishing. pp. 84–85. Archived from the original on 9 February 2007. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lackey, Jeff (22 April 1998). "The Golf Pro". Computer Games Strategy Plus . Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on 23 May 2003.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bottorff, James (1998). "'Golf Pro' a little above par". The Cincinnati Enquirer . Gannett Company. Archived from the original on 22 October 1999.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Kaiafas, Tasos (12 May 1998). "The Golf Pro Review [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000"]". Archived from the original on 18 January 2005. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Saunders, Hendry (May 1998). "The Golf Pro". PC PowerPlay . No. 24. Next Media Pty Ltd. p. 95. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  7. 1 2 "It's tee time!" . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . Block Communications. 15 May 1998. p. 169. Retrieved 13 August 2019– via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 3 Owen, Steve (June 1998). "The Golf Pro". PC Gamer UK . No. 56. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on 5 January 2001.
  9. 1 2 3 May, Scott (February 1998). "Empire Joins the Golf Wars With a Strong Contender" (PDF). Computer Gaming World. No. 163. Ziff Davis. p. 63. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  10. 1 2 Chick, Tom (1997). "The Golf Pro: It's all in the wrist". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on 23 May 2003.
  11. ↑ Dunkin, Alan (2 February 1998). "Empire Signs Golf Pro Player [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 4 May 2000. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  12. ↑ Ocampo, Jason (3 February 1998). "Empire set to unleash The Golf Pro". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on 5 July 2003.
  13. ↑ Ocampo, Jason (30 March 1998). "Empire's golf sim ready to play". Computer Games Strategy Plus. Strategy Plus, Inc. Archived from the original on 5 July 2003.
  14. ↑ Jebens, Harley (30 March 1998). "Golf Pro Ships [date mislabeled as "April 28, 2000"]". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 12 June 2000. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  15. ↑ Smolka, Rob (June 1998). "Golf Pro, The". PC Gamer . Vol. 5, no. 6. Imagine Media. Archived from the original on 22 December 1999. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  16. 1 2 Hill, Mark (December 1999). "Budget Zone (The Golf Pro)". PC Zone. No. 83. Dennis Publishing. p. 109. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  17. ↑ PC Zone staff (January 1999). "PC Zone Reader Awards 1998 (Best Sports Game)". PC Zone. No. 72. Dennis Publishing. p. 127.
  18. ↑ Vaughan, Craig (March 1999). "The Golf Pro 2". PC Zone. No. 74. Dennis Publishing. p. 87.
  19. ↑ Owen, Steve (March 1999). "The Golf Pro 2". PC Gamer UK. No. 67. Future plc. Archived from the original on 12 March 2002.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.