Great Golf (1986) (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Sega R&D 2
Publisher: Sega Enterprises, Ltd.
Released: 1986

Great Golf is a sports game that was only released in Asia and is unrelated to the similarly titled Great Golf (1987, Sega Master System).

+ Tournament mode can be played by up to four players (sharing two controllers) for couch-based competition.

+ Courses are meticulously crafted, with slivered fairways and staggered islands that test your ball striking accuracy.

+ Has an intuitive four-step process before each swing, and the mechanics on the putting green are uncomplicated.

- On-screen HUD doesn't tell you how far away the ball is from the cup, leading to awkward calculations and guesswork.

- Doesn't allow you to scroll the camera to peek ahead, and there's no clear indication of where the ball will travel.

- Could have used more wide open fairways during the first few holes to ease players in and help them learn the basics.

- Lack of crowd SFX make for a muted round of golf, and the isometric viewpoint isn't ideal when trying to avoid hazards.

Great Golf (Sega Master System review)

Developer: Whiteboard
Publisher: Sega of America
Released: 1987

Great Golf is a sports game that's known as Masters Golf in Japan.

+ Supports 1-4 players and the course design has some challenging layouts, particularly the devious split-island hole.

+ Unique features include throwing grass to gauge wind, and ground level angles showing the slope of the putting green.

+ Voice clips for a successful green shot are neat motivators and resemble those found in Neo Turf Masters (1996, Neo Geo).

- Only displays club distance on initial selection, so you'll constantly have to consult the manual or memorise them.

- It's potluck trying to determine where shots will land, as the overhead map doesn't include a path indicator for the ball.

- Putting is seriously flawed as the distance to the cup isn't shown, leaving you to guess how much power to use.

- Inability to add topspin or backspin makes it tough to shoot under par, and the lack of crowd SFX hurt the atmosphere.