Golf video games: Top 20 of all time

2. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10

Addicting gameplay, pretty graphics and the U.S. Open make Tiger Woods 10 the gold standard of next-generation golf gaming.

The game that featured the iconic image of an ecstatic Tiger Woods after his 2008 U.S. Open win on its cover was a special breed of game. There were numerous features that popped out at you right away.

For starters, it was the very first time an official major championship was in the game. The U.S. Open would make an appearance and would include the deadly Bethpage Black on its list of courses, the then-U.S. Open host. Another seemingly small but awesome feature was live weather on every course thanks to a partnership with the Weather Channel. So if it was raining at Turnberry, it was raining in the game.

It was a unique way to alter the course of your round of virtual golf as the weather played a role in the environment, just like in real life. The ball wouldn’t roll as far on putts, and would land softly on greens. If there were crazy winds at a course, then you would face gale-force winds on the track. It was fairly small but it was a game changer.

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The game was not only great for the PS3 & Xbox 360 but was pure joy on the Nintendo Wii as well. On the Wii version, the motion was as smooth as can be and also included one of the world’s quickest growing sports, disc golf.

The disc golf was quite awesome as the flags on the world’s most famous courses changed into baskets. It was really neat getting a chance to trade in clubs for discs, aiming for the chains of the targets.

The gameplay was superb, following up from the improved swings of TW 09 and making it into something special.

The major feature adored by many fans was the precision putting system, which is one of the best putting mechanics ever in a golf game. Tiger Woods 10 also did a good job of keeping an authentic PGA Tour experience while having some humorous aspects as well.

There were certain outfits you could wear, from a greenskeeper suit to even a bunny suit. When wearing these goofy outfits, it would max out your golfer’s attributes, making him/her an unstoppable beast on the course. This was also one of the last video golf games to feature different unique swing animations to fit your personality.

The “Tournament Challenge” was a distinctive mode that opened the flood gates for similar modes in later games. In the mode, you’d try your hand at replicating the biggest moments in the history of the PGA Tour. For example, you could do your best to replicate Tiger’s “better than most” putt on the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass from THE PLAYERS Championship in 2001. With beautiful graphics, dynamic weather, outstanding gameplay and a masterful demonstration of the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is a gold-tier golf video game.