Andrew Walters
United States
Hercules
California
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I had a chance to play Golf Profi last night, and while I'm not looking to play again I had a good time, there were some things to admire about the game, and I learned a little more about gaming, which is always good.
This is not a golf-themed game, this is a golf simulation using dice. You pick a direction to hit, choose a die from those available (being in bad terrain limits you, a lower handicap gives you access to better dice), and roll. Then you place your ball marker where you land, record a stroke, and you're done. Rules for going in the water, going off the course, calculating handicap, etc, are all just as they are in golf.
The components are great. Solid pearly and sparkly dice are included in dark green and white. The score sheets are well thought-out, though they were printed on thin paper. The only thing lacking was a reference to the distance distributions on the dice; the rule book has tables that will tell you the what the maximum and miniumum rolls are on the 12-sider, and how many results on the ten-sider will go five or further and put you in the drink, but this information should be on reference cards or better yet on the score sheet, so the rule book doesn't have to constantly circulate.
The board is beautiful, and that's important because you spend a lot of time looking at it. The art is old-school wargame style, not just in the sense that it's laid out in hexes, but in the sense that each hex has the same artwork for its terrain type. This is not a hex grid laid out over a real golf course, it's not a drawing. The map is individual hexes of fairway, rough, green, woods, bunker, and (shudder) water. No drawings of trees, bridges, paths, just hexes in the six colors/patterns. But the colors are attractive and, needfully, soothing. There are three holes on each side of the board, so in an eighteen hole game you'll use each one three times, but the tees and hole move, so there is some variety.
One observer noted that Golf Profi is like Formula De without the annoying rules about crashing into each other. That's not a bad comparison. Another plus, in Golf Profi you have a wider choice of paths to your destination, which is fun.
As for simulation value, I've not played golf but I'm under the impression golfers have a little more control over the distance of their strokes than this game gives you. Also, the L and R results don't put you a little to either side, but 30 degrees to either side, which is a *lot*. A little more yaw resolution would be good. But I should leave it to actual golfers to refine the verisimilitude.
I wasn't thrilled with the game for a couple of reasons. First, I don't find golf particularly compelling. Second, luck is a bigger factor than your decisions. I like a little luck in a game, but even a dice game can include more strategy than luck. Not here. Ending up in the water is a big deal. Lastly, the game was a little long for what it offered. I played in an eighteen hole, three-player game that went two full hours, and none of us were playing slowly. I think I would have been happier with nine. Our relative scores didn't change much in the second half.
Even though this is not the game for me I had a good time, and reminded me of something important: if a game is not distractingly aggravating in it's badness (you know what I mean), sitting down with a couple of pleasant people to learn and play a pleasant game with pleasant components is pleasant. I often struggle with rating games on BGG because even if I don't like a game I hate to give it a bad rating knowing I have enjoyed playing it because of the environment and other players. I'd certainly rather play a 6 with pleasant players than a 10 with unpleasant players. I have to remind myself to rate the game against other games, assuming all other things are equal. So even if I didn't love Golf Profi it reminded me that board gaming is about spending time with people as much as it is about getting your ball onto the green in less than ten strokes.
There really should be a rule about throwing your golf bag into the water.
Andrew
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Greg Poulos
United States
Redmond
Washington
I guess there's more to starting a game company than just having a name... :(
What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, a gaming machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this gamer does is sleep and eat and place little meeples, and that's all.
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nice review.
did you figure out your adjusted handicap after the round and look at what bonus dice and direction correction chips you'd get? that's the aspect that my friends and I found compelling and wanting us to play another round.
I think that's a big part of the experience of GolfProfi.
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Andrew Walters
United States
Hercules
California
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I very much like this element of the game in principle. The game is self handicapping from session to session, you get new toys, everything about it is ingenious and great. Except for me to play two hours at something I enjoy only mildly for the reward of being able to do it slightly differently the next time I play doesn't make any sense. In a thirty minute game I might play three times in an evening and a hundred times in my life it would be an awesome feature. For a two hour game I'm not really interested in playing again, it means nothing. But if you like the game this is a reason to like it even more.
And after the first game my handicap remained at 54 because I played AWFUL, so I didn't get anything new anyway.
Andrew
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Kevin Whitmore
United States
Albuquerque
New Mexico
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My experience with this game is that you will spend about 30 minutes per player. So a foursome will take roughly 2 hours. But a 1:1 match is likely an hour or less.
Personally we have found a lot of fun with this game. We play it once or twice a year at gaming retreats. The pursuit of the better clubs and the bragging rights for the next 6 months have been enough reward for the time required to play. I'm sorry you didn't find the fun in the box.
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