I didn’t really do a whole lot of PC gaming in my younger years, but I do have some very fond memories of that limited time at the creaky old family desktop. One of these memories revolves around a demo of Sid Meier’s SimGolf, which I played for longer than a lot of full games. Now I was no stranger to a tycoon game thanks to my aunt’s obsession with Theme Hospital (good taste in games runs in the family) but SimGolf grabbed me in a way I wasn’t expecting. So much so that over twenty years later I almost squealed with delight when a new golf tycoon game appeared on the horizon. Under Par Golf Architect is the cozy modern equivalent of a childhood favourite, so grab your clubs and let’s get started.
I’d say you’re thrown into the deep end in Under Par Golf Architect, but it’s a nicely tutorialised deep end with very friendly lifeguards. The first stage starts with a big field full of nothing but trees and rocks, and immediately tells you to build your first hole to start off your golf empire. With one vaguely acceptable Par 4 created the gates are then opened, and the polo shirted masses start to tee off. Golfers will pay you money and you’ll use that to make more holes. It’s simple enough, but these ball bashing poshos aren’t always easy to please.
There are quite a few things to take into account when building a new hole, and most of these revolve around the types of terrain you place on it. Each hole needs a tee and a green of course, but you also need the correct amount of hazards and fairways to make an A+ hole. It’s not particularly hard to click and add enough long grass and bunkers, but there’s also plenty of scope for creativity if you really want to let your hole design skills shine.
Holes aren’t the only important part of running a successful golf course though, because that would make Under Par Golf Architect a pretty boring Tycoon game. You also need to ensure the course has style, by adding fountains, statues and elephant topiary. Golfers get hungry too, and require training with driving ranges and putting greens. All these cost money to build and often need staff to manage them, but you’ll be rewarded by more and more members.
The more people enjoy golfing at your course, the more money they’ll give you to become a higher level member at your exclusive golf club. This is the main incentive to keep improving the club, and also grants an extra way of making cash. By hosting a tournament for your members you can charge an entry fee and allow them to compete for fabulous prizes, although this will close the course for everyone else in the meantime.
Each stage of Under Par Golf Architect will obviously expect you to build a functioning course, but it’ll also give you various goals to complete. Early on these are to teach you about different mechanics, but eventually they’ll be tough challenges that expect you to tailor your play in a different way. By beating sets of objectives you can earn stars in a stage (up to the traditional three stars) and obtaining more of these will unlock later stages on the charming world map.
When you need a break from the tycoon side of the game, you can pick up a club and actually play the holes yourself. If you’ve played something like Mario Golf or Everybody’s Golf before it’s a somewhat more simplified version of that golf gameplay, and a nice way to pass the time while you’re waiting for new members.
Under Par Golf Architect is a fun and rather relaxing tycoon game, but that laid back nature does hold it back somewhat. Even when playing at triple speed you’ll spend a lot of time waiting for memberships to go up, while you sit doing nothing waiting for more cash. There’s just not quite enough to micromanage to keep you busy when you aren’t making new holes, and it’s a real shame.
I had a fun time crafting my own golf courses in Under Par Golf Architect, and although it didn’t quite reach the heights of my SimGolf nostalgia it has its own charm. Building holes especially is really enjoyable, rewarding creativity and clever terrain management. If you’re looking for a more unique tycoon game then Under Par is a great option, so get in your buggy and prepare to sink a birdie or two on your homemade course.