Under Par Golf Architect

Under Par: Golf Architect is charming and very welcoming, and that first golf course you create will be a truly fun process. After that, though, you’ll realise that Under Par has nothing else to offer and is such a disappointing missed opportunity. It’s all the more strange that the developers would do this because the same team previously created Hundred Days, a vineyard business simulation, and that one was genuinely interesting and engaging, and had proper tycoon simulation challenges built into it.

Under Par Golf Architect succeeds as a relaxing, creative escape for anyone who ever dreamed of designing their own links. It captures the quiet satisfaction of watching a club grow from humble beginnings into a thriving destination, and the ability to play what you build is a cool addition. If you’ve been waiting for the return of SimGolf, this is worth checking out. Just don’t expect it to eagle every hole.

While I applaud the game’s use of the Switch 2’s mouse control support, there’s an awkwardness and sometimes frustrating lack of focus on enjoyable playability here

Under Par: Golf Architect feels like a rough draft of something that could genuinely fill that SimGolf-shaped hole. It's got the charm and it's got the ideas; it just needs more polishing. If you've been waiting years for something like this, it's worth a look. Just go in expecting some rough edges… and maybe save often.

Under Par Golf Architect is a real Birdie of a tycoon game, with engaging hole creation and the ability to play the courses you make.

If you’re like me and have been itching for another SimGolf game since 2002, then Under Par Golf Architect will scratch that itch. It’s not as polished, but it also runs on modern systems and isn’t at an 800×600 resolution, so you take the good with the bad. Just know it’s probably best played on PC rather than PS5, which has received a serviceable port but one that never feels quite right.

Cozy and chill experience in which you'll build and manage your very own golfing paradise

Under Par Golf Architect brought me back to my childhood days of SimGolf in all the right ways. While they could do a bit more in terms of making the management side of the game having more of an impact, everything else hit like a perfect drive.