It’s perhaps a symbol of the current retro game boom that Golden Tee Arcade Classics exists at all. That’s not a slight, by the way – it’s just remarkable that these trackball titles, often nestled between claw machines in American sports bars and restaurants, now exist in fully playable form on a home console like the PS5.
For those of you outside of the US who may not be familiar with these arcade golf games, they’re a bit like the real-life realisation of Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge from The Simpsons.
While the presentation is rudimentary, they were remarkable upon release in 1995, using large colourful player sprites and vibrant course designs.
You actually get six Golden Tee games here, all of which are largely the same aside from different courses, voice samples, and minor details.
This package also bundles in two other trackball titles: World Class Bowling and Shuffle Shot. The former is exactly what it sounds like, while the latter is a bit like curling or boules, albeit with a kind of puck.
The big problem here of course is that PS5 doesn’t have a trackball controller, so gameplay concessions need to be made.
The main control scheme sees you operating a cursor with the analogue stick and “dragging” a digital hand across a virtual trackball to replicate the experience. It’s about as inadequate as it sounds.
Another option utilises the DualSense’s touchpad, but it’s not big or precise enough to reflect the tactile nature of the input it’s trying to replicate.
This leaves you with the aim assist option, which comes closes to replicating the click-click-click gameplay format of a series like Everybody’s Golf, but largely strips the release of its unique selling point.
The controls are the big downside here, then, because it’s practically impossible to recreate the “feel” of the arcade original on a pad.
But we still like having these games readily available on contemporary hardware. The CRT filters included are outstanding, and this being a Digital Extremes joint, you get tons of bonus materials, like the original arcade flyers to flick through in their entirety.





Comments 19
This game is all about the trackball. Without it, its just another pixelated golf game
@PushButtons Pretty much. Still cool they released it though.
For some reason I want to play fuji golf now.
Having a game actually make good use of the trackpad for once could have been a selling point for me. Is it seriously that bad?
''Welcome to Lee Carvallo's Putting Challenge. I am Carvallo. Now, choose a club. (Beep) You have chosen a three wood. May I suggest a putter? (Beep) Three wood. Now enter the force of your swing. I suggest feather touch. (Beep, beep, beep) You have entered "power drive". Now, push seven eight seven to swing." (Beep beep beep)
''Ball is in...parking lot. Would you like to play again? (Beep) You have selected, No.''
There was a few busted hands/fingers driving off the tee in my local after a few!
Pretty sure they got rid of the machine after only a few weeks. Fun but can be painful 😂
If they made a trackball controller for this, then I'd buy it but yeah, i cant play these games without one
@Onearmbandit Funny you say that, I used to play this with my friend in the local pub and I really hurt my hand on the machine once. I think I either hit the bottom edge of the cabinet with full force, or whatever was under the screen, which I seem to think was a metal bar of some shape.
Stopped playing after that as it was quite brutal lol.
@JayJ I don't think the touchpad accurately simulates the feel of the trackball. It's cool that they tried it, but for me, it's just too imprecise and small to replicate the same experience.
@Onearmbandit if you think that was painful, there was an arcade arm wrestling game called 'Arm Spirit' that broke peoples arms
I've got these installed on the arcade legends cabinet with the trackball and still enjoy playing them. Nice to see them surviving but without the trackball its pointless
Back to Arnold palmer golf on the mega drive I go....
Sounds more like a bogey to me.
@get2sammyb Thanks. I wonder if the Switch is the way to go then, having a proper touchscreen should perform better I would imagine.
@NeonDragonX
Ow! Ok that’s definitely worse
@Ellie-Moo
Yeah it was definitely brutal lol
I rest my case, without the trackball its nothing special, marble madness being another example. I had some know it all on Facebook trying to defend this port, they probably have never played the original arcade cab.
This reminds me of playing PGA Golf on Megadrive with my dad. Just about the only game I ever played with him more than once.
Every fightstick should have a trackball somewhere on it.
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