🎯 1. The Vision Behind Golf 5 MAX
Why the team wanted to make an arcade golf game
The Golf 5 MAX team spent years developing and perfecting their successful VR title, Golf 5. After such a dedicated focus on a single project, the team was eager to embrace new challenges.
By leveraging the team’s deep expertise and building upon the game's core foundations, such as its ball-striking physics, widely regarded as the best in VR, the next step was clear: extend the golf experience to platforms beyond virtual reality. Furthermore, the company’s CEO and lead investor, Antonio Marín, a passionate golf lover, provided his full support and enthusiasm for the project.
Inspiration from classic ‘90s sports/arcade titles
Our two main classic inspirations come from games that several members of the development team are absolute fans of: Neo Turf Masters, famous for its fast-paced gameplay, iconic soundtrack, and challenging course design, and Mario Golf, a Nintendo classic that perfectly blended quite accurate golf simulation with fun, pure‑arcade characters and mechanics.
We also keep a close eye on the latest versions of HB’s PGA Tour 2K and EA Sports PGA Tour, as they help define the current quality standards in the genre. But beyond that, we have focused on giving our own game a distinct personality, with an original character, tone, and theme
Balancing arcade fun with real golf physics
The core of the game is a solid, well‑tested hitting physics system already proven in the VR title Golf 5. It is one of the most realistic golf simulations ever built: the ball’s flight responds precisely to the swing performed with the club. In addition, the courses themselves feature a retro‑realistic visual style that reinforces the game’s unique identity.
On top of this foundation, arcade elements are added: since there is no “real” swing as in VR, the shot itself uses a triple‑click arcade system where the player must demonstrate skill by stopping the accuracy marker and the power bar at the right moment.
Alongside more serious modes, such as rounds or tournaments on 9‑ or 18‑hole courses, several arcade‑style game modes will be included in the first game release, for example:
Birdie or Bust: the player starts with a set number of points that increase or decrease depending on the result of each hole. The goal is to get as far as possible through the course.
Time Attack/Race to the pin: the player competes against a rabbit running across the course and must hole the ball before the animal reaches the hole.
For later on:
Dice & Drive: A mix of golf and board‑game mechanics that turns the course into a board full of surprises. Roll the die, move across special tiles, and play each hole to earn advantages… or avoid being pushed back. The better you play, the faster you’ll reach the finish line.
One‑Club Challenge: The player must complete the holes using only one type of club instead of having the right club for every situation.
The retro design of the interface and characters, together with the RPG‑style character progression, reinforces the game’s casual and arcade side.
vs
The long-term vision for Golf 5 MAX
There are still many topics under discussion. In any case, several clear areas for the game’s growth have already been identified. The list is ordered by likelihood of appearance.
Give the game’s visuals a much more arcade‑style look, with enhanced particles, VFX, and retro TV effects.
Crowds and spectators on the courses.
Development of additional golf courses, including real-life ones.
Dice & Drive arcade mode.
Addition of new playable characters.
Expansion of the RPG aspect of the characters, with more skills, including personality traits. For example, a character who has developed stronger social attributes could receive greater support from the crowd.
Improved matchmaking for online games, including level‑based pairing.
Enhanced in-game social features: friends lists, chats, creation of custom tournaments, and more.
Career Mode: building on the RPG progression of experience and stats, a narrative layer will be added along with intermediate and final objectives.
Item shop: new sets of clubs, balls, and player outfits, golf carts… potentially including partnerships with well‑known brands.
Fantasy courses: Why not a course on the Moon or on Mars, each with its own specific atmospheric density and gravity conditions?
🏌️ 2. Gameplay Philosophy & Core Mechanics
What makes Golf 5 MAX different from traditional golf games
Golf 5 MAX adds an arcade layer on top of a highly refined simulation and very realistic courses, making it potentially appealing both to players seeking a serious golf experience and to those looking for more casual fun.
An RPG touch: selectable characters have their own appearance and abilities, with strengths and weaknesses, and they evolve throughout the game. Players can choose from multiple characters and switch between them to enjoy different gameplay experiences in each match.
Original golf courses, exclusive of the game.
A distinctive retro look.
A very compelling price–quality ratio. Compared to top-tier games priced above $70, Golf 5 MAX can offer a very similar level of realism and fun at roughly a quarter of the cost.
RPG-style progression and building your golfer
Each character, from the Spaniard Rosita Moon to the Scotsman Lachie McDonald, has a unique appearance, outfit, age, nationality, and personality, as well as a backstory and special rivalries with other characters. They also possess 5 skills: Power, Technique, Consistency, Concentration, and Putting, which influence different aspects of gameplay. For example, a character with high Power will be able to hit the ball farther on long shots.
By playing matches, characters can gain experience, and at certain experience milestones, the player levels up and can allocate points to improve their abilities. Characters have strengths and weaknesses, making it easier to upgrade the skills they excel at and more costly to improve those in which they are weaker.
The player may choose to focus on a single character or try several until finding the one that best matches his own strengths and weaknesses.
“Birdie-or-bust” and high-pressure gameplay ideas.
In Birdie or Bust, the pressure comes from needing to achieve a score on each hole that allows you to keep advancing through the course, creating many critical shots that determine whether you can continue your run. In Time Attack/Race, the tension comes from having to finish the hole within a strict time limit. In Dice & Drive (not yet in the release version), it comes from the skill required to place the ball on tiles that move you forward rather than push you back or make you, e.g., lose a turn or take a punishment. In all cases, the pressure is amplified when playing online, whether you’re trying to catch up to players ahead of you or maintain your lead over those behind.
As for classic golf modes in online play, the pressure is naturally present since you are competing against other human players. However, there will also be pressure in offline classic rounds, as the game will compare your performance against other players, both on a hole‑by‑hole basis and across full courses. There will also be a global game ranking (the IEGF ranking).
The competitiveness of players in tournaments is also self‑evident.
How skill expression plays a major role
It is crucial. No matter how well‑developed the chosen character is, a successful hole ultimately depends entirely on the player’s skill when interacting with the shot interface. There is no luck involved, only skill and strategy.
👥 3. Meet the Team
How the team formed
The team began to take shape in 2018 with the idea of developing golf games for VR. The first game released was Golf 5 WIPP Championship, which focused on practicing different shots from various positions on the course. It was followed by Golf 5 Putting Green, where VR players could practice short shots; both titles were launched on the Meta platform. Finally came Golf 5, which became a pioneering game by introducing, for the first time in VR, a fully playable 18‑hole course. It was also one of the first cross‑platform VR games, released on SteamVR and Pico in addition to Meta Quest.
Team members and their roles
The development team is currently made up of eight people, including artists and programmers, with some help from outsourcing professionals. Some key members include:
Daniel Ponsoda: Project Lead and Lead Programmer
Iñaki Benito: Art Director and Graphics Lead
Pablo Bertrand: Senior 3D artist
Jesús Alonso: Senior Programmer
Aniceto Bokari: Sound, Video, and Project Coordination
Antonio Marín: CEO of the company and an enthusiastic driving force behind the project.
As passionate videogame enthusiasts, the entire team contributes to the design by bringing in their own improvement ideas.
Biggest development challenges so far
The greatest challenge is finding the right balance between the desire for excellence, the ambition to surprise and innovate, and the real capabilities of such a small team. Bringing both worlds together usually requires a great deal of hard work and a huge amount of passion.
Interesting behind-the-scenes moments
🎮 4. Building the Game
Early prototypes and first playable builds
The Steam Next Fest demo includes:
Two fully playable characters, each of them fully upgradeable.
9 holes from two courses, Forest and Colorado, for a total of 18 playable holes in classic mode (rounds)
A fully playable tournament with real competition.
Comparison of your performance against other players, both on a hole‑by‑hole basis and across full courses.
A quick level‑up to level 2 to showcase the game’s RPG aspect.
All other features will be present in the game menus to showcase them, even if they are not accessible.
Keyboard/mouse control.
Evolution of the swing mechanics and physics
All the physics are based on the one in Golf 5 VR. Nothing has changed in that regard, but the swing mechanics and controls have been redesigned.
The challenge has been to take a game originally conceived for VR and preserve as much of that experience as possible while adapting it to a desktop interface. We had to design a control system that, whether using keyboard and mouse or a gamepad, allows for comfortable play while still giving the player a meaningful challenge to refine their shot‑making style.
Course design process
Initial concept art
Terrain scanning (only if it is based on a real course).
Paper‑based redesign
Mesh modeling
Texturing and asset selection
Scene composition in Unity
Testing
Challenges balancing fun vs realism
The realism comes from two key elements:
The shot physics
The course layout and overall graphical style.
This foundation is shared across all game modes, from the more serious Classic Mode (solo or online rounds of 9 or 18 holes) to any of the more arcade‑oriented modes.
Players who choose to play the classic modes will find a high level of realism, while those who prefer a more arcade‑style experience will enjoy fast, fun gameplay built on a solid base of realism.
🚀 5. The Future of Golf 5 MAX
Upcoming features and game modes
The release version will include:
5 full courses (Forest, Dunes, Tropical, Northcliff Lighthouse, and Colorado), each with 18 holes, playable in 9‑hole, 18‑hole, or Fast 3 Holes mode. Stableford or medal scoring, Scratch and Handicap.
8 selectable characters with full skill progression.
Birdie or Bust and Time Attack / Race to the Pin arcade modes.
All game modes will be playable online.
Tournaments for all game modes.
IEGF Ranking.
Full Keyboard/mouse or GamePad control.
Multiplayer ambitions and competitive play
The roadmap for the online component is to make every section of the game playable in multiplayer — both Classic Golf and the arcade modes — supported by a matchmaking system adapted to each player’s skill level.
In Classic Golf modes, players’ performance will also be compared with all other players of the day, both hole by hole and across the full course.
There will be periodic tournaments (asynchronous multiplayer) in which all players can compete. When a tournament closes, the winners’ podium will be determined.
A global ranking (the IEGF ranking) will evaluate players’ overall performance in tournaments, and in the future, it may become cross‑platform, including VR players as well.
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