Golf and racing certainly don’t have anything in common, but the folks at Hugecalf Studios found a way to mix both sports for an enjoyable experience. Turbo Golf Racing is a new game that adds its own take on the rather unique Rocket League formula that made the latter so popular among gamers.
Although Turbo Golf Racing is described as an “arcade-style sports racing game,” in truth, it should be in its own category, alongside Rocket League. I’m curious to see what term the folks behind Turbo Golf Racing come up with to categorize their game, seeing that Rocket League invented the so-called “soccar” genre.
Unlike Rocket League, that’s basically soccer but with rocket-powered cars, Turbo Golf Racing is golf with … you guessed it, turbo-charged cars. The goal is the same in both games: bring the ball into the net/hole. Hitting oversized golf balls is just as refreshing as hitting soccer balls with your racing car, so there’s not much different when it comes to the gameplay formula.
However, Turbo Golf Racing plays on a golf course, so you’re bound to have more than one holes to score in the same match. Matches don’t last too long and are quite frantic, especially with several players hitting their golf balls trying to bring them faster to the hole.
Photo: autoevolution
The car customization part is one of the twists that Hugecalf Studios adds to the Rocket League formula. You’ll be able to unlock and equip your cars with so-called Power Cores, which will allow you to hit the ball further, fly faster, as well as make use of abilities like Ground Stomp and Gravitate Ball and Roll.
There are specific cores that will help both beginners and hardcore players, and before you give up because you lose all the time, here are a couple of Power Core recipes that will make you climb up on the leaderboards:
Magnet + Straight and Steady (This combo proves effective for grinding out those solo stars. Straight and Steady removes spin, maximising distance and forgiving poor aim. Whilst the magnet allows you to slingshot your ball down the fairway.)
Sand Master + Big ball (Great for beginners. Big ball gives you a large target to hit, Sand Master helps you when you inevitably hit into the bunkers.)
Double Dash + Hot Head (For the speed junkies out there. Double dash allows the car to dash twice whilst airborne, Hot Head increases boost power, but depletes your boost bar faster.)
The choice of Power Core combinations is just one way to boost your car’s performance, but, as always, with these competitive games, it ultimately comes down to skill. No Power Core will help you if you lack the skill and good reflexes, and sometimes that can be pretty frustrating.
One other thing that I found frustrating rather than fulfilling is the presence of some annoying power-ups that are meant to disrupt other players’ plans. The homing rockets that completely stop players’ cars are the only ones annoying enough to cause frustration. They are not entirely non-dodgeable; it’s just that you’ll need to be skilled enough to be able to flip your car in the air at the right moment.
Photo: autoevolution
But these power-ups are completely overshadowed by the joy of zipping through tunnels, gliding over fans, and avoiding sand pits and other obstacles on the course at the last moment. Sending a curveball through multiple rings until it hits the hole is quite satisfying, although it does require some training.
Turbo Golf Racing has launched in Early Access, which means it’s a work in progress. Even so, there are 36 courses split into three styling groups – Urban, Industrial, and Wild, so there’s plenty of variation to keep you entertained for many hours.
Unlike Rocket League, which you can play for free, Turbo Golf Racing costs $18 / €18, and it’s only available for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S (sorry, PlayStation fans!). Even so, I think it’s well worth the money, considering how much fun I had during my time on the golf course. Just be sure you’re not too competitive because this might become too frustrating at some point.
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