Golden Tee Golf is a golf arcade game series by Incredible Technologies. Its signature feature is the use of a trackball[1] to determine the power, direction and curve of the player's golf shot. Play modes include casual 18-hole golf, closest to the pin, and online tournaments. One of the longest running arcade game series, Golden Tee has maintained a large following and spawned a competitive tournament scene.[2]
| Golden Tee Golf | |
|---|---|
 Series logo | |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Developer(s) | Incredible Technologies |
| Creator(s) | Larry Hodgson, Jim Zielinski |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, PlayStation, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Android |
| First release | Golden Tee Golf 1989 |
| Latest release | Golden Tee PGA Tour 2025 Home Edition |
History
edit
The Golden Tee series began as a project at Incredible Technologies to create a large scale golf simulator for sizable family entertainment centers. The idea was scrapped, but not before programmer Larry Hodgson had already written software to create virtual golf courses. Rather than discard his work, Hodgson retooled the concept to develop a golf game for regular arcade cabinets. He worked with co-designer Jim Zielinski, who initially rendered the courses using Deluxe Paint. Instead of a regular joystick and buttons for controls, they used a trackball, which Incredible Technologies had previously used for Capcom Bowling.[3]
The first Golden Tee was play-tested in a bar, a venue which would become the most popular location for Golden Tee cabinets. Released in 1989, the first iteration was sold exclusively as a kit that could be used to convert existing arcade machines to Golden Tee. It sold relatively well, but the series would find greater success with Golden Tee 3D several years later.[3] The 1995 Peter Jacobson's Golden Tee 3D Golf (featuring Peter Jacobsen) was the first in the series to support online networked play. Rather than being networked to each other, the cabinets were all linked to a central computer which compared scores for tournament play. The first test tournament, held on 24 game cabinets in the Chicago area from November 24 to December 17, 1995, awarded real money to the winners, including a $1,000 grand prize.[4] The first "real world" tournament was held mid-June to July 7, 1996, on 145 cabinets across six states, and was considered a major success.[5] By the end of 1996, 1,250 cabinets were installed across 32 states.[6] The tournament gave rise to a large competitive play scene for the franchise.[7][8][9] Ryan Bourgeois has won the US national championship three times.[10]
| 1989 | Golden Tee Golf |
|---|---|
| 1990 | |
| 1991 | |
| 1992 | Golden Tee Golf II |
| 1993 | |
| 1994 | |
| 1995 | Peter Jacobsen's Golden Tee 3D Golf |
| 1996 | Golden Tee ’97 |
| 1997 | Golden Tee ’98 |
| Golden Tee ’98 Tournament Edition | |
| 1998 | Golden Tee ’99 |
| Golden Tee ’99 Tournament Edition | |
| 1999 | Golden Tee 2K |
| Golden Tee Royal Edition Tournament | |
| 2000 | Golden Tee Fore! |
| 2001 | Golden Tee Classic |
| Golden Tee Fore! 2002 | |
| 2002 | Golden Tee Fore! 2003 |
| Golden Tee Supreme Edition Tournament | |
| 2003 | Golden Tee Fore! 2004 |
| Golden Tee Fore! 2004 Extra | |
| 2004 | Golden Tee Fore! 2005 |
| 2005 | Golden Tee Fore! Complete |
| Golden Tee LIVE | |
| 2006 | Golden Tee LIVE 2007 |
| 2007 | Golden Tee LIVE 2008 |
| 2008 | Golden Tee 2008 Unplugged |
| Golden Tee LIVE 2009 | |
| 2009 | Golden Tee 2009 Unplugged |
| Golden Tee LIVE 2010 | |
| 2010 | Golden Tee 2010 Unplugged |
| Golden Tee LIVE 2011 | |
| 2011 | Golden Tee 2011 Unplugged |
| Golden Tee 2012 Home Edition | |
| Golden Tee LIVE 2012 | |
| 2012 | Golden Tee LIVE 2013 |
| 2013 | Golden Tee LIVE 2014 |
| 2014 | Golden Tee LIVE 2015 |
| 2015 | Golden Tee LIVE 2016 |
| 2016 | Golden Tee LIVE 2017 |
| 2017 | Golden Tee Live 2018 |
| 2018 | Golden Tee Live 2019 |
| 2019 | Golden Tee Live 2020 |
| Golden Tee Golf (iOS) | |
| 2020 | Golden Tee Live 2021 |
| 2021 | Golden Tee Live 2022 |
| 2022 | Golden Tee PGA Tour 2022 |
| Golden Tee PGA Tour 2022 Home Edition | |
| 2023 | Golden Tee PGA Tour 2023-2024 |
| Golden Tee PGA Tour 2023-2024 Home Edition | |
| 2024 | Golden Tee PGA Tour 2025 |
| Golden Tee PGA Tour 2025 Home Edition |
Since Golden Tee 3D, Incredible Technologies has released a new entry in the series to arcades every year. Versions of the game have also been published for the original PlayStation,[11] Microsoft Windows,[12] iOS and Android.[13] A plug-n-play dedicated console version has also been released. On May 16, 2022, Golden Tee PGA Tour 2022 was released.[14] Later that year on October 24, Home Edition was released.[15]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Peter Jacobson's Golden Tee 3D Golf". Next Generation. Vol. 2, no. 14. Imagine Media. February 1996. p. 176. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
Using the new, improved handy-dandy, hip... trackball (surely proving to be a revival in the '90s), you swing through three pleasant, 18-hole courses (Oak Valley, Ocean Point, and Cactus Canyon).
- ^ Bernstein, David (March 20, 2003). "Can't Get a Tee Time? Try the Corner Bar". The New York Times. Retrieved July 14, 2017.
- ^ a b Siegel, Alan (June 24, 2015). "How Golden Tee became the best bar game in America". USA Today. Gannett. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ Webb, Marcus (March 1996). "Another Network Test". Next Generation. Vol. 2, no. 15. Imagine Media. p. 23. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ Webb, Marcus (October 1996). "Modem-Linked Video Scores". Next Generation. Vol. 2, no. 22. Imagine Media. p. 22. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ Webb, Marcus (March 1997). "And in the U.S.A...". Next Generation. Vol. 3, no. 27. Imagine Media. p. 26. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ Belkin, Douglas (July 5, 2012). "It's Rough to Make a Living as a Pro Golfer on the Bar Circuit". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ Allen, Jeff (September 3, 2014). "Bangers and Everymen: Life on the 'Golden Tee' Pro Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ "Video golf champ has a steady hand, 'Golden Tee'". USA Today. Associated Press. April 30, 2003. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ^ Moser, Whet (October 13, 2013). "One-trackball mind". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Shoemaker, Brad (September 15, 2000). "Peter Jacobsen's Golden Tee Golf Review". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Ward, Trent C. (August 12, 1998). "Golden Tee Golf". Archived from the original on December 2, 1998. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Good, Owen S. (October 18, 2015). "After 30 years in arcades and dive bars, Golden Tee is finally going mobile". Polygon. Vox Media. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ "Golden Tee PGA Tour Now Officially Shipping". 16 May 2022.
- ^ "Golden Tee Home Edition Incredible Technologies | Orange County Pinbal".
