Early thoughts on TGC vs PG

[Smudge_si]

For the guys that have TGC and also now have PG I love to hear your early thoughts between the two.

I've got TGC and pretty sure I'll add PG aswell once I get back from work in a few weeks. Be good to hear some comparisons.

[Tekbud]

In my opinion they are both great. However, my preference is Perfect Golf. I've been using both for quite some time. I use the multiple tees, multiple pins, different green speeds, dynamic weather often. I also really like that I can change the brightness of the game itself (saturation as well) within the game. My projector isn't that bright and being able to customize this with game is a huge help for me. TGC is much darker in my particular environment.

[goodmatt78]

Can you offset the centerline in PG?

[Tekbud]

Yes, offset is available on Perfect Golf as well.

[Mike80]

I like both TGC and PG. Both are great! One thing I don't like about TGC is having the distance numbers in center of screen all the time. Takes away from making it feel like playing real golf and more like a video game. PG has the distance numbers on the side which I like better. PG to me looks and feels more realistic like playing on a real golf course. I did a lot of testing with how numbers transfer into the shot in the software. Carry distance in TGC many times are lower than what my GC2 says. In PG, the carry distance is spot on with what my GC2 says. I believe it has been stated TGC has some carry distance issues with lower back spin shots. Really hoping this gets worked out soon!

I have both and will continue to play both. Each has it's advantages. Online golf tournaments are fun and make your golf sim experience more competitive.

[Shardak]

For me, TGC is the clear winner.

I just played 3 hours of PG..or I tried to. At least half the time was spent re-launching after a crash, or after the game stopped reading shots. "PGSimulator has stopped working" crash happened at least 10-20 times. I dont think I completed one single hole without something going wrong.

Glitches and crashes aside (I am sure they will get fixed eventually)...

Graphics
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TGC looks much better. PG just looks flat and low-res compared to TGC. PG lighting looks off (not HDR like TGC). Grass/green textures look way better in TGC. Trees look awesome in PG, but I would say that is the only thing better than TGC.


Feel
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TGC feels more natural. Ball physics have some issues in TGC, but watching the ball sail through the air looks realistic.

In PG, the ball moves un-naturally. Especially when it hits the ground..its hops around in a strange way. It also appears like the ball (or maybe the physics calculations driving the ball) are running on a very slow clock. Hard to explain, but it looks like the ball is rendered at like 10fps. But its not exactly a frame-rate issue...I dont know how to really explain it. I am running on an Nvidia 970 GPU (desktop), Ultra High settings, getting 60+fps (monitored via Fraps). The game runs smooth enough, but the way the ball moves doesnt feel like 60fps. With the Landing cam turned on, when an approach shots hits the green and rolls, it just looks very bad.


Audio
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I didnt expect this, but I really missed John from TGC. Without him calling my match, it feels like I am out playing golf in my garage (which I am).


Glitches
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TGC is very good at this point. Occasional crash (golf.exe has stopped working), occasional mis-read or no-read.

PG crashed every couple shots. Also it seemed to pickup any movement (the laser would go off and not come back on). Just placing the ball in the hitting position would trip the laser on Sktrak to turn off. Sometimes I could restore it by clicking the little green button in the bottom corner of PG, but often I would have to tab out to the PG/Sktrak integration app and try to reconnect skytrak. That often did not work, so I would have to re-start the whole game. PG is not playable for me at this point.


Overall
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TGC = 7/10

PG = 4/10

[V8burble]

Based upon this experience I can fully understand why TGC comes out top for Shardak - the crashes/misread/pickup are clearly concerning and would require investigation of host PC and/or SkyTrak integration/configuration.
I am not a SkyTrak user so cannot comment on anything regarding their integration but I have been using both TGC and PG for a few months now and really want to make sure people have a balanced opinion of the pros and cons of PG v TGC.
I have encountered a few glitches in PG during what has been an extensive beta programme(but completely inline with a beta) and find PG extremely reliable and it does not crash at all in my experience - whether the crashes described are a one off or more prevalent for SkyTrak users will need other people's comments.
Taking the Launch Monitor out of the review - I actually prefer PG for graphics and ball flight/physics and especially the roll of the ball and bounces around the green for chip and run etc. All of it looks and feels much more natural to me which just goes to show it's emotive and down to personal preference. If you can, try both or at least look at videos of both and take your pic.
Funny enough I do like the TGC audio commentary and I also really like the ghost ball play in TGC for rounds/competitions but I also love the support for different tees in PG when playing with friends and the ability in PG to aim by clicking on overlay map, the different tournament/match options.
As Mike80 says, I like both! I'll enjoy both games, tours and meet great people here and there that make simulator play fun.

[Tekbud]

So this is all very odd to me. I've been playing for months and I've only had the game crash about 2x in 6 months total. You should have a look at the camera settings and the detail settings. You'll need to set them to what is appropriate for your PC. You may need to turn them down some. I see nothing like you're describing above and overall feel the graphics to be better in PG. To each his own I guess. Again, the fact that you're crashing that often leads me to believe that something is amiss.

[TeaPeg]

I'd be less worried about giving marks out of ten and more worried about my PC if I had this experience with any software. When was the last time your PC had a clean installation of the o/s? Do you keep your PC well maintained? Are your drivers up do date and installed correctly?
My experience so far with Perfect Golf has been very positive. I've had a couple of misreads but I think I'm right in saying that that's to be expected regardless of what launch monitor or what software you use. I own TGC for PC and didn't purchase the sim version because I prefer the graphics on Perfect Golf and the feature set. So far I haven't been disappointed and find it odd that you mentioned that the Perfect Golf graphics are, '...flat and low res...'. I'd definitely get your PC checked out as something's clearly not right.

[mthunt]

I have both and both are great. TGC has so many great courses that PG lacks and PG has so many great features that TGC lacks. The reality is you can't go wrong with either.

[keither5150]

I have TGC for the sim, I tried PG on the PC as it is not available for GSA yet. I might be tempted and pick it up for a year. I like the look of the trees better in PG. Ball physics, I prefer TGC. It feels more like real golf for me. Even on the xbox one, TGC seems more real than PG. I will probably buy a better projector before PG.

[Mickey]

My sim room is being reconfigured. Contractor says it'll be done by mid next week. Will buy PG immediately thereafter. This crashing thing however is concerning. If anyone else is experiencing the same issues please keep us informed.

[Mike80]

Weird you say you have had so many crashes on PG. I've been playing TGC and PG for a while now and have not had one crash. You talk about the ball flight being slow on take off in PG. Definitely should not. I have a nice gaming PC and both TGC and PG run flawless. So if you are having crashes or ball not flying well on take off it sounds like you have some computer issues, but definitely not the software. No issues for sure on mine. I do like the ball physics better in PG. Like I said, the carry distance matches my GC2 almost perfectly. I love TGC, no question there. My biggest issue is the carry distance is very short like 15 yards on many shots. That's a big problem for me. So for now PG plays more realistic because the ball carry is what I'm actually hitting. I have both and will continue to play both. I would recommend anyone to purchase both and try them for themselves. You will be happy with either choice.

[BamaGambler]

If I buy PG from Skytrak and then later pickup a GC2 will I have to pay for PG again?


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[Tekbud]

Well right now you can't actually buy PG for GC2. It's free on beta program only. Not sure when GC2 users will start paying.

[DeaconBlooze]

My understanding is that the license for PG is tied to the unit, not your PC. So yes, you'd have to buy the license again.

[BamaGambler]

Is TGC the same way?


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[mthunt]

Is TGC the same way?


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TGC is yours to use on any device or even sell.

[v10king]

I have used perfect golf on my gc2 and have never experienced a crash. Definitely sounds like either a skytrak or host computer issue. I prefer PG to TGC, PG looks more realistic and the ball flight is better and more realistic in my opinion. Side spin shots are penalized too much in TGC

[wbond]

The thing that sounds concerning to me is the issue of the red dot frequently going away if there is movement near it. Going back and forth to re-arm the shot would get old very quickly.

[golfinaddicts]

I cant really use mine because it doesnt work left handed but I tried swinging over top of the unit just to get some use out of it and this happened on every practice swing. I dont know if it is because I am swinging over the unit or its just how it is but its annoying enough I wouldn't use it if thats how its going to be. You either get zero practice swings or you have to reset it every time you take one and that will disrupt your routine so whats the point.