It feels like forever ago that golf games were a largely dead genre. While there was the odd release of an Everybody’s Golf, the death of the PGA Tour series left a massive gap. Now, there’s been a resurgence in the genre. Mario has returned to golf in Mario Golf: Super Rush, EA has plans to jump back in and 2K Studios have revived the PGA Tour series with PGA Tour 2K. Now, developers HB Studios are back with their latest golf entry, PGA Tour 2K23.

If you checked out 2020’s PGA Tour 2K21 or any of HB Studios prior The Golf Club games, you’ll already know that they’re some of the best in the game when it comes to golf physics. In this year’s game, they’ve taken the super solid physics of 2K21 and added some improvements that make the game feel even better. Both the surface and flight physics have been overhauled, and that made landing my shots that much easier in the game. There’s a clear and distinct difference in how balls bounce and react to different surfaces, while wind has a reliable and noticeable impact on your ball’s flight. I also vastly preferred the new 3-click swing option, which removed from of the shot wobble that always seemed to creep in for me using the analog stick controls. The feel of a golf game is easily it’s most important feature, and 2K23 does a fantastic job.

Another returning feature, and probably HB Studio’s ongoing crowning feature, is the Course Designer. Just like in the past, the Course Designer in 2K23 is a super powerful toolset that allows you to build out your own courses to play on and share them online. The big changes here come in the form of the updated UI, additional tools at your disposal, and better foliage. The UI helps make the designer more accessible than it was in the past, with some slightly more intuitive button placement and options. Throw in the ability to upload and update legacy courses, and this is the best course designer from the studio yet.

Alongside the updates to physics and the Course Designer, PGA Tour 2K23 also comes with some new additions in courses and pro players. In the course department, there are three new licensed course, with South Course of Wilmington Country Club, The Renaissance Club and St George’s Golf and Country Club. This means there’s now twenty courses available in the game at launch, although the continued lack of Masters courses continues to be a gaping hole in the course list. On the player list, the game includes pro players for the first time, with Tiger Woods leading a cast of over 14 pro players, alongside Michael Jordan and Steph Curry. Again, while this is a step in the right direction, it’s a pretty paltry number of pro players.

If you’re at all like me, one of the biggest enjoyments in a golf game comes from creating a rookie player and taking them up through the ranks. I enjoy nothing more than nailing some birdies and eagles and making a mockery of my opponents. Unfortunately, this is the mode that feels the least updates and changed compared to 2K21. While there have of course been tweaks here and there, the Career mode itself and the journey you’ll take is nearly identical to past games. While I understand that a story mode like the NBA 2K series might be out of the budget, having more options of where to start and progress to would be welcome.

Outside of MyCareer and the general multiplayer and quick play modes, PGA Tour 2K23 brings on brand new mode: Topgolf Mode. There’s a chance you might’ve heard of Topgolf before, with the entertainment focused golf game spreading across the world. Just like in real life, you’re presented with a series of bunkers to chip your golf ball into. Get your ball into a bunker and you’ll earn points, with multipliers applied to specific bunkers each turn. It’s a multiplayer focused mode, although it can be played solo, and is a much more party friendly option than a regular game of GOLF.

Overall, PGA TOUR 2K23 is an improvement over its predecessor, but it definitely feels like an iteration on the previous game, rather than a large jump in quality. If you’re golf crazy and desperately need a new game or if you enjoy the genre and haven’t touched a game in a while, you’ll get a lot out of this. If you weren’t a massive fan of 2K21 or were looking for larger scale additions, this might not be the game for you.

PGA Tour 2K21 was reviewed on PlayStation 5. The game is also available on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. For more information, check the official website.