I have to admit, I've stuck at it, and much like with FIFA in previous years, I ended up buying it based on the authenticity of everything other than gameplay alone.
However, it is genuinely shocking how bad and broken some elements are in-particular. The above video is a one-off, I can forgive that.
However, I had my dad over today so we could play together, and... You can create four golfers on your profile, but you can only use one at a time. What the hell is the point in that? So I can be me, but he can only be a pro.
So I assumed I knew what the issue was, and made him an Xbox profile, so that he could make his own golfer and log in as himself. Nope, that doesn't work either... There can only be one logged-in profile (the primary profile) and you can only select one created player.
Turns out there's
eight pages of complaints about this on their forums, but the game treats all your golfers as one. Therefore, it's hardcoded and will more than likely not be fixed. Because the game was rushed as hell.
Also, both players have to use the same gameplay rules. So if - like the dev said himself (!!!) - I'm a father who wants to play with my 4-year-old, then guess what. We both have to play on baby mode. Which doesn't really seem fair to the kid, does it? If you're going to mention this as an explicit aim of your product, you should probably make sure it works properly.
Also, in local multiplayer games (match play at least), the commentators get your player and your opponent's mixed up. Whatever score you get for a hole, he will say it's your opponent's score. Every single time.
Finally, you can only play stroke play games with friends online. No match play, no skins (which would make it interesting).
Not to mention the lack of turn-based play so I can watch my opponent, which is half the fun for me. I'm not self-absorbed, I want to see my friends do well.
This stuff is currently bugging me more than the gameplay, and (for example) the fact that it's seemingly impossible to grip a green with anything but a PW on any type of course.
I quite like that certain clubs will prove very difficult to stop - I actually think the lack of control with longer-range clubs is a little refreshing - but the product as a whole is in a shocking state.