EA Sports PGA Tour launches April 7 and gives players a chance to experience golfing at major championship venues that have been meticulously mapped. Each course in EA Sports PGA Tour is made to react the way they would in real life with not just the physics of hills and flat land but altitudes, subtle terrain changes, and wind conditions. Even the lighting transforms the look of each course based on the time of day between morning, mid day, and late afternoon with varying conditions, clouds, and atmospheric haze to enhance the realistic feel.

Screen Rant interviewed two of EA Sports PGA Tour's developers who explained some of the intricate technology and work that went into making these courses as close to the real experience as possible. Out of the 30 courses which will be available at launch, 28 of those are true-to-life representations of courses through the PGA Tour. Two additional courses are fictional, fantasy designs created to give players a slightly different, yet still realistic approach.

EA Sports PGA Tour Courses Offers 30 Unique Courses, With More To Come

EA Sports PGA Tour's Course Of Pebble Beach, showing a rocky cliff overlooking water

Every course for EA Sports PGA Tour is designed to behave just as uniquely as it would if players were there in real life. Everything that could impact how a ball would react has been considered and applied to each of these maps. Subtle differences that may seem almost imperceptible have been taken and adjusted in the game to make this the most realistic video game representation possible for the latest EA Sports PGA Tour series. The full list of courses at launch can be found below:

  • Augusta National
  • The Old Course at St Andrews Links
  • Pebble Beach
  • The Country Club
  • Southern Hills
  • TPC Sawgrass
  • East Lake
  • Wilmington Country Club
  • TPC Boston
  • TPC Southwind
  • TPC Scottsdale
  • Whistling Straits
  • PGA WEST
  • Quail Hollow
  • Torrey Pines
  • The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort
  • Chambers Bay
  • Banff Springs
  • Wolf Creek
  • Bay Hill
  • Liberty National
  • Harbour Town
  • The Riviera Country Club
  • Tara Iti
  • Top of the Rock
  • Bandon Dunes
  • Evian Resort
  • Teeth of the Dog
  • Wetlands (fantasy course)
  • Lighthouse Pointe (fantasy course)

After the game launches, there are plans to continue to add more courses to the game. Some of these will include Oak Hill, The Los Angeles Country Club, Royal Liverpool, and Olympia Fields. EA Sports PGA Tour has partnered with LPGA Tour to bring female golfers into the game as well as the Amundi Evian Championship.

Each Course Is Meticulously Crafted For EA Sports PGA Tour

Image showing how EA Sports PGA Tour developers meticulously rendered each course with the slightest inclines, rocks, and more

To develop these courses in EA Sports PGA Tour, advanced technology was used such as custom LiDAR helicopter flights that scanned data-point-density, survey-grade GPS, drone technology, and more which gave them pin-point accuracy for every rock and blade of grass for many courses. Recordings were created for how distinct cuts of grass could make the ball behave differently, while terrain maps provided precise renderings for tee markers, rock formations, and other types of elements on the courses.

The detail and specificity with which developers looked at every aspect of deg the courses for EA Sports PGA Tour are awe-inspiring. EA Sports PGA Tour will release on April 7, in order to coincide with 2023 Masters, so players can follow along with their favorite golfers.

Source: EA SPORTS PGA TOUR/YouTube