Jack Nicklaus’ Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf
System: NES
Release Date: March 1990
Developer: Sculptured Software
Publisher: Konami
Genre: Sports
This one’s called… longest title in the NES catalog, Jack Nicklaus’ Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf. Tee off in 18 of the best holes in the world according to Jack Nicklaus, I assume. Play a normal stroke game or go for the big bucks in a skins game against the greatest golfer of the 20th century.
Up to four players can play against each other in skins play or stroke play. Each player is named, chooses beginner or expert difficulty, and the tees they want to shoot from. Skins play is a match game where a ton of money is on the line! Each hole has a value and winning the hole puts that cash in your pocket. If you tie, the value moves to the next. The money does nothing for you, except bragging rights, of course.
I played a stroke game against good ol’ Gert Mack. You start with Jack giving you a quick synopsis of the hole, then you see the layout from overhead. When you’re at the tee, you have to take a look at the wind direction and speed. The more red the “Wind” meter, the stronger the gust. You’re aimed toward the hole, but that isn’t always a smart shot. You want to aim for the fairway more often than not, so you need to change your aim.
Your swing is of the three click variety. There are ten hash marks on the meter showing percentage power on your swing. If you go into the top red, you overswing to gain some extra distance. Coming back down, if you want a straight shot, you want to end at the 0% hash. If you are too early or late, you’ll hook or slice, respectively.
Putting is where the game falls apart. Instead of the wind gauge, you’re given a break gauge. This tells you the slope of the green on the path to the ball, but it is completely inconsistent. Each segment of the swing zone is supposed to be 8 feet, but that is also inconsistent. Aiming your putt is not like aiming your swing. Instead of setting your aim to the hole, you need to create a line between your ball and your aim that has the hole in the path. This led to a LOT of missed putts.
Graphics: 1.0
The graphics are pretty poor. It takes a long time for the landscape to be drawn before each shot.
Sound: 1.0
There’s no music while you’re on the course, but typical low grade Konami fare between holes. Sounds are bare.
Gameplay: 2.0
Hitting with your long clubs feels good, but putting is god awful.
Difficulty: 2.0
Other than putting, the game is pretty easy. I beat Jack Nicklaus in a skins game.
Fun Factor: 1.5
If it was faster, I think I would have enjoyed it more. Gert was getting bored by the back 9.
Overall Grade: 1.5
Jack Nicklaus’ Greatest 18 Holes of Major Championship Golf earns a C-. It’s no Arnold Palmer, hell it’s not even Lee Trevino.