izigame.me

Disclaimer: I'm not sponsored by EA (or anybody else), I'm not a streamer, and I've been playing this series since Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2004. So...I'm giving an honest review of my experience so far. I've also been a golfer since the 90s...so....take that for what it's worth when reading.
This game is a lot harder than the old ones were. Period. Playing on Arcade on this game feels like how Tournament felt on the EA Master's Edition of PGA Tour in 2012. Wind and ANY skewed swing will screw up your shots royally, you can perform a phenomenal drive and put in work w/ your iron, and still go 5 over thanks to a horrible experience on the green. So...if you're looking for a 'cheese' experience like Madden offers w/ it's 'easy' difficulty, then this game won't be for you, unless you like progression and a challenge, and a more realistic approach to golf. (It isn't for everybody, so I'm just listing that as a disclaimer. If you want an easy experience overall, look elsewhere).
However, if you enjoy progression and a challenge when competing in the AI tournaments (and online tournaments), then consider purchasing.
Pros:
-Realistic golf experience. The ambiance, crowd reactions, and physics are pretty on point. If you hear anybody complain about how their ball rolled way off the green and didn't stick to it as if playing in heavy rain, then they probably have never played a real round of golf on a difficult course before. Many of the courses featured are extremely challenging in the real world, hence, why they're used in pro tournaments that reward the winners w/ a literal fortune. That's pretty much to be expected. Unlike previous titles, this one requires you to constantly gauge the wind speed and direction, adjust accordingly, and focus on keeping a smooth and near perfect swing tempo.
-Nostalgic vibes like the announcers, club/equipment brands, etc.
-Relaxing. It's a golf game. It's meant to be enjoyed for its relaxation element and some competitive spirit, especially if you join an online community and find people to play against while chatting/having a few drinks, etc. It is what you make of it. It can be frustrating, but hey, ask any golfer how many of their rounds have been infuriating. (Trust me on that one...I've raged harder at going +4 on an easy course during bad weather than I ever have in any FPS or MMO).

Cons:
-Not too much variety in clothing or character customization. Could be improved in a future patch. Previous titles included a lot more brands and clothing options. Even taking a few pages from the 2003/2004 playbook and adding whacky fashion choices/fictional pre-made characters would be a major plus. ("Pops" Masterson and Cedric the Entertainer, anybody?)
-Hardly anybody online in PC matchmaking. If you want a full matchmaking queue to instantly find online games, then you might want to buy this game on PS5. Same issue Madden faces, a lot of PC gamers aren't really inclined to buy EA sports titles for the multiplayer experience.

Overall, it's a fun game/nice experience. I'm very glad that they included multiple tournaments, especially the Master's tournament...and how it's difficult to make the cut for said tournaments. (That's how it's supposed to be). You can up your chances by just playing rounds and upgrading your golfer's skills and getting equipment w/ stat bonuses by just competing in the free Online Tournaments. I went +4 on my first one, and still received tokens.
Can it be better? Absolutely. There are definitely a few things that need to be tuned for future patches (for instance, a ball should NOT roll in the rough as if it was dropped on a granite counter). But I'm partially biased, I've loved golf my entire life, and still do.
Rambling aside, if you like golf, and want a peaceful/relaxing game to play after work or w/ some friends, this is a good choice. Now....back to grinding to get my putting skill up so I stop ruining my chances at the Master's on the putting green alone.