Platform: Sega Genesis 32X

Developer: Flashpoint Productions

Publisher: Sega

Release Date (NA): 1995

Genre: Sports, Golf Simulator

Nerd Rating: 5.5 out of 10

Reviewed By Nerdberry

Being that we’re here in the final day of the 2024 Masters Tournament, I thought it wise to have a go at one of the best golf games ever created… Okay. Lies. All lies. I was bored, and I thought I’d boot up the ole’ trusty, durable, well-built 32X and play something I haven’t played in a while. Then I remembered it was the Masters weekend. This is not as well-thought-out as it may seem. It’s a gorgeous Sunday morning in eastern North Carolina, I saw the Masters was on, and then some fond memories of my life in my teens and twenties swept me away:

• Memories of the crisp air and dew on the grass when you get to the course at sun-up.
• Memories of trying on a new glove and loving it.
• Memories of my first time at any new course.
• Memories of my buddy “helping me set the ball on the tee” — cue up the exploding golf ball trick.
• Memories of driving the golf cart like an absolute maniac while crushing beers at 8am.

Unfortunately for gamers, the latter does not exist in this golf game… but there’s nothing stopping you from drinking a twelver of Bud Dry on your couch! Because that’s what it may take to enjoy 36 Great Holes with Fred Couples.

FRED COUPLES, AKA Mr. Skins, AKA Boom Boom, AKA 32X Failure

Currently, as I write this, Fred Couples is +4 at the Masters (that was Saturday). Today (Sunday), he’s no longer in the tourney, having missed the 60-man cut. Ouch. But there once was a time, eons ago… the nineties… when Fred Couples was one of the game’s hottest golfers. In 1992 he won the Masters, and in ’98 he tied for 2nd. These are 2 notable tournament finishes, but he has done so much more across his career. When looking at the 1990s specifically, in relation to when the 36 Great Holes with Fred Couples game came out, it’s the 1992 win, along with numerous PGA tour wins and skins tourney wins and more, that launched Couples into full blown sports stardom, becoming a household name. It’s no wonder the game’s sponsor, Golf Magazine, opted to feature him as the marquee name. Unfortunately for fans of golf, fans of Couples, and fans of golf simulators, this title got stuck on the 32X. So honestly, few people even had a chance to play it.

BRIEF 32X RECAP

Without getting too much in the weeds regarding the 32X system… I’ll summarize by stating: it was an awful add-on to the Genesis that was supposed to improve graphics and power (which it did to an extent), yet was an ill-advised stopgap solution for Sega as they awaited the upcoming Saturn’s release. The system failed to make even the smallest dent. It garnered very little interest from consumers, and was eventually liquidated at stores like Kmart and Toys ‘R Us for as little as $20. There were all sorts of issues with the quality of the system, and unfortunately for many developers and publishers, they chose poorly when they chose the 32X for their next game.

Alright, now that the 32X RECAP is out of the way, let’s get back to it.

36 Sleepy Holes with Fred Couples

36 Holes with Fred Couples is, technically, a golf video game, but it’s honestly more of a golf simulator. A fairly robust simulator at that. There’s tons of options to rotate through: club choice, full swing or less, what clothes your golfer will wear, different foot stance/location, 6 or 7 different game options (such as stroke match, tournament, skins, and more), and so forth. The depth of options is the true driving force of this game, but unfortunately, it just doesn’t feel like it’s enough to save it from being so bloody boring.

Truth be told… 36 Holes with Fred Couples is an above-average golf game for the time… But just slightly above-average. I feel like the graphics are decent, better than any other 16-bit golf game of the day. And the audio is really great considering the 32X’s infamously poor audio output. But to say that this game made the most use of the 32X would be a lie. Graphically it’s easily below any other 32-bit system of the era, and below many other 32X games, but easily outdoing SNES and Genesis-proper in that department.

Besides the look and sound, the gameplay is downright boring and sometimes frustrating. The lack of quality overhead mapping to really see where you’re at or where you’re going is frustrating. I played on a 6-button Genesis controller, and the X button brings up a separate screen showing where you are in relation to the hole. What do standard 3-button controller people do? I’m not sure. I don’t care enough about this game to find out for you, sorry. But the overhead map STILL doesn’t provide enough spatial insight.

And then there’s putting… A maddening aspect of the game. They do provide some hashing so you can get a feel for the terrain’s slope, but it’s blocky and pixelated and not tight-knit enough. Unfortunately, 3D golfing simulators on home consoles were just a little too new and the tricks of quality simulation hadn’t yet been fully realized. So I can’t knock them too much for some of their woes. Trying to get the power gauge to make sense is annoying: I routinely come up short, despite nailing the power meter with the distance. Oh well.

CONCLUSION

Overall, 36 Holes with Fred Couples is wildly underwhelming. I refuse to give all 36 holes my time… I will not do it. I ran through 18 of Fred’s favorite courses, which, amittedly, is a nice little option where you get to explore some of his favorite holes around the world. Although the change of scenery on Fred’s Favorites is nice, the game doesn’t have enough variety or graphical detail to make the best use of the differences. For a 1995 game, and one that was released exclusively for the “next generation of gaming,” it’s a sad output. But, to be fair, the effort is more than noble. Knowing Sega at the time, I’m sure the budget wasn’t the highest, and the hardware was obviously garbage. So, despite the game’s shortcomings, I’ll keep this in consideration for the Nerd Rating. Conversely, I’ll be objective in saying: 36 Great Holes with Fred Couples is boring, monotonous, not fun at all, and a little frustrating at times. I do not recommend it for anyone unless you’re just trying to build up your 32X collection.

Nerd Rating: 5.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Nerdberry