Forget Happy Gilmore 2, this Steam Deck game is my go-to golfing nostalgia kick

So much of culture these days is based on nostalgia. You can deny it all you want, but the massive hype surrounding the recent release of Happy Gilmore 2, the long-awaited sequel to the story of Adam Sandler’s golfing freak of nature, proves the point more than my words ever could. While I was one of the many who tuned in to Netflix to watch the Sandman’s return to the fairways, revelling in the cameos and callbacks, it still didn’t give me the nostalgia kick I was looking for. Fortunately, I’ve got Super Video Golf on my Steam Deck for that.

Even if you’re a fan of golf games, you might not have heard of Super Video Golf. At the time of writing, it only has 173 Steam reviews, but its ‘Very Positive’ status is well-earned. Unlike a lot of modern golfing simulators, which are obsessed with photorealistic visuals and convoluted menus, it’s clean and simple fun, with a bunch of courses that offer something of a challenge without feeling like easy birdies. You can either jump into a game with friends or take on the tournament or career modes to put your swing to the test, but either way, it’s a pretty relaxing time, provided you don’t end up hitting too many balls out of bounds.

There’s just something about Super Video Golf that takes me back to being a wide-eyed kid, throwing Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2000 into my PlayStation and reveling in the pixelated perfection. I say perfection; it really wasn’t that, but as far as I was concerned, it was pretty close. Honestly, I’m surprised we haven’t seen more retro-style golfing games, as between this and another personal favorite of mine, 2017’s Golf Story, it seems like a genre that should get more attention. That, in part, is one of the reasons I’m writing this article.

While Happy Gilmore 2 does its best to transport you back in time via an abundance of flashbacks and infamous one-liners, it still feels very 2025. You don’t get that with Super Video Golf. If I’d never played it before, I think I could be easily convinced that it was a hidden gem of the PS1 era that I had somehow avoided in my quest to play all the greatest games that I might not have known about when I was six years old.

Admittedly, it’s not a perfect game, which might tie into why it ticks a lot of my nostalgia boxes. Fine-tuning a shot before you hit it is practically impossible. You just have to pray that you time it right when it comes to the big double button press before launching your ball, because if you don’t, you’re going to pay for it. Then, there’s putting. If you’ve ever played golf, even mini golf, you’ll know that putting is a fine art, and it requires a fair bit of finesse in Super Video Golf. I haven’t thrown my Steam Deck across the room à la Happy himself just yet, but I’ve come close more times than I’d care to mention.

I’m not here to argue whether or not the growing trend of nostalgia bait is a good thing or not, but if I know one thing for sure, it’s that games such as Super Video Golf make me feel a way that is hard to put into words. It would be an oversimplification to describe the game as a digital comfort blanket, but that’s certainly part of the attraction, and it helps that there aren’t endless tutorials to deal with.

I can just load the game up, put my headphones in, and wherever I am, I feel like I’ve transported myself back to those heady days of sitting around six inches away from the TV playing the latest Tiger Woods game on my first home console. It’s a feeling I’d be willing to pay more than $9.99 for, but fortunately, I don’t have to.

So, if you’ve already watched Happy Gilmore 2 and you’re looking for more golfing nostalgia, I can’t recommend Super Video Golf enough. If you’d rather check out some different sports, much like Happy himself, be sure to see our guides to the best football games, basketball games, and baseball games while you’re here. We’ve also got a list of the best retro handhelds, just in case you’re looking for some new hardware that serves as a wonderful throwback to the heyday of ’90s and ’00s gaming.