Why You Should Play Nettou Golf! (Or the Best Dreamcast Sports Game You’ve Never Heard of)

[Neo500]

I’ve gotta give some love to one my favorite Dreamcast games of all time: Nettou Golf. Many of you probably haven’t heard of it since it was only released in Japan and golf games can be a bit of a niche, but it’s never too late to give it a try. I imported it back in 2003, and I keep coming back to it even with all the modern golf games out there.

Below are my top four reasons why you should play Nettou Golf. Have you played it before? What were your impressions? If you give the game a shot after reading this thread, I’d love to hear what you think. Hope I can make a few of you fans of this game too.



1. A Golf Game with Character – Unlike Tee Off Golf, Nettou Golf has a great aesthetic. Tee Off Golf instantly turned me off with its graphics and character designs. Nettou Golf on the other hand features beautiful courses and the characters are well-modeled. There are lots of cool details that set Nettou Golf apart from the competition. When you hit your approach shot into the green, it will create natural divots on the green like you would expect. When you hit or ball near the hole, you’ll see a closeup of your ball and depending on which character you’re using, the ball will have a unique marking with the face of your character. Or if you manage to hit the ball into the flagstick, the flag will catch the ball and drop it into the hole. I’ve played tons of golf games in my time, and it’s a single most satisfying shot in any golf game.

2. Don’t know Japanese? No Problem – Nettou Golf doesn’t require the player to know Japanese to be able to enjoy it. After a few rounds, you’ll be able to navigate the menu system with no trouble whatsoever. Some of the tournaments do have specific eligibility requirements, but if you get stuck, the Google Lens Translate is your friend.

3. Easy to Pick up, Hard to Master – Like most good golf games, Nettou Golf has solid swing mechanics that make it accessible for newcomers, but also challenging for those who keep coming back to the game. The game utilizes a unique swing system where you pull back on the analog stick and then let it go. Depending on the angle you pull back the analog stick, your shot may veer left or right. It’s a tad unorthodox for golf games from this era, but it’s not too dissimilar from the current PGA2K golf games.

As you unlock additional courses, the challenge really ramps up. There are huge elevation challenges in the game’s later courses, the wind becomes a greater factor and there are all sorts of blind shots that put your skills to the test. The final unlockable course is unlike anything you’ve probably encountered before from a console golf game. I literally had to take notes on distances and lies like a real caddy to conquer that course, and I’ve never had to do that in a golf game before. And I’ve been playing the game for years and I still haven’t managed to hit a hole in one! There aren’t too many golf games I can say that about.

4. Segata Sanshiro!!! – Yes! The Sega legend is an unlockable character in Nettou Golf. Better yet, the developers went the extra mile to set him apart from the other golfers. The developers could have simply given him a standard golf club and swing and called it a day, but they gave him character specific swing animations which demonstrates how much love and attention went into this game. Segata hits the ball with his foot for all his shots! It puts a smile on your face every time when you’re playing as Segata. If you’d like a copy of my save so you can play as Segata, just send me a private message and I’d be happy to share my save since it normally takes dozens of hours to unlock him.



Online Play?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention that Nettou Golf had online play back in the day. I’d love to be able to play the game competitively with the rest of the Dreamcast community some day. As far as I know, it’s the only golf game that had online play, but correct me if I’m wrong. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a chance to play it online someday if there’s enough interest?!?

If you’re interested in giving Nettou Golf a shot, you can find it on eBay relatively cheap, or through other avenues. If you’re a fan of golf games and Dreamcast, do yourself a favor and give this game a try!

[SMiTH]

Online Play?

I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention that Nettou Golf had online play back in the day. I’d love to be able to play the game competitively with the rest of the Dreamcast community some day. As far as I know, it’s the only golf game that had online play, but correct me if I’m wrong. Who knows, maybe we’ll get a chance to play it online someday if there’s enough interest?!?

Yes, I would love to see this online as well.

[Bob Dobbs]

Online or no go!

[MoeFoh]

https://www.thedreamcastjunkyard.co.uk/ ... -game.html

Main Menu

Options Menu

Download the TOSEC GDI version here:
https://www.mediafire.com/file_premium/ ... D.zip/file

Download the CHD version here (for emulators):
https://www.mediafire.com/file_premium/ ... 5D.7z/file

NEW: Copy Save File to VMU using a CDI (burnable or ode). Credit ateam "VMU Disc Builder" : https://www.retrorgb.com/custom-vmu-dis ... mcast.html
Download pre-made Nettou Golf Save CDI here:
https://www.mediafire.com/file_premium/ ... 5D.7z/file
The filename begins with letter "N".

[Neo500]

Thanks for posting the menu translations, Moe. I was going to include them in my original post but I couldn't find them. They're super helpful for anyone looking to get into the game. And if all else fails, just keep hitting the 'A' button until you're in a game heh

[MoeFoh]

Thanks for posting the menu translations, Moe. I was going to include them in my original post but I couldn't find them. They're super helpful for anyone looking to get into the game. And if all else fails, just keep hitting the 'A' button until you're in a game heh

In-game English Translations from the Wayback Machine:

Home Menu & Options:
https://web.archive.org/web/20180222102 ... andoptions

Tournament:
https://web.archive.org/web/20180222102 ... tournament

Download screens in PDF format:
https://www.mediafire.com/file_premium/ ... f.zip/file
Credit: Kirameki

[MoeFoh]

Covers:

[MoeFoh]

Interesting... says keyboard compatible.

[MoeFoh]

If you see any of these golfers at your local golf club run... run fast.

[IdahoChip]

I will need to get this again and dig deeper, but I would expect that the keyboard support you see is related to online play. Maybe for chat.