For some people, the idea of hitting a small ball around a massive area sounds pointless. However, for the rest of us, it has given rise to a multi-billion dollar business, complete with parodies (looking at you, Happy Gilmore), and adoring fan bases. That said, the ability to head to the nearest course relies on a lot of variables, and the ability to play well requires patience, skill, and practice.

If you’re in the mood to skip all that and cause someone, be it a friend or a stranger, immense frustration at your ability to hit a small ball around a massive area better than they can, then Golf Battle could well be the app for you. Rather than struggling to find a tee time, Golf Battle lets you play across a number of great levels, each optimized to work in the palm of your hand. Best of all, it's a mini-golf app, so there’s no need to worry about the wind, lays of the ball, or having to hit off the toe of a rather large, disgruntled man.

The Experience

Golf Battle starts by letting you choose your course, and if you want to focus on your game or play others. The Classic mode lets you focus on perfecting your approach without the distraction of other players, while other modes let you choose friends, either one on one, or a battle royal with up to six competitors. Controls are rather intuitive, letting you focus on aim and power, and trying to get in your opponents’ heads.
As you might expect, the point of the game is to complete the course with as low of a score as possible. Currently, there are more than 90 holes available to play, but there are a number of new packs in the offing that should expand that number considerably. Rather than be content with just the same old minigolf, Golf Battle brings a number of new level environments into play, including frozen levels that let players contend with ice.
Like most mobile games, there are also opportunities to use either earned or purchased game points to upgrade your gear. A number of skins for your golf balls and clubs, as well as some with new abilities, become available as the game progresses.
That said, there seems to be a bit of a bias towards purchasing the ability to win, rather than skill alone carrying the day. If that is something that is likely to frustrate you, then this may not be the game for you. However, if you’re the type who looks at games like this to just escape reality and have a little bit of fun, then it won’t be enough to seriously dissuade you from playing the game.

In-App Purchases

As was mentioned before, Golf Battle does have in-app purchases available. The purchases revolve around the two in-game currencies, coins and gems, which are required to purchase many of the power-ups. As with many games of this genre, this can be a purchase of a couple of dollars, or easily cost substantially more.

Getting Golf Battle

For those interested in playing more mini-golf but without wanting to risk the windmill, Golf Battle is available for download on either Android or Apple at their respective mobile app stores. There is little effort required to install the game, and at no initial cost, plus a relatively small memory footprint, it can be played immediately, as long as you have a network connection. In fact, there is the last possible aspect the game; it does require a internet connection.