BEHIND THE GAME
Follow the development of Project Golf Board Game from an idea on paper to a finished tabletop golf game.
We'll share the decisions, prototypes, artwork, playtesting and occasional wrong turns that shape the game along the way.
THE FIRST PLAYTEST — MARCH 2026
This is where Project Golf Board Game began. Our first playtest used the board from an old golf game as a temporary course while we tested our own dice, cards and putting system. It proved the basic idea could work — but it also showed us very quickly that we needed a much bigger board.
A SEPARATE GAME ON THE GREEN —
MARCH 2026
The putting system was part of the game from the very first playtest. Rather than simply ending a hole when the ball reached the green, we created a separate 11 × 11 putting board. Location cards determined where the ball started, turning putting into its own final challenge and adding another layer of uncertainty to every hole.
SCALING THINGS UP —
APRIL 2026
The first playtest made one thing immediately clear — we needed more space. Before worrying about artwork, we pieced together a much larger paper grid to explore the size and proportions a full golf hole would need. It was crude, but it helped us understand just how much playing area was required before we began designing our own course.
BUILDING OUR OWN COURSE — APRIL 2026
The first playtest showed us we needed more room. So we designed and printed our own larger course, piecing it together from multiple sheets of paper. This gave us more space for hazards, different routes and longer shots — and allowed us to start testing the game on a course built specifically around our rules.
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MAKING THE BOARD WORK — MAY 2026
The game now had to work on the table as well as on paper. We realised that having a separate board for every hole would make the game far too large, so we began experimenting with multiple tee positions on the same course. We also cut the prototype down to size to see how the board would actually feel during play.
MOVING TO HEXES —
JUNE 2026
One of the biggest changes was replacing the square grid with hexes. We found that hexes gave players more natural choices when aiming and moving a shot across the course, rather than being restricted by a square grid. This full-size paper prototype let us test the new system, settle on the hex size and begin working out the dimensions of the final playing board.
PUTTING THE HEXES TO THE TEST —
AUGUST 2026
The hex grid now needed to prove itself in play. We built a full-size prototype and brought the cards, dice and separate putting green together for a proper playtest. This was where we could start judging the game as a complete experience — shot choices, distances, hazards and putting — and identify what still needed to change.