Desert Golfing 4+

I just completed my second play through. It does end after 10,000 holes. It is a sad moment. I guess you have to delete the game and reinstall to start again.

I just wish there were more games like it so I could have a little more variety in this area of my life. It’s endlessly playable, and you can just immediately start playing as soon as you open it. So it is a wonderful replacement for the reflex action of reaching for your phone to go doomscrolling. And there’s nothing spammy about it. And the physics is just complex enough that you can develop a real muscle memory skill over time, and notice how good you are getting by how often you get mindless hole-in-ones.

I used to play this about 6 years ago, and only recently installed again when I found myself scrolling through my phone aimlessly and consuming negative things. This game has genuinely helped me step away from all that and do something soothing, with no friction but somehow still rewarding. Sounds small but genuinely if you find yourself scrolling through political frustrations, or social media compulsively, try Desert Golfing to give you a bit of peace. I listen to ambient music or podcasts while playing and it’s the only game I can wind down to meditate. Fantastic!

This a hugely enjoyable game, the kind you can pick up for 2 minutes or 2 hours. The seemingly simple nature of the game allows for a great deal of inventive gameplay and subtle thinking. Also, it’s a curiously calming experience, there’s a mediative feeling about it- the lack of ending, the unimportance of your score, how each hole is different but oddly the same- I love it!

(I’m currently on hole 2643 after 6740 shots btw.)