Today, EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™ will receive its largest content update to date, including a new season, several gameplay improvements, and game-wide bug fixes.
Season 11 will feature the release of four new courses, including the courses for this years’ major tournaments, and the ultimate Major champion of all time, Jack Nicklaus. As with all previous updates, the new courses and Jack Nicklaus are included with no additional purchase required. This now makes a total of 39 playable courses and 23 playable pro golfers.
Included as a 2024 Major Course, Valhalla Golf Course is located in Louisville, Kentucky, a modern, parkland-style course designed by Jack Nicklaus. Characterized by its wide fairways, large, undulating greens, and challenging water hazards, it has been the venue for multiple major championships, including the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. Since it hosts the 2024 PGA Championship, Career mode has been updated to have the PGA Championship rotate every season between Valhalla, Oak Hill, and Southern Hills.
Pinehurst No. 2, the second 2024 Major Course to debut, is located in North Carolina and is a world-renowned golf course known for its crowned, undulating greens and strategically placed bunkers. Designed by the legendary Donald Ross, it has hosted more single golf championships (including the U.S. Open Championship and PGA Championship) than any other course in America. It will host the 2024 U.S. Open Championship, so Career mode has been updated to rotate the U.S. Open every season between Pinehurst No. 2, The Los Angeles Country Club, and The Country Club.
The third 2024 Major Course, renowned for its “Postage Stamp” eighth hole, is Royal Troon. Known as a world-class course, with traditional links located on the rugged coast of Scotland. Offering golfers challenging wind conditions, deep bunkers, large putting greens, and undulating fairways, Royal Troon is a frequent stop in the Open Championship rota, including this year. The Open will now rotate in Career mode between Royal Troon, Royal Liverpool, and St Andrews.
ICYMI, last week we announced that the Augusta National Par 3 Course will also be added to the game in celebration of Masters week. The course is stunningly beautiful and serves as the traditional venue for the Par 3 Contest held annually on the eve of the Masters Tournament.
All four of these incredible courses are now available to play in Quick Play and Private Match and will be featured in Online and Tournament playlist rotations as well. As previous Ryder Cup hosts, Pinehurst No. 2 and Valhalla have also been added to Ryder Cup formats in Quick Play, Online, and Private Match.
Jack Nicklaus, often referred to as the “Golden Bear,” is renowned for his powerful drives, precision iron play, and exceptional putting ability, which contributed to his record 18 major championship wins. Additionally, Nicklaus won the Masters a record six titles, which contributes to his legend as the greatest Major Champion golfer of all time. When playing as Jack Nicklaus, you’ll notice that he has his own set of golf clubs, four outfits to choose from, and his own unique swing animation. Jack Nicklaus is available to play in any format that supports playing with pro golfers.
Challenges mode has been updated with two new challenge series. The “Drive, Chip and Putt” challenges series offers a taste of what it feels like to compete in the famous junior golf competition. The “Jack Nicklaus” challenge series showcases the history of the Golden Bear, featuring some of the best rounds from his Major Championship victories, and a variety of other memorable moments from his legendary career.
Season 11 Pro Pass includes a wide variety of cosmetics in the premium tier including a selection of spring-themed apparel, Jack Nicklaus’ clubs, and one of his outfits. Completing Season 11 Pro Pass will earn you Jack Nicklaus’ ’65 Masters Ball Spec in the free tier and the J.LINDEBERG “KV Tour – Azalea” outfit in the premium tier. Throughout the season you’ll earn tokens to level up your Pro Pass by completing live Quests and playing rounds in Online, Tournaments, and Career modes.
What’s more, on April 4th, EA SPORTS™ PGA TOUR™ will be available to play for all EA Play** members via the Play List! EA Play is a great way to get more from the games you love. Members can unlock exciting rewards, special member-only content, play select new-release EA games, and get instant access to a collection of EA’s best-loved series and top titles. Plus, members also save 10% on purchases of EA digital content.
In addition to the above, the following improvements have been made to the game:
- Store & Content:
- Jack Nicklaus’ swing animation has been added to the Store rotation.
- Added a “Starter Bundle” which includes a set of rare specs and a currency pack.
- New items added to the store rotation including the TaylorMade Qi10 Driver, Scotty Cameron Circle T putters, and several new apparel items.
- Online:
- Increased matchmaking search timeout from 2 to 5 minutes.
- Outfits & Gear:
- Updated the “In to Out” swing animation.
- Fixed “TaylorMade MySpider – Red” left-handed version of the putter being colored white instead of red.
- Courses:
- [Kiawah] Moved several shrubs and bunker footprint decals that were incorrectly placed.
- UI:
- [Career] Fix to enable changing outfits in Career mode lobbies.
- [Select Golfer] Updated Patrick Cantlay’s picture.
- [Store] Updated thumbnail icons for “In to Out” and “Sweep” swing animations.
- Stability:
o Additional crash and stability-related fixes.
The full patch notes blog can be found here.
