In The Mail: Table Golf Association Game

In The Mail: Table Golf Association Game

Arriving for review in the mail was a copy of the Table Golf Association board game.

Table Golf is a happy confluence of my two hobbies: golf and board gaming. I’ve been playing golf for thirty years, and playing “hobby” board games for fifty. By “hobby” board games, I mean tabletop games of the sort that have come into vogue in recent years among the “cool kids” — games such as Ticket To Ride, Catan, Pandemic, Spirit Island, 7 Wonders and the like. In those days, we principally played Avalon Hill and SPI games as well as some imported specifically from Europe. And of course, we played role playing games like Dungeons and Dragons, which celebrates fifty years in 2024. I started playing in 1977.

But enough of the trip down gaming memory lane.

Table Golf Association belongs to a sub-genre of board games called “dexterity games,” in which players use their fine motor skills to accomplish various tasks set by the game. Jenga is a dexterity game. So is Tiddly Winks.

Table Golf Association falls more neatly into the same category as carrom or the Canadian game Crokinole.

TGA’s “Pro Edition” has a large number of five-inch, double-sided illustrted hex tiles. The printing on the tiles is colorful and — importantly — smooth.

To play the game, players first use the tiles to construct a golf hole. They then use their fingers to flick a small plastic puck with a ball bearing in the center across the board. If a shot lands in the rough, the player makes their next shot with their non-dominant hand. Shots in the sand must be extricated with the thumb of the non-dominant hand.

I set up a hole (as you can see in the above photo) and gave it a try. It’s pretty cool. I will be sure to take it to the next gaming club meeting so I can see how the crew likes it.

For more information (until I write up a full review), here’s a press release from TGA:

The Table Golf Association Becomes First Tabletop Golf Game in the PGA Tour Superstore

Father and Son Team Invent Highly Successful Tabletop Golf Game – Coral Springs, FL 

John and Gavin Garcia are the designers of the Table Golf Association, a tabletop golf game of action and skill.  In April of 2022, John and Gavin launched the game on the crowdfunding site, Kickstarter.  Their funding goal was $10,000 but they ended up raising more than $200,000 with over 1,100 backers by the time the campaign wrapped up.  It was an amazing feat for first-time designers, that was well beyond everyone’s expectations.

The ‘TGA’ (as it is also known), is a dexterity game that is played by flicking a ball in a plastic ring.  It requires a great deal of skill to control the speed and distance, making players feel like their playing golf.  The player who successfully navigates the course and makes the ball in the hole in the least number of shots will win, but it won’t be easy.

The game includes 25 double-sided terrain tiles that allow players to design and play the course of their dreams.  Just like in real golf, the game includes hazards like sand bunkers, water hazards, cliffs, and more.  Players may even have to deal with the wind that can change strength and direction with every shot.  There is a Pro-Edition made of hi-quality wood, and a ‘Family Edition’ made of cardboard tiles, making it more affordable for everyone to play.

The TGA’s success on Kickstarter and with local game shops grew the game’s appeal and momentum. So much so, that it is now being sold in every PGA Tour Superstore nationwide, this makes the TGA one of the rare games that appeal to gamers and golf enthusiasts alike.

“We’ve been so blessed by the success of the game, it’s hard to put into words.  As first-time board game designers, you don’t typically receive this kind of support and embrace from the board game community.  To see the game cross over into sporting goods stores, just blows our minds”, says designer John Garcia.

The reviews of the game have been just as promising.  The game has a 4.9 out of 5-star rating on their website, and professional board game reviewers around the world have called it the best golf game ever made, and one said that ‘no other golf games need to be made!’.

The TGA has already released several expansions including the Driving Range and European expansion.  The most recent Kickstarter campaign also included the new ‘Triple Threat’ expansion.  Now the father and son duo are set to release the latest version ‘The Meeple Beach Edition’ in March of 2024. There is also an ‘oversized’ edition that is being planned for sports bars and breweries that comes with 8” tiles and its own custom mat and fold-away playing table for easy setup and countless hours of fun.  With this kind of expansion plan, there’s no telling where the TGA will show up next. 

The only limit to the TGA is the size of your table.  Try it for yourself at www.TableGolfAssocaitoin.com and you’ll agree…It’s So Flickin’ Fun!