GL Golf vs GL Golf Lite
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GL Golf
Experience realistic 3D golf with simple graphics and a physics system. Play solo or with up to four players across numerous holes, featuring various environmental challenges and game modes. Enjoy online tournaments, customizable golfers, and constant free updates.
- Realistic 3D golf simulation
- Multiplayer support (up to 4 players)
- Realistic physics system
- Numerous holes and courses
- Online tournaments
- Customizable golfers
- Driving range and practice modes
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GL Golf is a 3D sports game for the casual gamer. With a realistic physics system and great simple graphics, you and up to four players can golf all 720 holes (some available through in-app purchase) for countless hours. Everything in a real game of golf is included, such as water hazards, sand traps, trees, bushes, wind, four seasons, different time of days to play, and a driving range. Other great features include both an internet and individual high score list, game saving, great music, iTunes controls, 3 difficulty modes, mulligans, the ability to choose your set of clubs, match/stroke play, online tournaments, customizable male and female golfers, and much more. GL Golf is constantly being updated with free new features. Four new courses are released every year, available for in-app purchase. *New Game Center Multiplayer Support* - Play against your friends or a random opponent on any of your favorite courses. Golfers alternate every three hole until a winner is crowed after all 18 holes are finished. If you like GL Golf, make sure to check out Nuclear Nova’s other games, all available for the Mac/iPhone/iPad/iPod. • Nova Golf, the successor to GL Golf, is a much more detailed golf simulator with more modern graphics • Pinball Shuffle and Pinball Massacre are two unique comic book arcade style pinball tables • Barnyard Blaster is a unique shooter with plenty of weapons, animals, and environments • Rocket Golf gives golf a new twist with its unique 2D side scrolling gameplay • Liquid Defense, Hydrothermal, and Escape are our three classic puzzle/simulator games • Fractal 3D and ASCII Art are our first non-game apps Play now on your iPhone, iPod, and iPad! "This is a solid game and should definitely be on every duffer's app download list." -tuaw.com "In the end, GL Golf is an incredibly deep game, serving up six courses and tons of options, it never gets old" -iPhoneGamingNetwork.com "Of all the golf games and simulations I’ve played so far for the iPhone, there’s one that stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. GL Golf." -intomobile.com "I must say, this app is a very fun app. I am kind of addicted." -iPhoneMatters.com "The game play is solid. To swing the club just double tap on the screen; when the power meter reaches to a spot you want, just single tap and the club will swing, hitting the ball. You can change the type of club you have by dragging your finger up/down the screen, thereby changing the range. The game does pause itself when you tap the home button, so if you get a call while playing, you won't lose your game. " -Tuaw.com
GL Golf Lite
Experience realistic 3D golf with simple graphics and physics. Play solo or with up to four players across 720 holes, featuring various environmental challenges and game modes. Enjoy online tournaments, customizable golfers, and regular free updates with new courses available for purchase.
- Realistic 3D golf physics
- Up to four player modes
- 720 holes across multiple courses
- Online tournaments
- Customizable golfers
- Driving range and practice modes
- Game Center multiplayer support
Read full descriptionHide full description
GL Golf Lite is a 3D sports game for the casual gamer. With a realistic physics system and great simple graphics, you and up to four players can golf all 720 holes for countless hours. Everything in a real game of golf is included, such as water hazards, sand traps, trees, bushes, wind, four seasons, different time of days to play, and a driving range. Other great features include both an internet and individual high score list, game saving, great music, iTunes controls, 3 difficulty modes, mulligans, the ability to choose your set of clubs, match/stroke play, online tournaments, customizable male and female golfers, and much more. GL Golf is constantly being updated with free new features. Four new courses are released every year, available for in-app purchase. *New Game Center Multiplayer Support* - Play against your friends or a random opponent on any of your favorite courses. Golfers alternate every three hole until a winner is crowed after all 18 holes are finished. If you like GL Golf, make sure to check out Nuclear Nova’s other games, all available for the Mac/iPhone/iPad/iPod. • Nova Golf, the successor to GL Golf, is a much more detailed golf simulator with more modern graphics • Pinball Shuffle and Pinball Massacre are two unique comic book arcade style pinball tables • Barnyard Blaster is a unique shooter with plenty of weapons, animals, and environments • Rocket Golf gives golf a new twist with its unique 2D side scrolling gameplay • Liquid Defense, Hydrothermal, and Escape are our three classic puzzle/simulator games • Fractal 3D and ASCII Art are our first non-game apps Play now on your iPhone, iPod, and iPad! "This is a solid game and should definitely be on every duffer's app download list." -tuaw.com "In the end, GL Golf is an incredibly deep game, serving up six courses and tons of options, it never gets old" -iPhoneGamingNetwork.com "Of all the golf games and simulations I’ve played so far for the iPhone, there’s one that stands head-and-shoulders above the rest. GL Golf." -intomobile.com "I must say, this app is a very fun app. I am kind of addicted." -iPhoneMatters.com "The game play is solid. To swing the club just double tap on the screen; when the power meter reaches to a spot you want, just single tap and the club will swing, hitting the ball. You can change the type of club you have by dragging your finger up/down the screen, thereby changing the range. The game does pause itself when you tap the home button, so if you get a call while playing, you won't lose your game. " -Tuaw.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: GL Golf Lite at Free against GL Golf's $4.99. GL Golf's advantage is chart position (#56 vs unranked). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
GL Golf Lite is free to download; GL Golf costs $4.99 up front. GL Golf sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and GL Golf Lite sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for GL Golf against 3.9 for GL Golf Lite. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 105 and 85 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 63% of GL Golf's written reviews are positive against 61% of GL Golf Lite's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and August 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GL Golf | GL Golf Lite |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (105 ratings) — better | 3.9 (85 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 62.6% of reviews — better | 60.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 105 — better | 85 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #56 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 153 MB | 59 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nuclear Nova Software | Nuclear Nova Software |
Customer experience
GL Golf
GL Golf Lite
User reviews
GL Golf
From 105 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ⛳️ Enjoyable golf gameplay
- 🕰 Addictive time-killer
- 🎨 Charming low-def graphics
- 👍 Challenging but fun
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and bugs after updates
- 🌄 Limited course selection
- 🎨 Outdated graphics
- 🎮 Frustrating putting mechanics
GL Golf Lite
From 85 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Realistic golf simulation
- 🚀 Quick gameplay
- 💡 Variety of shot options (fade, draw, backspin)
- 🕹️ Easy-to-use controls
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and glitches
- 💸 Expensive full version
- 🔍 Obstructed view due to ads
- 🔧 Lack of updates and bug fixes
Bugs and requests
GL Golf
Reported bugs
4 issues- Swing button not functioning
- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Courses not loading properly
- Incompatibility with newer devices
Requested features
4 requests- More course options
- Improved graphics and visuals
- Better putting system
- Online leaderboards and multiplayer
GL Golf Lite
Reported bugs
4 issues- Scores not properly recorded on leaderboards
- Swing meter and wind direction obscured by ads
- Inconsistent ball physics and putting
- Crashes on newer devices
Requested features
4 requests- More holes and courses
- Character customization
- Online leaderboards and multiplayer
- Improved graphics and visuals
In-app purchases
GL Golf
- GL Golf Lob Wedge$0.99
- GL Golf Mulligan Pack$0.99
- GL Golf Tour Clubs$1.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- GL Golf Square Grooves$1.99
- GL Golf Driver 330$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 1$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 2$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 3$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 4$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 5$2.99
- GL Golf Course Pack 6$2.99
GL Golf Lite
- Club Upgrades$0.99
- Remove Ads$0.99
- Club Pack$1.99









