GL Golf Lite vs SMPL Golf
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
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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
SMPL Golf
Experience a realistic golf simulation with intuitive one-handed controls. Master shot mechanics, course strategy, and environmental factors to conquer every hole. Play full rounds in minutes or enjoy quick sessions anytime.
- Intuitive drag-and-release controls
- Realistic ball physics (wind, spin, lie, terrain)
- Strategic course navigation
- One-handed gameplay
- Quick 18-hole rounds
- Progress saved after every swing
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SMPL Golf – Simple Controls. Quick Fun. Real Golf. Drag to aim, pull back to power up, release to swing. Your shot lands somewhere in the projected zone — shaped by wind, spin, lie, and terrain. Just like real golf, perfection is never guaranteed. Strategy that actually matters Choose your shot shape, manage spin and power, and navigate bunkers, trees, slopes, and headwinds. Every hole is a puzzle. SMPL Golf doesn't dumb down the game — it strips away the complexity without losing the depth. Play in minutes. Think about it all day. Knock out a full 18-hole round in minutes, or play a few holes during breaks in your day for a quick hit. Progress saves after every swing so you can pick up and put down whenever life gets in the way. Built for golf lovers. Playable by everyone. Realistic shot mechanics with one-handed controls True ball physics — wind, spin, lie, and terrain all affect every shot Course strategy at the center of every decision Clean, minimal visuals that keep the focus on the game Stop swiping. Start swinging. Download SMPL Golf and play your first round in under 10 minutes.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SMPL Golf at none against GL Golf Lite's 3. SMPL Golf also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). GL Golf Lite's advantage is ratings volume (85 vs 4) and review sentiment (61% vs 50%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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
Both are free to download. GL Golf Lite sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. SMPL Golf asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.9 for GL Golf Lite against 4.0 for SMPL Golf. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GL Golf Lite has 85 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 61% of GL Golf Lite's written reviews are positive against 50% of SMPL Golf's.
GL Golf Lite ships an update every 3 months, SMPL Golf every 2 months. Both last shipped on August 26, 2026.
| Parameter | GL Golf Lite | SMPL Golf |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.9 (85 ratings) | 4.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 60.9% of reviews — better | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 85 — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 59 MB | 513 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Nuclear Nova Software | Edward Johnson |
Customer experience
GL Golf Lite
SMPL Golf
Bugs and requests
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
SMPL Golf
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
GL Golf Lite
- Club Upgrades$0.99
- Remove Ads$0.99
- Club Pack$1.99
SMPL Golf
No in-app purchases









