“The Golf Club” Teams Up With Former World Number One Ranked Golfer Greg Norman

HB Studios and Greg Norman Re-imagine Golf Course Design

(Nova Scotia, CAN) July 15th, 2014 -- Canadian video game developer, HB Studios, announced a significant endorsement today by Greg Norman Golf Course Design for The Golf Club’s course designer program. This endorsement clearly demonstrates the capability and flexibility of this particular feature in the software. The Golf Club is currently the only game on the market today with this sophisticated of a course design feature, which makes sense why legendary golfer Greg Norman would put his name and brand behind such an endeavor. Norman is known to partner with cutting-edge companies who have the reputation of providing a unique proficiency in an area of business he feels is a good-fit for his company.

Greg Norman Golf Course Design, one of the world’s leading golf course design companies, will apply the extensive features of The Golf Club’s course designer software for some of their real-world golf course design projects and developments. With the ability to instantly deliver virtual draft plans to their clients, Greg Norman and his team will be able to fluidly and almost immediately make modifications throughout the design process while also providing the opportunity to their clients to virtually play each course from the very start of the design process. Through their extensive and intimate knowledge of the industry, the Greg Norman Golf Course Design team will also work closely with HB Studios to contribute invaluable information on how to expand upon the game’s current platform.

“We couldn’t be happier to partner with Greg Norman and his golf course design company,” said Jeremy Wellard, President of HB Studios. “The Greg Norman Course Designer in our game will not only let our players create the golf courses of their wildest dreams and imaginations, but it will now allow Greg Norman and his team to demonstrate their design concepts to their clients, bringing an unparalleled level of access and ability to customize the course to their specificity. This partnership truly shows the power of The Golf Club’s course design feature and we look forward to working closely with the team at Greg Norman Golf Course Design over the coming years.”

”We are excited about our new partnership with HB Studios which will allow my design company to visualize our golf courses before any dirt has been moved onsite,” said Greg Norman. “This new software tool will allow our design clients to play the golf holes on a computer while the project is still in the design phase and construction has yet to start which will provide a significant cost savings as well as a sales and marketing advantage to our clients.”

The Golf Club is a fully featured golfing experience where users can play against friends’ and rivals’ best rounds in turn-based/asynchronous competition modes enhanced by cloud-based technology. The game supports Tours & Tournaments, stroke play, match play, and 4-ball.

The Golf Club’s course designer allows players to build an unlimited number of golf courses, which can then be shared and played with friends online. New courses can be generated in a matter of seconds by selecting a theme, terrain features, number of holes and difficulty. Players can then enjoy a full suite of editing tools from changing the time of day to placing hazards and objects to create the ultimate golf challenge. Players can also discover new courses built by friends and the community by filtering through rank and difficulty, as well as interact with new members of The Golf Club through the Message Center.

The game is due for worldwide release on Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One and PC Windows platforms during Summer 2014.

For Steam Early Access visit the store on Steam at: http://store.steampowered.com/app/269730

Early Access of The Golf Club comes complete with three modes: stroke play, match play and 4-ball, no loading times between holes, and the course designer feature.

For more information on HB studios and a full feature list for The Golf Club at final release, please visit www.thegolfclubgame.com.

Follow The Golf Club on twitter @thegolfclubgame.

About HB Studios
Founded in 2000 and headquartered in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, Canada, HB Studios is an electronic entertainment software company that specializes in creating console, mobile, handheld and PC games. To date, HB has shipped 43 titles, selling over 23 million units, and contributed to 20 others.

More information about HB Studios and its products can be found on the company’s website, www.hb-studios.com.

About Greg Norman Golf Course Design
Established in 1987, Greg Norman Golf Course Design is considered one of the top three global golf course design companies in the world. With over 80 courses opened worldwide and an additional 40 under contract, Greg Norman Golf Course Design has become a leader in environmental stewardship, promoting the compatibility of golf courses with the environment and adapting a unique design philosophy that establishes individual character with an emphasis on aesthetics and playability. www.gngcd.com

About Greg Norman
One of the world’s best‐known professional golfers, Greg Norman, has transcended the game to become arguably the most successful athlete‐turned‐global entrepreneur in history. A phenomenal golfer, Norman dominated in the 80’s and 90’s holding the #1 world ranking for 331 weeks. Norman has 91 international wins to his name, including two British Open Championships. In recognition of his accomplishments on and off the golf course, Norman was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2001. In addition to Golf Course Design, Norman has many business ventures that extend the Greg Norman brand globally. He serves as Chairman and CEO of Great White Shark Enterprises, a multinational corporation that comprises several companies and divisions including Greg Norman Wine Estates, Greg Norman Australian Prime, Greg Norman Production Company, Greg Norman's Australian Grille, Greg Norman Interactive as well as many other merchandising and licensing initiatives.  www.shark.com