FSX Play is Foresight Sports’ premium simulator software. It is the platform your $7,000 GC3 or $11,000 GCQuad was designed to run. It has hundreds of courses. Every single one is professionally licensed, LIDAR-scanned, and built to a standard that makes GSPro’s community courses look like they were drawn in crayon. For a full review of the hardware, see our Foresight GC3 review and GCQuad review.
But there is a catch.
FSX Play courses cost extra. You get a handful of free courses with your software purchase — typically 5 to 10 depending on your bundle. After that, every course is an individual purchase. A famous course like Pebble Beach or St Andrews will run you $50-80. Less famous courses are $30-50.
If you are used to GSPro’s “$250/year, everything included” model, FSX Play pricing will make you angry. It is the single biggest complaint about this platform. The courses are excellent. You will pay for every single one of them.
Here is how to spend that money wisely.
How FSX Play Course Access Works
FSX Play is backward compatible with FSX 2020 courses. That means the entire Foresight course catalog — stretching back years — is available to you. Foresight has been selling sim courses since before GSPro existed.
You buy courses through the Foresight online store. You get a license key. You activate it in the FSX Play software. The course downloads and appears in your library.
The pricing structure is:
- Tier 1 (Famous/New courses): $60-80 — Pebble Beach, St Andrews, Bethpage Black
- Tier 2 (High-quality courses): $40-60 — Whistling Straits, Pinehurst, Las Vegas CC
- Tier 3 (Standard courses): $20-40 — Smaller clubs, lesser-known courses
FSX Play occasionally runs course bundles. The Pebble Beach 4 Course Bundle is the best value in the entire catalog — four world-class courses (Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, Spanish Bay, and Del Monte) at a discount over buying individually.
Here are the courses worth your money.
The Famous Courses: Worth Every Dollar
Pebble Beach (4 Course Bundle)
This is the no-brainer purchase for FSX Play owners. The Pebble Beach 4 Course Bundle includes:
- Pebble Beach Golf Links — The crown jewel. The ocean holes along the Pacific coast are rendered in LIDAR detail that is frankly stunning. The cliffs on 7 and 8, the approach into 18, the small demanding greens — it is the best sim version of Pebble Beach available on any platform. See our Pebble Beach on GSPro guide and Pebble Beach on E6 Connect guide for the platform comparison. Foresight has the official license, which means this is the real thing, not a community approximation.
- Spyglass Hill — The harder course. Spyglass plays through the Del Monte Forest with tight fairways and challenging approaches. It is longer than Pebble and less famous, but many regulars prefer it.
- Spanish Bay — The links-style course along the coast. It plays firm and fast with dramatic ocean views. The greens are enormous and undulating.
- Del Monte — The oldest continuously operated course west of the Mississippi. Shorter, more forgiving, a nice warm-up round.
At the bundle price, you are paying roughly $20 per course for four of the best courses in the world. That is good value by FSX Play standards.
St Andrews (Old, New, Jubilee, Castle)
FSX Play has four St Andrews courses. The Old Course is the headline. For the full breakdown, see our St Andrews on GSPro guide and St Andrews on E6 Connect guide for how the same course plays across platforms.
St Andrews Old Course — The Home of Golf. FSX Play’s version is a licensed LIDAR build. The double greens, the shared fairways, the Road Hole (17), the Valley of Sin on 18 — it is all there and it is accurate. The wind is programmed correctly, which is essential because St Andrews without wind is a different course.
St Andrews New Course — Despite the name, it is 130 years old. It is a classic links layout that plays along the Eden estuary. Less famous, still excellent.
St Andrews Jubilee Course — The longest of the four. It plays along the coastline and is considered by many the toughest test among the St Andrews public courses.
St Andrews Castle Course — The newest. Cliff-top holes, dramatic views, and greens that are absurdly difficult. It is controversial among purists but undeniably spectacular.
If you can only buy one, buy the Old Course. If you have the budget, the St Andrews bundle (when available) is worth it.
Bethpage Black
Bethpage Black on FSX Play is a beast. The LIDAR data captures every elevation change, every bunker, every fairway contour. The famous warning sign on the first tee is there. The rough is punishing. The greens are fast. Compare with our Bethpage Black on GSPro guide and Bethpage Black on E6 Connect guide.
This is a course that punishes bad decisions. The fairways are narrow. The rough is deep. The approaches are long. If you play Bethpage Black from the back tees with firm conditions, it will be the hardest round of sim golf you play all year.
The best part? The elevation changes translate perfectly to FSX Play’s physics engine. You will hit a drive that feels perfect and watch it roll out 15 yards less than expected because you were hitting uphill. That is the real Bethpage experience.
Whistling Straits (The Straits + The Irish)
Whistling Straits is a Pete Dye masterpiece on Lake Michigan. It has hosted three PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup. On FSX Play, it is stunning. See our Whistling Straits on GSPro guide and Whistling Straits on E6 Connect guide for the cross-platform comparison.
The Straits — The championship course. Thousands of bunkers, dramatic lake views, fescue everywhere, and greens that make no sense until you realize Pete Dye designed them. The LIDAR data captures the rugged terrain perfectly.
The Irish — The companion course. It is shorter, gentler, and more playable. Think of it as the warm-up to the Straits.
If you buy one, buy the Straits. It is the reason Whistling Straits is famous.
Pinehurst (No. 1, No. 5, No. 7)
FSX Play has three Pinehurst courses available. Pinehurst No. 2 is notably absent — it has a licensing arrangement with GSPro that limits where else it appears. For the Pinehurst No. 2 experience, see our Pinehurst No. 2 on GSPro guide and Pinehurst No. 2 on E6 Connect guide.
Pinehurst No. 1 — The original. Shorter, more traditional, a nice walk. Worth playing for the history.
Pinehurst No. 5 — A Ellis Maples design that has been renovated. It is the sleeper pick — many FSX Play owners say it is their favorite of the three available.
Pinehurst No. 7 — The modern championship layout. It is long, demanding, and plays through the North Carolina sandhills. The waste areas and native grasses are punishing.
No. 7 is the best value here if you want a championship test.
Hidden Gems and Sleeper Picks
PGA Frisco - Fields Ranch West
PGA Frisco is the new PGA of America headquarters in Texas. Fields Ranch West is the championship course — a Beau Welling and Tom Weiskopf design that hosted the 2024 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship.
On FSX Play, it is a standout. The course is wide open, the wind is a factor, and the greens are massive. It feels like a modern Texas course — big, bold, and demanding. If you want to play a course that feels like it could host a major, this is worth the purchase.
Pelican Golf Club
Pelican in Florida is a private club that hosted the LPGA’s Pelican Women’s Championship. On FSX Play, it is a gem. The course winds through residential areas and along water. The greens are fast and subtle. It is the kind of course that rewards smart play over power.
Las Vegas Country Club
A classic old-school course on the Las Vegas strip. It has hosted PGA Tour events. It is not flashy — no dramatic desert holes, no stadium atmosphere. Just a solid, well-designed course with good greens and demanding approaches. It is a nice change of pace if you have been playing nothing but resort courses.
The Hills Golf Club
A course that flies under the radar. The Hills is a private club course that plays through rolling terrain with good variety in the holes. It is consistently underrated by FSX Play owners who discover it and wonder why nobody told them about it.
Teton Pines
Teton Pines is a course that looks better in FSX Play than it has any right to. The mountain backdrops, the valley setting, the clean design — it is a visually striking course that plays well. It is at the lower end of the price scale and outperforms its cost.
Spirit Hollow
Spirit Hollow is a course in Iowa that most golfers have never heard of. On FSX Play, it is a community favorite. The course is well-designed, the conditions are firm and fast, and the greens are interesting. For $30-40, it is one of the best values in the FSX Play catalog.
Courses to Approach with Caution
Butterfield Country Club
Butterfield is a perfectly fine course. It is not exceptional. If you live in the Chicago area and want to play your local course in the sim, fine. If you are looking for the best use of $50, look elsewhere.
London Hunt & Country Club
A private course in Canada. It is well made. It is not exciting. Buy it if you have a personal connection to the course. Otherwise, there are better options.
Beaver Hills Country Club, Willow Crest, Tall Pines
These are functional courses that were part of FSX 2020’s early catalog. They show their age. The graphics are not as sharp as the newer LIDAR courses. They work, they play fine, but they do not showcase what FSX Play can do. Start with the courses listed above before going through the back catalog.
The Best Course on Each Tier
If you want to spend wisely on FSX Play courses, here is the cheat sheet.
One course only: Buy the Pebble Beach 4 Course Bundle or, if you only want one, St Andrews Old Course.
Three courses: Pebble Beach bundle, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits (The Straits). That covers oceanside, brute force, and links golf.
Five courses: Add Pinehurst No. 7 and PGA Frisco Fields Ranch West. Now you have variety.
Ten courses: Fill in with Pelican, Las Vegas CC, Spirit Hollow, Teton Pines, and The Hills. These are the sleeper picks that give you the most play per dollar.
How FSX Play Courses Compare to GSPro
This is the question everyone asks. Here is the honest answer.
FSX Play courses look better than GSPro courses. The LIDAR data is higher resolution. The textures are sharper. The lighting is more realistic. If you are projecting onto a 10-foot screen with a 4K projector, FSX Play courses look noticeably better. For a full comparison of the two platforms, see our GSPro vs E6 vs FSX comparison.
FSX Play courses cost more. GSPro includes 4,000 courses for $250/year. FSX Play charges $50-80 per famous course. If you want to build a library of 20 courses on FSX Play, you are spending $800-1,200 on top of the software cost. That is a lot.
FSX Play courses are more consistent. GSPro has amazing courses and terrible courses. FSX Play is all good. No community garbage. No floating trees. Every course meets a professional standard.
The choice comes down to budget and priorities. If you want the best possible visual experience and have the budget, FSX Play courses are the best-looking sim courses available. If you want maximum quantity and don’t mind sorting through duds, GSPro is the better value.
Read the best golf simulator software guide for the complete platform breakdown, or see how it stacks up in the FSX Play vs E6 vs GSPro comparison.
FSX Play courses are sold individually. Prices range from $30-80 per course. The Pebble Beach 4 Course Bundle is the best value in the catalog. We may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page. No sponsored placements.