Elite Clubs are coming to PGA Tour Golf Shootout in v5.0.0, along with Level 10!

When a card is upgraded beyond Level 12, it becomes an Elite Club, gaining a special new art treatment and enhanced stats and abilities. The number in the upper right also becomes a star, indicating the club's special status.

First, some quick info:

• Elite Clubs will not be available immediately in the v5.0.0 release. Keep an eye out for them to go live for all players simultaneously shortly after release.
• At launch, Ten Clubs will be eligible to upgrade to Elite.
• This set will increase over time, with new Elite Clubs available in each release.
• As new Elite Clubs are added, their stats will be available on the Public Club Stats Sheet.
• Players do not have to be Level 10 to upgrade clubs to Elite — in fact, they're a great source of experience!

To upgrade a club to Elite, just do what you've done for any other card upgrade: tap the club in the Inventory screen and press Upgrade. Each upgrade costs 200,000 Silver and club copies based on the rarity of the club.

Elite Clubs and Level 10: Goals and Extra Info

We can't wait to release Level 10 and get Elite Clubs into your hands. In the meantime, here are some goals for the v5.0.0 release, as well as some notes on what to expect.

Goal 1: Recognize The Achievements of our Top Players

Players in Golf Shootout have done amazing things. Over the last year, we've seen clubhouses rally for Clubhouse Clash and players set new records for FedExCup and Tournament performance. We've even seen players reach the fabled end of Level 9.

We think that deserves some recognition. Level 10 offers not only an exclusive pack and achievement, but also an exclusive avatar, as well as an exclusive background.

By the way, earned avatar backgrounds can now be applied to any avatar you own. If you're in the top 1,000 FedExCup players and Level 10, you can apply either your rank background or your Level 10 background to any avatar — or use that avatar's original background.

Goal 2: Expand Late Game Progression

We've heard an enormous amount of feedback around the state of late-game Golf Shootout. Currently, if you've got a max-sized clubhouse, have hit Level 9, and have gotten the clubs you care about maxed out, there's not a whole lot left to achieve. You can set your own goals for FedExCup, Tournaments, or Clubhouse Clash, but the game itself stops rewarding progression.

With this update, we're adding a whole lot more to reach for.

Goal 3: Deepen the Pool of Playable Cards

While we will continue to make occasional balance updates, Elite clubs give us a special opportunity to allow older, lesser-used clubs to regain a competitive edge.

Broadly, clubs that see the least high-level competitive use at Level 9 will receive the biggest bonuses upon reaching Elite level. As we roll out Elite clubs, look for the following trends:

• Clubs that are already competitive — like Windstrike and Maelstrom — will receive small bonuses.
• Clubs that see fringe competitive use — like Steadfast and Hot Streak — will receive moderate bonuses.
• Clubs that see no competitive use — like Rook and Jetstream — will receive large bonuses.

Our data shows that nearly all of Tour's 88 clubs see healthy Versus or Tournament play at some level range. This is our opportunity to give those clubs that fall off the hardest a push back up.

That said, don't expect the game to turn inside-out. Good clubs will stay good. However, participating in Bag Rule tournaments (which restrict which clubs can be used) may get a lot more interesting with loads of new options.

Goal 4: Prepare Players for Upcoming Challenges

While Elite Clubs will be helpful in all game modes, we're particularly interested in the role they'll play in the future of Golf Shootout.

Later this summer, we'll be testing a course condition that adds a brand new twist to the game's challenges. We think you'll want to be prepared, because there's a whole lot of golf left to play.