The game features Jack Nicklaus' favorite 18 golf holes, all put together in a single course,[3][4][5] which includes holes from Augusta National Golf Club, Muirfield, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, and Old Course at St Andrews.[6][4] Two courses designed by Nicklaus are also featured in the game: Castle Pines (Colorado) and Desert Mountain (Arizona).[3][6][7] Additionally, the Game Boy version includes Muirfield Village as a course.[8] Several add-on disks were released for the computer versions to add additional courses.[9]
The game features two game modes: Stroke Play and Skins.[6][3][4][10] A multiplayer option allows for a maximum total of four players being able to play.[3][4][10] The player can also compete against a selection of eight different CPU players that includes Jack Nicklaus.[3][4][5] An image of Nicklaus also appears in between holes as he gives tips to the player.[7][11][12]
Jack Nicklaus' Turbo Golf, for the TurboGrafx-16, differs from the other versions. In CD-ROM format, the game has five courses, including Castle Pines. The other courses were previously featured in the game's early add-on disks: The Australian Golf Club, Royal Troon Golf Club, Kemper Lakes Golf Club, and St. Creek Golf Club. The CD-ROM version allows the player to take a 360-degree look around any of the courses, and Nicklaus appears in between courses to give advice about each hole.[13][14] The HuCard cartridge version of Jack Nicklaus' Turbo Golf includes only one course, The Australian Golf Club, and includes eight golfer rivals, as well as Jack Nicklaus.
