"Tidy Park" from Golf Story on the Nintendo Switch (2017)
Album: Golf Story OST
Composer: Joel Steudler
Label: Bandcamp
Publisher: Sidebar Games
Developer: Sidebar Games
I think because I spent a lot of time in Tidy Park and that the course layout was one of my favorites, it is probably no surprise that I fell in love with the music for this area as well.
What you should know going into this song, if you have not yet played the video above, is that this track represents a medley of the three tracks that you hear in Tidy Park as you engage in match plays with Jerome, Dusty, et al. The first part of this track (0:00 - 0:37) uses the harpsichord, reminiscent of the music that plays when you are in the ballroom for the dinner/mystery event as well as some bagpipes to close out the song (bagpipes!!). The second part (0:39 - 1:51) is one of the three(?) times in the soundtrack that Joel Steudler utilizes bagpipes. I could hypothesize that bagpipes = Scotland = Golf, but they are used in a way that seems to acknowledge how great bagpipes can sound when utilized well and not as the butt of a joke. Most of the bagpipe music here seems pretty accurate except for the beginning and a few moments towards the end where the chanter cuts out (but that's just me being anal about bagpipes because bagpipes cannot stop their tone unless you stop playing entirely), but I do appreciate that there were grace notes thrown in to give it that more of an authentic bagpipe feel (for more Joel Steudler bagpipes, his music from Kingdom Wars II: Battles uses them quite a lot). The final section (1:51 - 3:01) features the piano with backing harpsichord and switching off with the flute and harp (yes?) carrying the melody. This final melody is the most laid back of the three, maybe being performed by Dorris who is sitting at the piano in the clubhouse ballroom relaxing with an afternoon tea (that's really just a glass of scotch), but don't tell Dusty because he's already talked to her about drinking before noon.
The music of Tidy Park is just really calming and is nothing outlandish (think "Blue Moon Dunes"), which is a perfect pairing for how the Tidy Park course plays, with the primary hazard being puddles and the vintage irons not having the same oompf as your Pro Woods Driver. Perfect for when you are playing golf with a bunch of curmudgeonly old fellas* who constantly make side remarks about how good the ol' days used to be then hit the ball 15ft off the tee into deep rough and expect you to make par.
~JWfW/JDub/Cooking Crack/Jaconian
P.S. I legitimately was humming/whistling this music over the last weekend when I was out playing golf with my Dad. Had I thought ahead and downloaded the music ahead of time, this album could have been our soundtrack; except my Dad's not a fan of video game music and we probably would have ended up listening to Jackson Browne or the Allman Brothers if the option was out there.
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