Parallels
Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
Difficulty: MediumCost: $99/year + Windows licenseGood
CrossOver
How to play SimGolf on Mac
· 1970
Plays smoothly through CrossOver on Apple Silicon.
Overall rating: Not enough votes yet
Your setup
Detect your Mac to see whether SimGolf will run.
Plays smoothly through CrossOver on Apple Silicon.
How to run SimGolf on your Mac in 2026
Best path: Parallels
Runs in a full Windows 11 ARM virtual machine — the universal fallback for Windows games. Demanding 3D titles may need lower settings.
- Heads up on Parallels: Requires a Parallels licence and a Windows 11 ARM install
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ParallelsPick | Excellent | Medium | $99/yr | Get it ↗ |
| CrossOver | Good | Medium | $74 / $39/yr | Get it ↗ |
| Whisky | Playable | Medium | Free | Get it ↗ |
| Game Porting Toolkit | Good | Advanced | Free | Get it ↗ |
| VMware Fusion | Playable | Medium | Free | Get it ↗ |
SimGolf
SimGolf is one of the most talked-about games of recent years.
This classic title runs smoothly on modern Macs through Windows compatibility layers like CrossOver and Whisky.
What the world thinks
Performance
What each M-series Mac can realistically handle. Tap any chip to report your experience.
M1 chip
High
~60 fps
M2 chip
Ultra
~60 fps
M3 chip
Ultra
~120 fps
M4 chip
Ultra
~120 fps
M5 chip
Ultra
~120 fps
Best way to play it on Mac
This classic title runs smoothly on modern Macs through Windows compatibility layers like CrossOver and Whisky.
See if this is the right method for your setup
Ways to play SimGolf on Mac
Here are all the options available, ranked by what we recommend first.
CrossOver
One-click local install, official support.
Difficulty: MediumCost: $74 one-time / $39/yearGood
Whisky
Free option built on Game Porting Toolkit.
Difficulty: MediumCost: FreePlayable
Game Porting Toolkit
Highest local FPS for tinkerers.
Difficulty: AdvancedCost: FreeGood
VMware Fusion
Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
Difficulty: MediumCost: Free (personal)Playable
Compare methods at a glance
Lower = betterHow each supported method stacks up on setup effort, time and runtime overhead.
Method
Setup Difficulty
Time Investment
Performance Overhead
- ParallelsVMTop pickSetupModerateTime30 minOverheadHigh
- CrossOverTranslationSetupModerateTime15 minOverheadMedium
- WhiskyTranslationSetupModerateTime15 minOverheadMedium
- Game Porting ToolkitTranslationSetupComplexTime30 minOverheadMedium
- VMware FusionVMSetupComplexTime30 minOverheadHigh
Where to buy SimGolf
Checking which partner stores stock this game…
Platform-by-platform reliability
Loading per-platform notes…
Step-by-step setup guides
Idiot-proof walkthroughs for every method.
How to run SimGolf on Mac with Parallels
Good· CompatibilityUsing Parallels to play SimGolf means running a full copy of Windows 11 ARM inside macOS. This is the most "it just works" approach for games that don't behave under CrossOver, and DirectX 11 is hardware-accelerated. You'll need a Windows license and roughly 80 GB of disk space.
Step-by-step
- Buy / start a trial of Parallels Desktop.
- Install Windows 11 ARM via the one-click wizard.
- Inside Windows, install Steam / Xbox app and SimGolf.
- Enable DirectX 11 in Parallels settings for best 3D performance.
Video proof
Try Parallels Desktop free ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
How to run SimGolf on Mac with CrossOver
Good· CompatibilityRunning SimGolf through CrossOver translates its Windows DirectX calls into Metal on Apple Silicon — no reboot, no Windows license, no virtual machine. Most setup time is spent on first-time bottle configuration and installing the game launcher (Steam, Epic, etc.) inside CrossOver. Once that's done, launching feels close to native. Expect 15–30 minutes of setup on the first run.
Step-by-step
Step 1 — Create a bottle
- Open CrossOver → click New Bottle
- Name it after the game (e.g.
SimGolf) and choose Windows 10 64-bit - Open the bottle's Settings and set:
- Graphics: D3DMetal (not DXVK)
- Synchronization: ESync
- High Resolution Mode: Off
Step 2 — Install the game launcher
- Inside CrossOver, click Install Application → search for Steam (or Epic Games Launcher if you own it there)
- Install it into the same bottle you just created
- Launch Steam, log in, and let it fully update before proceeding
Step 3 — Install and launch SimGolf
- Open Steam (or your launcher) inside CrossOver
- Install SimGolf through the launcher as normal
- Launch the game — use the launcher's Play button, not CrossOver directly
- First launch may take 30–90 seconds to show a window. Don't force-quit unless it hangs for several minutes.
Step 4 — If you hit issues
- Black screen / stuck in small window: go to Settings → Graphics in-game, set Screen Type to Fullscreen, then restart
- Resolution resets on every launch: find the game's config/settings file and set the resolution values manually, then mark the file Read-Only to prevent the game overwriting it
- Crashes on startup: try switching the bottle's Synchronization from ESync to MSync, or vice versa
Video proof
Try CrossOver free for 14 days ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
How to run SimGolf on Mac with Whisky
Playable· CompatibilityRunning SimGolf through Whisky translates the game's Windows DirectX calls into Metal on the fly. Performance is impressively close to a native Windows PC on Apple Silicon, and you stay entirely inside macOS — no VM, no rebooting. Expect to spend 10–20 minutes on first-time setup.
Step-by-step
Video proof
Download Whisky (free) ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
How to run SimGolf on Mac with Game Porting Toolkit
Good· CompatibilityRunning SimGolf through Game Porting Toolkit translates the game's Windows DirectX calls into Metal on the fly. Performance is impressively close to a native Windows PC on Apple Silicon, and you stay entirely inside macOS — no VM, no rebooting. Expect to spend 10–20 minutes on first-time setup.
Step-by-step
- Install Homebrew:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)". brew tap apple/apple http://github.com/apple/homebrew-applethenbrew install game-porting-toolkit.- Create a Wine prefix and install Steam inside it.
- Install SimGolf through Steam and launch via
gameportingtoolkit.
Video proof
Get Game Porting Toolkit ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
How to run SimGolf on Mac with VMware Fusion
Playable· CompatibilityUsing VMware Fusion to play SimGolf means running a full copy of Windows 11 ARM inside macOS. This is the most "it just works" approach for games that don't behave under CrossOver, and DirectX 11 is hardware-accelerated. You'll need a Windows license and roughly 80 GB of disk space.
Step-by-step
- Download VMware Fusion (free for personal use).
- Install Windows 11 ARM.
- Install your launcher and SimGolf inside the VM. 3D performance is lower than Parallels.
Video proof
Get VMware Fusion ↗Affiliate link — supports the site at no extra cost.
Our recommendation
For most Mac players we recommend Parallels as the fastest, smoothest way to play SimGolf. Full Windows 11 ARM inside macOS.
| Method | Quality | Difficulty | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| ParallelsPick | Excellent | Medium | $99/year + Windows license |
| CrossOver | Good | Medium | $74 one-time / $39/year |
| Whisky | Playable | Medium | Free |
| Game Porting Toolkit | Good | Advanced | Free |
| VMware Fusion | Playable | Medium | Free (personal) |
Comments
Share what worked for you running SimGolf on Mac.
Loading comments…