One thing worth mentioning is that NGG was initially designed as a "backyard mayhem" type game. It wasn't supposed to be about golf. I believe if only changed to golf when distributors in Asia complained it wouldn't work because large backyards are uncommon there.

I'm not sure when that change was made but it might explain why the game feels light on the golf stuff at times and why there are a lot of unused audio.

I think completing holes have to offer up more value. As you mention, it's one-dimensional as players simply go for the multiball jackpot. It's really the only shot in the game worth going for.

My suggestion would be to increase the scoring for each hole completed. And on top of that, have a bigger gap in scoring between finishing a hole in 6 strokes as opposed to finishing in 2 strokes. I often find myself just putting out whenever I can because it's usually not worth the risk to finish a hole in less strokes. But if scoring was more spread out on each hole, I'd probably go for a few more drives to keep the number of golf shots as low as possible. I think it adds a strategic element to the game where you're deciding on the fly whether to putt out or continue making drives.

Basically I think the golf aspect should be more important. As you said, it's about jackpots. If finishing holes/courses becomes a more important aspect, the game becomes more interesting and plays into the theme a little more. And one minor note on finishing courses. I think it would be great to have a high score/leader for who finished a course in the least amount of strokes. That aspect of the game is not given enough emphasis. Not only is it something related to golf, but it offers up another way to play the game (how few strokes can I finish a course in?).

Just some thoughts. I'll take a look at the wheel this weekend and see if I come up with anything. I loved the post earlier about making the game more confrontational.

I'd also be open to donating funds if it comes to it. This is a great project.