Just to add, as frustrating as it is, I keep coming back to NTM for more. Got two trophies now. So it's a decent game in that respect, even if the physics from a 'real' golfers point of view is a car crash.
By the way, have you checked out Warzard (not a Neo game)? If you like games with upgrades and badges and that motivates you, it may be up your alley. It does that different than most arcade games.
Whether or not upgrades and badges are explicitly awarded and taught ("You obtained: X", "It does Y"), they exist across genres and platforms. Some games choose to give you these upgrades over time, while others choose to let you learn about them through discovery. Perhaps you have a preference for how they're presented in one medium compared to (not) in another.
To the "arcade game" style's credit, it appears to do a better job of blending the narrative and the action. Instead of obtaining a skill that cuts 3 frames and combos into a move, I've had it all along. I can then say it was I who changed as time goes on, not the character on the screen, and not merely aesthetically. The Street Fighter cab you had was probably a lot better at creating a cohesive narrative experience (becoming a great fighter, and traveling the world to find someone worthy to challenge you. . . in an arcade) than a lot of role playing games not just of that time, but through today.
If the developer decides not to feed you with carrots, then hopefully they've created AI and Level Design that progresses appropriately so you feel like it's you that actually leveled up, and not just obtained a key to unlock the next area.
To your earlier observation, don't get too hung up on the 50% power reduction in the rough, as a real golfer. If you're a real person whose had real conversations, do you feel the same when dialogue doesn't change appropriately in an RPG whether you have 1% or 100% HP? Perhaps if it's enjoyable, run with it. Changing the punishment may be better for the simulation, but not the game. Car crashes may not be fun in real life, but as a game, well, to each their own.