I've seen some general dislike (even hate) for this game, but I don't really know why. It's incredibly impressive for its time, and I'm having a blast playing it.

Here are a couple tips if you're having trouble:

1. Swing speed - The faster your swing speed, the farther the ball will go. It also greatly affects the swing meter's speed. So basically, if you're driving the ball down the fairway then you'll want your swing to be fast, but if you're chipping in then it's much smarter to use a slower, more accurate swing.

2. Distance calculations - The club you use tells you how far it's capable of hitting the ball, and the REST window tells you how far the ball is from the hole. So if your club can hit the ball 300 yards and you're 150 yards from the hole, only charge your swing halfway. Also, if you're a few shots from the green then you can still use your distance from the hole to eyeball how far you need to hit it (i.e. to avoid hazards and nail the fairway).

I'm absolutely hooked on this game. <3

I bought this one on the VC back in 2007 and didn't really care for it. Still a lot better than the first golf game though.

I agree, this Golf game is superb for it's time... Though I am having a hard time even getting Mario to hit the ball .

Will play some more later today though.

I disliked it but I could say that about pretty much any golf game, new or old.

@bonesy: lol, it works like Mario Golf. Press A to start the meter, press A when the meter's at the far left to hit it with 100% power, and press A one more time when the meter is close to the white accuracy line to hit it.

It definitely takes some practice to get the timing down, that's for sure. I had +14 on my first hole, lol. I was getting birdies by the end of the course though. :3

Although after you posted those tips Pixel I am thinking of giving it another try.

Peach seems too excited for Golf if you ask me.

The problem is the "great for its time" part. After playing through Hot Shots, Tiger Woods, and even Toadstool Tour this game is unbearable archaic garbage to me.

So to me this game is only awesome for the free Club Nintendo coins. =P

I don't get the hate. I would of the original Golf as it was lacking some basics to be able to really handle it well, but this game while early uses the more refined model that still is around with a lot of them today with the timing, power meter, right/left of center on the down swing, and the rest. It's a fun game, I just never used it much so I sold the cart which made me really happy to see it as a freebie.

Whaaat. Toadstool Tour is exactly like this, plus fancy 3D graphics and a cheap ball arc path that removes all the fun of making skilled calculations.

Edit: Another tip - You can view the green in the pause menu. This is especially useful if you're chipping onto the green and need to know its slopes.

@ Pixelman
After seeing this topic I decided to give this game a chance.
I was one of the people complaining about it but it's not so bad actually.
At first I couldn't even hit the ball.
The game never really explains it well. I finally got the hang of it though.
They gave us this game for free so I might as well get some use out of it.
It does have a certain retro charm you won't find in more recent Mario golf games.

Random NES Golf Fun Fact - the courses that are in the original NES title "Golf" are the same ones in Wii Sports golf...just in 3D.

Haha yeah, it took me about a dozen tries just to hit the ball. I guess the game expects you to read the instructions manual... lol. Nice to see some people giving it a second chance. It's an awesome game.

@zerk: Hah I didn't know that. That's pretty cool.

@pixelman Oh haha that's the problem I was having then. I only was clicking A once.

@bezerker99 really? that's pretty cool to know

Meh, black box Golf is waay better.

So should I get it? Sounds pretty good.

It's free. Get it anyways.

Only n00bz like Golf

I think there's some confusion on which golf game is the game people don't like.
There's this game, NES Open Gold and just regular Golf.
This game has age okay, where regular Golf sucks pretty bad.

Just a question:

When compared to the GB version of Golf coming soon to the eShop (Sept. 8 by my guess), would it be worth getting it, or should I just stick to this version that I got for free?