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Mario Golf: World Tour is just two weeks away, and Nintendo has confirmed some additional details to tempt us onto the course. The main news for those of you in North America is that a demo will be released in the region next week on 24th April — it'll be available on 17th April in Europe.

Nintendo has also issued a press release outlining a "robust" range of online tournaments that'll keep keen golfers busy. Available through the Castle Club or standard Mario Golf mode, regular regional and worldwide tournaments will take place in which you compete by setting your score prior to a deadline; it'll be possible to check your standings as they progress through online leaderboards. Gamers will be notified through SpotPass as these tournaments are scheduled, and they'll range from full course rounds to shorter challenges.

Winners will receive in-game coins for items, while Nintendo has also confirmed an official partnership with golf brand Callaway. The golf equipment manufacturer will host its own tournaments from 22nd May onwards, and all that take part will receive branded gear that they can equip with their Mii characters. Beyond these official tournaments, it's been outlined that we can all set up our own public or private community tournaments, in which conditions and requirements will be heavily customisable; examples given include everyone using the same character, or wind being reduced on tricky courses.

We reckoned this could be one of the year's most compulsive games in our Mario Golf: World Tour preview, and these online options certainly won't do it any harm. It'll be worth watching the official website when the game launches to see the tournament lineup, too. Are you looking forward to hitting the course with Mario and chums?