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Nintendo Switch Sports
How to Play Golf: Tips and Controls
Nintendo Switch Sports is available worldwide as of April 29, 2022!
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Golf is a one to eight player sport in Nintendo Switch Sports in which players must sink the ball into the hole in the least amount of moves. Read on to learn Golf's controls and mechanics, including how to do a backspin and more tips on how to win!
List of Contents
How to Play Switch Sports Golf
Golf General Information
| Golf Overview | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Difficulty | ★★★★ |
| Objective | Win matches by hitting the ball into the hole with the least amount of moves/strokes |
| Number of Players | Local Multiplayer: 1-4 (1v1 to 1v3)
Online Multiplayer: 1-4 (1v1 to 1v3) Random Matchmaking: 8 (1v7) |
All Golf Bonus Multipliers
| Bonus | Points/Multiplier | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Ranking Bonus | x2 or x1.6 or x1.5 | Finish the match in First (x2), Second (x1.6) or Third (x1.5) Place. |
| Direct Hit on the Flag | x1.1 | Hit the Flag at Least One Time During the Match. |
| Nice Shot Bonus | x1.1 | Perform a Nice Shot at Least Once During the Match. |
| Nice Approach Bonuses | x1.1 | Perform a Nice Approach at Least Once During the Match. |
| Under Par Bonus | x1.1 | Score Under Par in at Least One Hole. |
You can earn point bonuses after online golf matches depending on your performance during the game. Avoid out of bounds, roughs and bunker areas as much as you can and plan out your strokes beforehand!
Switch Sports Golf Modes
| Jump to a Section | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Resort | Classic | Special | Random |
| 18 Holes | Individual Match | Team Match | Survival Golf |
Resort
Players can select varying degrees of difficulty (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced). Courses here have a tropical feel and have a lot of split Fairways.
Classic
Players here, same as Resort, can choose between different difficulties (Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced). These courses offer more unique shaped paths and obstacles.
Special
The Special Mode offers players more challenging features such as higher windspeeds, more uneven terrain and less linear paths.
Random
As the name states, random puts you up against a different combination of courses each time.
18 Holes
Test your endurance and knowledge of all types of courses by choosing 18 holes.
Individual Match
These types of matches pit you against 3 to 4 other players. Scores will be displayed after each hole with the lowest total score ultimately winning. Players can use one joy con for all four players (taking turns) but also have the option to have their own controllers.
Team Match
Similar to Individual Matches, Team matches can make use of one joycon for all four players. However, this will involve teams of 2 vs 1 or 2 vs 2. Players will each make a stroke for their team, with a team's score counting until they are able to sink their ball into the hole.
Survival Golf
In this mode it's 1 vs 7 with 3 major rounds and 2 holes for the first 2 major rounds. The scores (par, bogey, etc.) will be assigned points (the lower the score the higher the points). The first 2 major rounds will have 2 holes (1 hole for each sub round). For round 1 the Top 5 out of 8 will advance and for the semifinals (round 2) the Top 3 out of 5 will advance.
If the last slot has multiple players with the same score, they will both advance to the next round. The last major round will only have one hole and the player with the highest points wins.
Modes Per Number of Players
| Number of Players | Number of Holes | Game Modes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 4 | 3 | • Resort • Classic • Special • Random |
| 9 | • Resort • Classic • Random |
|
| 18 | • 18 Holes •Individual Match (3 - 4 Players) •Team Match (3 Players: 1 vs 2; 4 Players: 2 vs 2) |
|
| 8 | 5 | • Survival Golf |
Note that local play with two or more players need to play in TV Mode.
Switch Sports Golf Areas
| Area | Description |
|---|---|
| Green |  The green is the area directly around the hole where players use the putter to sink the ball. The grass is shorter here but the terrain may still have differences in elevation. |
| Fairway |  The fairway is the "ideal" path that leads to the hole from the teeing area (starting point). The terrain here is smoother providing a manageable surface to gauge the ball's trajectory after swinging. |
| Rough |  This is the grassy area located outside of the fairway. The taller grass here provides more resistance to the ball and thus shorter possible distances when swinging. |
| Bunker |  Bunkers are sandy areas that make it difficult to hit farther distances. The sand absorbs the power of the swing. |
| Fringe |  This is the perimeter around the green. Its grass is smoother than the fairway but still not as short as the grass on the green. |
| Penalty Area |  Penalty areas, for example water, will add a stroke to the total of your score for that hole. Players are able to continue their turn on a nearby area before their ball fell in the water, most of the time on a rough. |
| OB/Out of Bounds |  Landing in these areas will add a stroke to the total of your score for that hole. However, unlike Penalty Areas, players get to start from the ball's initial position before landing in the OB. |
Switch Sports Golf Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Stroke | The stroke is considered an attempted swing to move the ball over a distance. |
| Par | The par is the predicted amount of strokes a player needs to get the ball in the hole. A par's score will always be 0 but the strokes equivalent to par change per course. |
| Birdie | A birdie is considered one less stroke from par with an eagle and albatross being 2 and 3 less strokes from par respectively. |
| Bogey | A bogey is considered one stroke above par with Double and Triple Bogeys being 2 and 3 more strokes from par respectively |
Switch Sports Golf Clubs
| Golf Club | Description and Uses |
|---|---|
Driver |
The driver is the usual club to start with when teeing as it can cover the most distance. However, players will have less control of where the ball lands due to its longer airtime. |
Spoon |
The spoon has the second highest range of shots after the driver. Compared to the driver it has more control and can be used for longer distances with more curved paths. |
3-Iron |
Iron clubs are used for mid-range shots. 3-Iron is has the highest range among them. |
5-Iron |
Iron clubs are used for mid-range shots. 5-Iron is has the second highest range among them. |
7-Iron |
Iron clubs are used for mid-range shots. 7-Iron is has the second shortest range. |
9-Iron |
Iron clubs are used for mid-range shots. 9-Iron has the shortest range. |
Wedge |
This club has the second smallest distance of coverage but is very useful when getting the ball out of obstacles and rough terrain. |
Putter |
This is the club used when the ball is in the green. Highly sensitive and does not display its power on the bar. Make sure to do practice swings beforehand. |
Tips for Switch Sports Golf
| Tips |
|---|
Practice Your Swings Especially for Putting
Putting is extremely sensitive and even though your shot may be up close, the ball can miss depending on the power and direction. It is highly recommended to practice swing multiple times to adjust the power of your swing until you get it consistently.
Use the Guidepoints to Predict Where the Ball Lands
The video above shows that the ball landed where the third white dot is located on the map. Following the dots are extremely helpful to calculate your bounces and landing points. Note that if you do not perform a backspin the ball will bounce past where the meter indicates so you have to be aware of obstacles nearby.
Use Wedges to Get Out of Obstacles
Wedges help the ball get some height to get out of areas like roughs and bunkers. Use it when the fairway or green is nearby to get back on more manageable terrain.
Bend Your Knees and Lock Your Wrists
Accidentally curving your shots can get you into roughs, bunkers or out of bound areas. It is recommended to bend your knees and lock your wrists in order to better align the controller and control its power. Having your wrists being too loose or will make it difficult to know how much power is in the swing.
Always Look at Elevations and Wind
The video above shows the terrain slanting down to the left. On top of this, there is some wind pointing against the shot. If the shot were only directed straight to the hole, the ball would curve down to the lower terrain, so always look at the elevations and wind. To compensate for it in the video, the shot was aimed to the right to curve the ball's path into the hole.
Adjust when Shooting Downhill and Uphill
Although the map is an important tool, the shot path can be deceiving especially when shooting down or uphill. In the video above, path ahead is lower (downhill) and so the shot went farther. Make sure to adjust your power when encountering downhill (less power) vs uphill (more power) terrain.
Do Not Risk Shortcuts, Avoid Shooting through Leaves
Although shortcuts in some cases improve your score, they can also leave you in the rough like in the video above. Do not risk taking them when there are too many trees as the leaves can stop the ball's momentum. In the video above, it would've been better to follow the fairway.
How to Do Backspins and Follow Throughs
Another added layer to how far the ball travels is the backspin and follow through. Follow throughs are what were initially taught in the tutorial where the swing continues its arc. Use the follow through when you want to cover farther distances.
However, make a backspin when you're nearer the hole and want your ball to bounce less. To do a backspin stop the swing near the direct vertical point below you (where you recentered your shot). The ball should show white lines around it when it lands to indicate the backspin. There are many strengths of backspins depending on where you stop the swing.
Change the Camera Perspective
When putting on the green, it cannot be easy to see the small hills and changes in elevation. You can change the camera perspective to be lower by pressing the joystick button.
Switch Sports Golf Controls and Features
| Actions | How to Execute |
|---|---|
| Swinging and the Shot Power Meter | Dependent on the Backswing The power of the swing, reflected in the meter, depends on how far they raise their backswing. For putting, the backswing should significantly be lower as the power will be more sensitive. |
| Practice Shots | Do not hold ZR or ZL Players can gauge the power of their swings by practicing their shots. As long as you do not hold ZR or ZL the club will not make contact with the golf ball. |
| Lining Up for Your Shots | Hold down ZR or ZL To execute a shot, players must hold down the ZR or ZL button while swinging. |
| Recentering the Shot Meter | Press X or ▲ while pointing the Joycon down Press X or ▲ while pointing the controller down to recenter your stance. Where you point the controller resets to detect it as a backswing power of 0. Recentering also helps with avoiding inadvertently curving the shot. |
| Checking the Terrain | Press B or ▼ Pressing either of these buttons will show the terrain's high and low points with the darker colored areas being lower and the lighter areas being higher. This only shows the terrain of The Green and does not show areas along the fairway. |
| Changing the Direction of the Shot | Move the joystick left or right Move the Joystick to point your shot in different directions. This is especially helpful when dealing with sharper curves or possible shortcuts. |
| Changing the Camera Perspective | Press the Joystick button Press the Joystick button once to show a camera angle closer to the ground. This can only be done in the green and is helpful in showing the small hills and valleys when putting. |
| Wind Meter |  The wind meter shows the direction and speed of the wind in the top right. If you change the direction of your shot the arrow will also move to show where it's coming from. Wind speeds of 15 and above are ones that should significantly change the trajectory of your shots. |
| Applying a Backspin | Abruptly stop the swing near where you recentered Backspins help stop the ball stop from bouncing too much when landing. The ball will show white lines around it after it hits the ground to indicate the backspin. To perform a backspin, abruptly stop the swing near where your arm is pointing directly towards the ground. You can also change the amount of backspin by playing around with where you stop your arm. Only iron clubs, spoons and wedges are able to execute the backspin. |
Switch Sports Related Guides
All Guide Categories
| Site Map | ||
|---|---|---|
 News & Game Info |
 Patch Notes |
 Message Boards |
 Tips and Tricks |
 Items |
 Titles |
 Collections |
- | - |
| List of Sports | ||
 Badminton |
 Bowling |
 Chambara |
 Golf |
 Soccer |
 Tennis |
 Volleyball |
 Basketball |
- |
Author
How to Play Golf: Tips and Controls
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Hi, do you have any updates with golf tutorial? Thank you.