**************************** * Mario Golf: Advance Tour * * FAQ/Walkthrough 1.57 * * Little Man * * erichof425@hotmail.com * * Copyright 2004 * **************************** Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Version History 3.0 Character Information 3.1 Unlocking Characters 3.2 Mario Characters 3.3 Club Characters 4.0 Items 4.1 Descriptions 4.2 Locations 4.3 Clubs 5.0 Tips and Techniques 5.1 The Basics 5.2 Beginner Techniques 5.3 Advanced Techniques 5.4 The Four Shots 6.0 Story Mode 6.1 Marion Club 6.2 Palms Club 6.3 Dunes Club 6.4 Links Club 6.5 Mushroom Course 6.6 Side Games 6.7 Earning Experience 7.0 Quick Game 7.1 Star Tournament 7.2 Stroke Play 7.3 Character Match 7.4 Doubles 7.5 Speed Golf 7.6 Club Slots 7.7 Go-Go Gates 7.8 Near-Pin 7.9 Training 8.0 Course Descriptions 8.1 Unlocking Courses 8.2 Marion Course 8.3 Palms Course 8.4 Dunes Course 8.5 Links Course 8.6 Mushroom Course 8.7 Elf's Short Course 9.0 Connecting with Toadstool Tour 10.0 Credits 11.0 Legal/Contact Info 12.0 Conclusion To find any section quickly, simply press Ctrl+F and type in the number of the section. Then click "Find Next" until you reach the section. I will refer to any draw or fade as that of a right-handed golfer. This means that fade will curve left to right, while draw will curve right to left. Lefties are reversed. ----Warning!---------------------------------------------------------------- | This FAQ may contain spoilers. I tried not to deal with the storyline too | | much, but this is your only warning. Do not email me saying that I ruined | | your experience with the game. The story isn't all that great anyway... | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1.0 **************** * Introduction * **************** Mario Golf: Advance Tour is a very unique game that actually blends golf simulation with RPG experience points and leveling-up. Although this game is getting quite a bit of hype for this feature, it was pioneered in Mario Golf for GameBoy Color. Anyway, I bought this game several days ago and have almost completed the story mode aspect of it. To finish this game takes much practice and skill with golf games, but if you are having trouble and need some help this is the place to be. I hope this guide is useful to anyone who may need it, and any feedback would be greatly appreciated. See section 9.0 Legal/ Contact Info. Read on. 2.0 ******************* * Version History * ******************* 1.00 (7-10-04) First Version. Incomplete but will be updated soon. Contributions are needed and will be greatly appreciated. 1.50 (7-15-04) Quite a substantial update here. I added two new sections, added secrets and item locations, put in some of the course descriptions, finished the side games section, filled in all of the character stats, and added some other things here and there. I also fixed several errors. Thank you to all who contributed; keep it coming! 1.51 (7-19-04) In contrast, a very small update. Fixed an error, credited Yoshi348 precisely, and added a contribution by KVargs. Several more small updates will be made in the near future as contributions come in. 1.53 (7-23-04) Next small update. Along with correcting some typos, I finished the character info section, added the rewards for Power Drink 2 and Super Drink 1, and added a whole bunch of specific club descriptions (many thanks to JumperWillow). 1.57 (8-5-04) The biggest small update yet. Mostly just contributions; I didn't do anything major. However, the item locations section is nearing completion, so don't stop sending in your info! Also, I really need to settle the dispute about which Custom Ticket you receive for the Coo-Coo Course game. 3.0 ************************* * Character Information * ************************* There are quite a variety of characters in this game, most of which need unlocking. On the character select screen, changing a character to a "lefty" will merely change the character's shot in relation to draw and fade. For a righty, fade starts left and curves in right, and draw starts right and curves left. A lefty simply has these directions reversed. A star character just has a longer drive and a narrower impact statistic. The two characters that you can level up, Neil and Ella, will be discussed in section 6.6 Earning Experience. -Name- Drive: How far ball can be hit with a 1 wood. Height: How high the ball travels after being hit. Shot: Which way the shot curves after being hit. Impact: How wide the red bracket is under the impact timing meter. If a shot is hit with the bar outside the red bracket, the shot will go nowhere. Control: How much the ball deviates from the simulation line. Spin: How well the ball responds to spin placed on it. Comments 3.1 -------------------- Unlocking Characters -------------------- Star Characters - The star character for the four starting Mario characters (Mario, Peach, Yoshi, and Donkey Kong) can be unlocked by beating each one in a singles match from the Quick Play menu. Joe, Sherry, Azalea, Kid - Unlock each character by besting him/her in a singles match in Story Mode. Putts, Grace, Tiny, Gene - Unlock these characters by beating his/her team in a doubles match in Story Mode. Luigi(*) - Transfer experience from Toadstool Tour to Advance Tour for the first time. Waluigi(*) - Transfer 27 birdie badges from Toadstool Tour to Advance Tour. *Thanks to Silvervette 588 for the number of badges required* Wario(*) - Transfer 54 birdie badges from Toadstool Tour to Advance Tour. *Thanks to Silvervette 588 for the number of badges required* Bowser(*) - Transfer birdie badges from Toadstool Tour to Advance Tour. 3.2 ---------------- Mario Characters ---------------- -Mario- Drive: 212 y Height: ----------|****------ Low High Shot: ----------|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|*--------- Narrow Wide Control: ------****|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|*****----- Weak Strong -Mario*- Drive: 280 y Height: ----------|****------ Low High Shot: ----------|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ------****|---------- Narrow Wide Control: ------****|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|*****----- Weak Strong Mario is a pretty good character to use. His drive is quite high compared to others, and a strong spin is always helpful. Due to his high shot and poor control he should not play on windy courses. Beginners may have trouble with the low control stat. -Peach- Drive: 203 y Height: ---------*|---------- Low High Shot: ----------|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|****------ Narrow Wide Control: ----------|***------- Poor Good Spin: -----*****|---------- Weak Strong -Peach*- Drive: 235 y Height: ---------*|---------- Low High Shot: ----------|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|*--------- Narrow Wide Control: ----------|***------- Poor Good Spin: -----*****|---------- Weak Strong *Thanks to Silvervette588 for Peach*'s stats* Peach is pretty well-rounded and not bad for beginners. Her only real weakness is her incredibly weak spin and short drive. Beginners, however, will be able to use the good impact and control stats to make up for bad timing. -Yoshi- Drive: 208 y Height: ----------|---------- Low High Shot: ----------|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|***------- Narrow Wide Control: ----------|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|---------- Weak Strong -Yoshi*- Drive: 250 y Height: ----------|---------- Low High Shot: ----------|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|---------- Narrow Wide Control: ----------|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|---------- Weak Strong *Thanks to Silvervette588 for Yoshi*'s stats* The truly average player, Yoshi has few strengths or weaknesses at all. That makes him extremely versatile but not generally a good choice; specializing is the key to winning on specific courses. If anything, I suggest using him on courses that require precision, as he has a perfect shot trajectory. -Donkey Kong- Drive: 215 y Height: -------***|---------- Low High Shot: ----******|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|*--------- Narrow Wide Control: ------****|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|**-------- Weak Strong -Donkey Kong*- Drive: 285 y Height: -------***|---------- Low High Shot: ----******|---------- Fade Draw Impact: -----*****|---------- Narrow Wide Control: ------****|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|**-------- Weak Strong *Thanks to Silvervette588 for Donkey Kong*'s stats* This one-handed hitting ape has an insane fade and poor control which can sometimes make hitting into a group of trees inescapable. Use his long drive to gain the upper hand on opponents and never use him in courses with numerous aerial hazards. -Luigi- Drive: 206 y Height: ------****|---------- Low High Shot: -------***|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|***------- Narrow Wide Control: ----------|**-------- Poor Good Spin: -------***|---------- Weak Strong -Luigi*- Drive: 240 y Height: ------****|---------- Low High Shot: -------***|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|---------- Narrow Wide Control: ----------|**-------- Poor Good Spin: -------***|---------- Weak Strong Luigi is a somewhat uninteresting character. He has a low drive and a low shot height, so use on windy courses is suggested. He does have above-average control, so use that to make sure that you get on the fairway every time. -Waluigi- Drive: 209 y Height: ----------|---------- Low High Shot: ----------|***------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|***------- Narrow Wide Control: ---------*|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|**-------- Weak Strong -Waluigi*- Drive: 260 y Height: ----------|---------- Low High Shot: ----------|***------- Fade Draw Impact: --------**|---------- Narrow Wide Control: ---------*|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|**-------- Weak Strong A fairly balanced character, Waluigi is one of my favorites. His shot has a draw, and his control and spin have something missing, but nevertheless I enjoy using him simply because of his lanky appearance and whiny voice. His drive should be taken advantage of as it is all that stands out for him. -Wario- Drive: 210 y Height: ----******|---------- Low High Shot: -----*****|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|**-------- Narrow Wide Control: --------**|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|---------- Weak Strong -Wario*- Drive: 265 y Height: ----******|---------- Low High Shot: -----*****|---------- Fade Draw Impact: --------**|---------- Narrow Wide Control: --------**|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|---------- Weak Strong Wario has a much weaker drive than I would have expected. I thought he would at least beat Mario, but I guess I was wrong. His extremely low shot should definitely be used on windy courses. The poor shot and control stat may make it tough to get out of tight situations, but it's not as bad as Donkey Kong. -Bowser- Drive: 217 y Height: ----------|---------- Low High Shot: ----------|******---- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|---------- Narrow Wide Control: -----*****|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|******---- Weak Strong *Thanks to Richard Seddon for Bowser's drive* -Bowser*- Drive: 290 y Height: ----------|---------- Low High Shot: ----------|******---- Fade Draw Impact: -----*****|---------- Narrow Wide Control: -----*****|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|******---- Weak Strong With the worst control of any character in the game, Bowser is a very difficult character to use. No matter how perfect your timing and calculations are, his shots are bound to stray from their intended path. His drive is great however, and equipped with some straight shot clubs he could be deadly. 3.3 --------------- Club Characters --------------- -Putts- Drive: 215 y Height: -------***|---------- Low High Shot: ----------|*--------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|***------- Narrow Wide Control: ----------|***------- Poor Good Spin: ---------*|---------- Weak Strong Putts is known mainly for putting, and it shows. All of his stats are mediocre at best, and there is really no reason to play as him unless you are looking for a challenge. -Joe- Drive: 220 y Height: ----------|***------- Low High Shot: ----------|***------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|**-------- Narrow Wide Control: ----------|****------ Poor Good Spin: ----------|*--------- Weak Strong Joe's weak drive is made up for by above-average impact, control, and spin. Though his shot height makes him slightly susceptible to wind, his other strengths should more than make up for it. -Grace- Drive: 225 y Height: ---------*|---------- Low High Shot: ----------|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|*--------- Narrow Wide Control: ----------|*--------- Poor Good Spin: -------***|---------- Weak Strong There's something about this character that I just don't like. She has a fairly weak drive and a weak spin, but her shot is straight and her impact and control aren't bad. She can handle most courses. -Sherry- Drive: 230 y Height: ----------|**-------- Low High Shot: ----------|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|**-------- Narrow Wide Control: ----------|**-------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|---------- Weak Strong Sherry is pretty average, but her straight shot and good impact and control stats are great for precision courses. Long courses may be hard on her, but stick with it and dominate the short game. -Tiny- Drive: 260 y Height: ----------|****------ Low High Shot: ----------|****------ Fade Draw Impact: --------**|---------- Narrow Wide Control: ---------*|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|****------ Weak Strong Finally, a good drive! His high shot, bad draw, and low control make him a very imprecise character. You will have to rely on spin to help place your shots. You will also need good timing to make up for the bad impact, so Tiny is definitely not for beginners. -Azalea- Drive: 240 y Height: ----------|*--------- Low High Shot: --------**|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ----------|---------- Narrow Wide Control: ----------|---------- Poor Good Spin: --------**|---------- Weak Strong Azalea's mediocre drive and weak spin make her a character I would probably never use. However, her impact and control stats are average and her shot is only sligtly off. She will be very mildly susceptible to high winds. -Gene- Drive: 250 y Height: --------**|---------- Low High Shot: ------****|---------- Fade Draw Impact: ---------*|---------- Narrow Wide Control: ---------*|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|**-------- Weak Strong Gene requires much skill to make up for his poor impact and control. Those stats also worsen the fact that he has significant fade. His low shot height and fairly long drive should help you, but I'd suggest using someone else. -Kid- Drive: 270 y Height: ----------|**-------- Low High Shot: ----------|**-------- Fade Draw Impact: -------***|---------- Narrow Wide Control: --------**|---------- Poor Good Spin: ----------|***------- Weak Strong If you can make up for the bad impact stat with good timing and are not by the draw coupled with poor control, then Kid is a very formidable character. His superior drive and good spin will make up for his susceptibility to wind. Kid in the hands of an expert will dominate all other club characters 4.0 ********* * Items * ********* Most items in the game help you boost stats in some way or another, with the exception of clubs. I am not completely sure of the names of all of these items and am in dire need of information regarding clubs specifically. If you see a mistake or have something to add, please email me immediately. 4.1 ------------ Descriptions ------------ -Power Drink- Adds 2 yards distance onto your drive. I prefer to give them to Neil. -Super Drink- Adds 3 yards distance onto your drive. I prefer to give them to Neil. -Muscle Drink- Adds 4 yards distance onto your drive. I prefer to give them to Neil. *Thanks to Austin91 and sturmdefeater for correcting me* -Hyper Drink- Adds 5 yards distance onto your drive. I prefer to give them to Neil. *Thanks to Austin91 and sturmdefeater for correcting me* -1-up Mushroom- Increases the level of one of your characters. It does not matter to whom you give it, as you can balance it out next time you get experience points. It is best to save these for last, as each time you gain a level the amount of experience needed increases. -Club Ticket A- Allows you to forge clubs at the Custom Club Shop. These clubs have one statistic that they can enhance. -Club Ticket B- Allows you to forge clubs at the Custom Club Shop. These clubs have one statistic that they greatly enhance. -Club Ticket C- Allows you to forge clubs at the Custom Club Shop. These clubs have one or two statistics that they can enhance. -Club Ticket D- Allows you to forge clubs at the Custom Club Shop. These clubs are rare and have drastic effects. 4.2 --------- Locations --------- -Power Drink 1- Begin in the Marion Clubhouse. Go left past the locker rooms and head down and out the door. You will see a barrel to your left. The Power Drink is inside. -Power Drink 2- Complete the "Knock out Klepto!" mini-game in the Marion Course practice area in Story Mode. *Thanks to JumperWillow for this location* -Super Drink 1- Complete the "KO Monty Mole Mini-game" in the Links Course practice area in Story Mode. *Thanks to Patrick Flowers for this location* -Muscle Drink 1- Go to the Coo-Coo Course area. Head to the left and go all the way around the brown shack. Look inside the barrel to find a nice Muscle Drink. *Thanks to Deathborn668 for this location* -Muscle Drink 2- Complete all four courses in the Lucky Country side game in Story Mode. *Thanks to Conway L for this location* -Hyper Drink 1- Beat all memorial scores in Story Mode in both singles and doubles. Walk into the memorial hall and you will be greeted by statues of Mario, Peach, Donkey Kong, Luigi, and you, and Toad will present you with a Hyper Drink. -1-up Mushroom 1- From "Out and About" outside the Marion Clubhouse, go up past the club lodge and take a right before the Coo-Coo Course. Go up at your next chance into a clearing by the sea. Check the tree and you will find a 1-up Mushroom. -1-up Mushroom 2- Enter the light in the Marion Clubhouse after beating the Links Tournament to go to Peach's Castle. Say "No" when she asks if you are ready to play. Head as far left as you can go, then go around behind the castle to the right. Check the barrel there to find the 1-up Mushroom. -1-up Mushroom 3- Beat Shot Practice Hard on Toadstool Tour. -1-up Mushroom 4- Beat Approach Practice Hard on Toadstool Tour. -1-up Mushroom 5- Beat Putting Practice Hard on Toadstool Tour. -1-up Mushroom 6- Get first place in the Bowser Championship on Toadstool Tour. -Custom Ticket A 1- In the Custom Club Shop, look in the cabinet in the upper-left corner of the room to find your first Club Ticket. *Thanks to WaluigiIsDaBomb for this location* -Custom Ticket A 2- Complete all four courses in the Go-Go Gates side game in Story Mode. *Thanks to draikan for this location* -Custom Ticket A 3- Complete the One-Club Challenge side game in Story Mode. *Thanks to nrblanc for this location* -Custom Ticket B 1- Knock out Blooper in the Palms Club practice area. *Thanks to WaluigiIsDaBomb for this location* -Custom Ticket B 2- Comlete the Golf Mini-Park side game in Story Mode. *Thanks to Master X for this location* -Custom Ticket C 1- Knock out Pokey in the Dunes club practice area. *Thanks to WaluigiIsDaBomb for this location* -Custom Ticket D 1- Talk to Kid in the Links Club practice area after beating the Mushroom tournament. *Thanks to draikan for this location* --More to come --Please send in locations of items you have found! 4.3 ----- Clubs ----- Any time you get a club ticket, go to the Custom Club Shop and tell the guy that you want a "Club Order." Depending on the ticket, you will have different choices. Because you can not get all the tickets from each category, I don't have the information on all clubs available. If you know what they are or see any mistakes or possible additions, please email me immediately. -Custom Ticket A Selection- POW - Clubs with increased distance. Distance is increased by about 10% and fade or draw is worsened by one point. These are good for woods and possibly irons. Low Fly - Clubs with low trajectory. These decrease your height by 3 points but decrease your spin by one point. I prefer to use these in windy situations. JumperWillow adds: "Great for drivers into the wind." *Thanks to JumperWillow for the game description and stat changes* Straight - Clubs that improve your swing. Your shot stat is improved by 2 points but your control is worsened by one point. These are useful on wedges and possibly irons if you really want a straighter shot. *Thanks to JumperWillow for the game description and stat changes* Sweet - Clubs with a big sweet spot. Though they worsen the straightness of your shot by one point, they increase the impact by 2 points. Use these if you are a beginner and can not hit well. JumperWillow adds: "For those people with jittery hands." *Thanks to JumperWillow for the game description and stat changes* Control - Clubs that increase your control. They increase your control by two points and worsen your fade or draw by one point. They are best used for irons and possibly wedges. -Custom Ticket B Selection- Super Low Fly - Clubs with very low trajectory. Height is lowered by 5 points and your spin is weakened by 2 points. Similar to the regular Low Fly clubs; use them for windy courses. JumperWillow adds: "For those 18mph headwinds." *Thanks to JumperWillow for the game description and stat changes* Backspin - Clubs with special backspin effect. They strengthen your spin by two points and worsen your control by one point. These should be used for irons and wedges or in any course that has fast fairways and numerous hazards. Super Straight - Clubs that hit very straight. These will make your shot perfectly straight no matter how bad the fade or draw (I think), but will decrease your distance by about 5%. Definitely useful for getting those chip-ins and can also help with iron shots. *Tell me whether these clubs make your shot perfectly straight no matter what* Super Sweet - Clubs with a giant sweet spot. Though your impact is increased by 4 points, the fact that your shot is worsened by 2 points and your control by one makes it not worth it if you are good. Only use these if you are having great difficulty with the impact timing. JumperWillow adds: "Again, for those who need an extra buffer for manual timings." *Thanks to JumperWillow for the game description and stat changes* -Custom Ticket C Selection- Super POW - Clubs with super-boosted distance. They increase your distance by about 20%, increase your height by one point, worsen your fade or draw by two points, and worsen your control by one point. These are good to use for woods and possibly irons. Low-Fly Spin - Clubs with spin that affects low trajectory balls. Because woods have a low trajectory, use these clubs on them. *Incomplete Info* Straight & Low - Clubs that hit straight and low. These are useful for irons and wedges if you have a bad fade or draw that is messing up your close shots. *Incomplete Info* Sweet Control - Clubs with a big sweet spot that are easy to control. They increase you height by two points, worsen your fade or draw by two points, increase the width of your impact zone by two points, and increase your control by two points. Great for irons if you hit in the rough often and good for wedges if you're going for the chip-in. -Custom Ticket D Selection- Super Spin - Clubs with special super spin effect. As with any spin club, use it on irons and wedges and courses with lots of hazards. *Incomplete Info* Risky - Clubs that are difficult to use, but have incredible distance. They boost your distance by an insane 40%, but you height will be lowered two points and your impact stat will be reduced to the narrowest possible. That's right, in order to get the distance you will have to hit a perfect shot every time. Only use these on woods and only if you are an expert. --More to come --Please send in more club descriptions! 5.0 *********************** * Tips and Techniques * *********************** Mario Golf: Advance Tour can be very difficult if you are not familiar with golf games. You do not need any real-life golf experience to play them, but experience with other golf games, especially Mario Golf games, will greatly improve your scores. Most of what is here will be found with experience, but if you are new to the game or have not discovered all of the games techniques, this section should help you. 5.1 ---------- The Basics ---------- [200 y] ___ v ___ / \ [-----------------|----] | o | I___I \___/ This is what the power meter and impact marker should look like. They consist of several parts, which will now be explained. Distance marker - The yellow box with the arrow and a distance displayed on it right above the power meter. Press L or R to move it left or right along the power meter and change the simulation line accordingly. Auto-Swing Indicator - The blue bar above the impact timing zone. If you choose auto-swing, the computer will randomly stop the bar somewhere under this blue bar. This will give you an idea of how much you are risking; if it is wider than the impact bracket then you may completely mess up the shot. Impact bracket - The red bracket under the impact timing zone. Its width is determined by the impact stat and determines if the shot will go as planned. If the bar stops outside the bracket, the shot will go nowhere. If stopped dead center, it will follow the simulation line precisely. Impact marker - The picture of a golf ball with a red dot in the center. This shows where the club will strike the ball. Hold B to go into impact marker mode. Move the blue circle to change the simulation line. There are two points of impact in all eight directions. Simulation line - Not shown above, the line coming out of the ball before you hit it to the place where the ball should land according to the distance marker and impact selector. If the ball is hit precisely at the distance marker, impact bracket, and impact marker, the ball will follow the line and end up slightly past the simulation line due to rolling. Note that the line does NOT factor in wind, so adjustments should be made accordingly. Also, if you have a poor control stat, the ball will tend to not exactly follow the simulation line. 5.2 ------------------- Beginner Techniques ------------------- -Basic Shot- Press A to start the bar going to the left, and then press A once more to select the distance. The impact timing will be randomly chosen, but will never stray too far from the center of the impact timing zone. Use this if you are a beginner. -Technical Shot- Press A to start the bar going to the left, and the press B to select the distance. The bar will now come back towards the impact timing zone and you must press A or B to manually select the impact. Use this if you need a precision shot and are somewhat experienced. -Spin Shots- When selecting the impact timing for a technical shot, press either A twice or B twice in quick succession. Pressing AA will result in topspin and BB will give the ball backspin. -Distance Selection- Press L or R to move the yellow box and choose the distance that you want the ball to go. It usually starts out approximately where you want it, but you will most likely have to make adjustments to suit the situation. If you stop the bar directly under the arrow, the ball will follow the simulation line. -Impact Selection- To change the simulation line in respect to different impacts, hold B to enter impact selection mode. Move the blue dot until the simulation line is where you want it. After pressing A to start up the shot, press the D-pad to move the red dot directly over the blue dot on the ball. Be careful, and remember that the distance and impact timing are more important. -Nice Shot- If you are able to stop the bar directly under the yellow arrow of the distance selector and right in the center of the impact timing zone you will get a "Nice Shot." This does nothing but add sparks and flair to your shot, but it will show your skill if you can get one every time. It also protects against the loss of power shots. 5.3 ------------------- Advanced Techniques ------------------- -Shot Type- Before taking the shot, tap B to cycle between normal, power, and sometimes approach shots. Power shots will make the ball go much farther than normal, but you are only allowed six per round. Make good use of them and remember that a Nice Shot will prevent the removal of a power shot. The approach shot is only available within 60 yards of the pin. It makes use of a high- trajectory wedge shot to get the ball on the green and as close to the pin as possible. It also makes the bar travel more slowly across the timing meter, which makes it much easier to get a good shot. Be careful, the wind greatly affects high trajectory shots. -Super Spin- During a technical shot's impact timing, you can give the ball extra spin by pressing either AB or BA. AB will give the ball super topspin and BA will give the ball super backspin. Topspin is great for getting that extra few yards out of every drive or rolling the ball down a slope on the green. Backspin should be used to stop the ball on fast fairways and greens before it rolls into a hazard. -Club Selection- Most beginners will stick with the club pre-selected for them by the computer. It will usually work, but in some situations the club should be changed. Woods tend to have the lowest trajectory, so if you need to get under an obstacle or make the ball roll more, this may be what you need. Irons have a higher trajectory and are more affected by wind but will be mainly used to get the on or near the green. Wedges should be used almost exclusively for approach shots but sometimes are needed to get out of a tight spot in a bunker. They have a very high trajectory and are greatly affected by wind. Putters should be used only on the green or fringe. In some cases however, a ball close to the pin and on the fairway should be putted. Use extra strength in these cases. -Impact Point- Making good use of the impact marker is a sign of a good player. If you need to get around an obstacle or approach a spot from a different angle, this is the best way to do it. Left impact will send the ball to the right and then back to the left, and right impact does just the opposite. They can be used to help straighten out or greatly curve your shot. Top impact will give the ball low trajectory, allowing it to sneak under obstacles and gives it a negligible boost in roll. Hit these shots into a headwind to reduce its affects. Bottom impact will make the ball soar high over anything in its way and will make it stop rolling slightly sooner. Use it in a tailwind to let the wind take it farther than normal. Be sure to use combinations and get good at selecting the impact without messing up your timing. -Bump and Run- Having trouble getting that chip-in? The bump and run technique is a classic technique in which you use a wood from fairly close range and hit a low trajectory shot at the front of the green. The low trajectory shot will cut through wind effectively and allow the ball to roll from the front of the green to the hole. This should not be used in a bad lie as a wood will increase the lie percentage greatly, but you can always go with an iron for a lesser effect. -Lie Percentage- If you look below the impact marker you will see a small number and percent sign. This indicates how good your lie is; the higher the number, the worse the lie. For example, a shot from the fairway is +/- 1%. In a bunker, it can be +/- 6%. Club selection also affects this. In a bunker, a sand wedge has a lie percentage of 6% where a 4 wood has a percentage of 8%. After you set the distance timing, a random number between the positive and negative values of the lie percentage will be selected. This will then be added or subtracted from the power of your shot. If the lie percentage ended up being -3%, the power of your shot will be only 97%. If you have a bad lie, keep an eye on this as you can make up for a major percent change with some spin. -Weather Conditions- The only weather condition in the game is rain. This simply makes the ball fly shorter and roll shorter. Therefore, it is important to hit extra hard in rain and remember that your ball will not roll as much. When putting, you will need to hit EXTRA hard to get it to the hole. On a medium putt, you should add about a quarter of the bar extra to make up for the rain. 5.4 -------------- The Four Shots -------------- While playing Mario Golf, you will soon find out that there are a variety of different shots that you will have to make, depending on the club that you are using, the distance from the hole, and the percentage of the lie. In this section I will give you tips on the four main types of shots: tee shot, iron shot, approach/hazard shot, and putt. -Tee Shot- Your tee shot is very important and will set the mood for the rest of the hole. A poor tee shot will have you scrambling to get par, while a nice one will let you aggressively go for birdies and eagles. You will almost always use your 1 wood, except on most par 3's. The decision of where you place your tee shot depends on the situation as well as your skill and confidence. Generally, it is not a good idea to go for the riskiest area if you have a nice lead and just need to hold it. You should also shy from tough spots if you are inexperienced or don't think that you can make it. High winds, fast fairways, or tons of hazards should all decrease your confidence about a shot. However, if you are confident that you can make it, go ahead and go for it. Just make sure that it puts you in position to make a good second shot. For example, you may see an awesome spot right up near the green that you think you could make, but there is a group of trees right in front of it. Don't make a mistake like this. The most important thing is to make a plan and stick with it; don't go having a change of heart right in the middle of your swing. -Iron Shot- The iron shot, usually your second shot, is meant to get you on or near the green. You will always be using irons for this, as their high trajectory will help you stop the ball on the green. The only time that you don't want to use an iron is when you are in a hazard or going for a bump and run. Normally you will be aiming for the green with your iron shot, but on some long par 5's you will just try to get it close enough for a good approach shot. Think of this shot as a carry-on of what you were going for in the tee shot. -Approach/Hazard Shot- These shots will be hit exclusively with a wedge, unless you are trying to pull off a bump and run. Remember that an approach shot's main goal is to help you calm down and make sure that you have a good putting position. It is not always a good idea to hit directly towards the pin and go for the chip-in, but rather aim for the center of the green to ensure that you are at least on the green. This is especially important when there are numerous hazards around or strong winds. A hazard shot is basically a shot from a bad lie area or a place where you can not proceed due to trees or other obstacles. In these situations, always play it safe and just make the best of where you are. Don't try to do a crazy hit through the tree and hope it doesn't go in the water shot. Just get the ball on the fairway and go for par or a bogey. If you are too risky you will end up with +4's and +5's. -Putt- The most important shot of them all, the putt determines if you are a great player or a terrible one. Anybody can pump up the drive distance of their character to make them better, but the one thing that requires nothing but pure skill is putting. You will always have to putt if you are on the green. Other times that you should putt are when on the fringe or on the fairway but still very close to the hole. Remember that the fringe and fairway will both slow down your shot, so if you must putt across them use extra force. One common misconception about putting is that you can simply power your way through all slopes and lies. THIS IS NOT TRUE! It is a fact that more power will decrease the ball's break while on a slope, but don't count on that to get you through long putts. Experience is the only teacher when it comes to determining how far you should aim to compensate for the slopes. As far as power, you will always want to hit the ball a little bit harder than the distance marker says. If the hole is uphill, hit a little harder, and if it is downhill, hit a little softer. Rain will also require you to hit it MUCH harder, especially from far away. Also, you must know the different types of putts. Long putts are for putts 95 ft-200 ft. Medium putts are 94 ft-28 ft. Short putts are less than 27 ft. Pay close attention, as the actual barriers for these are different than what you should use. For example, you may have an uphill 29.5 ft putt and it sets you at short putt strength (which maxes out at 30 ft). You will want to hit it at least 32 ft, so press B and change the power to a medium putt. Once you get putting down, you will be an expert golfer. 6.0 ************** * Story Mode * ************** When you first play this game, you will be asked to choose a golfer, Neil or Ella, if they are right- or left-handed, and what their name will be. It does not really matter whom you choose, but the person you did not choose will be your doubles partner. Neil tends to have a low trajectory draw with powerful drive, and Ella tends to have a high fade and is slightly weaker. You will then be given a LONG speech where you will learn about Marion Club, meet your rivals, Buzz and Helen, move into your lodge, and learn about your former golf instructor Kid's injury and recovery. Eventually, you two will have to play each other. Full course descriptions and strategies will be discussed in section 8.0 Course Descriptions. 6.1 ----------- Marion Club ----------- You will start out here in the lodge and will be asked by your partner if you want to play doubles or singles. It's up to you what you want to play, but eventually you will have to do both. Go right from the lodge to reach the overworld or down to reach the course entrance. The building on the left will allow you to enter a tournament or begin a practice round. The open alley to the right will lead you to the practice area. Heading down will let you enter the clubhouse and talk to the many people there. The double doors on the upper-right area will lead you to the pros lounge. The lower-right double doors lead you to the hall of fame. If you beat the high scores for doubles or singles, a club above the scorecard will turn gold. Try to beat all of the high scores. The upper-left doors lead you to the manager's office and the two lower right doors lead you to the locker rooms. Check all of the lockers for some nostalgic Mario humor. Heading down will lead you outside to the over- world. Feel free to start anywhere. -Singles Tournament- High Score: -13 The Marion singles tournament is the easiest of all. Just stay under par and you will win for sure. Play it safe and learn how the tournaments work. You may notice that golfers will start out way ahead of you but then at the end they will always choke and they're score will rise dramatically. As long as you finish it out without too many mistakes you will take the gold. -Singles Match- Head into the practice area to talk to Joe and accept to play a match against him. If you can't find him just select it from the main menu after selecting Story Mode. Once you start you will find that Joe is a pushover. End this quickly to unlock him. -Doubles Tournament- High Score: -9 Your first doubles experience may be quite frustrating at first, as your partner may make incredibly bad shots. Don't worry about it though, he/she is very good at putting and once on the green, you will most likely have it in the hole. Hang in there and try to get par. -Doubles Match- Talk to Joe again after telling your partner you want to play doubles so he/she will follow you. Putts will join Joe and the two will challenge you. If you thought Joe was easy, wait until you see these two together. They will almost never get a birdie and rarely will make par. Get this over with to unlock Putts. -Practice Area- In all practice areas there will be challenges to complete. It is advisable to complete them all in order to learn the game and master techniques. Talk to anyone with sunglasses to start up the challenge. In the Marion practice area only, there will be lessons before the challenge. If you fail the first time, leave and come back, then tell the person "No" when they ask if you want to do the challenge and "Yes" if you want the lesson again. To challenge any game with difficulties on the next difficulty just leave and come back. Approach Contest 1 - Here you will use topspin to roll the ball near the hole from outside the green. 7 out of 10 wins it. Approach Contest 2 - This one teaches you how to utilize backspin to stop the ball near the hole with an approach shot. 7 out of 10 wins it. Shot Contest: Short, Normal, Hard - Use a driver to hit the ball into the circles. Choose the closest circle first and then try the others when you have a longer drive. 7 out of 10 wins it. Shot Contest 2 - Now you will use an iron to get the ball within one pin-length of the hole, a.k.a. a stick shot. 7 out of 10 wins it. Putting Contest - Just use your putter to get the ball within the circle. Make sure you get a feel for how slopes affect the ball. 7 out of 10 wins it. Knock Out Klepto! - Go to the approach shot area and head right into a grassy path. A sign will warn you of sneaky kleptos. Continue to a lake, where you will find a klepto flying and holding a koopa shell. Use the shortest iron possible, make it a power shot, and set the impact at the bottom of the ball. You may need to come back with better stats later. When you hit him, the koopa will hand over his Power Drink you. *Thanks to JumperWillow for what the reward is* 6.2 ---------- Palms Club ---------- The Palms course is not much different than the Marion course except for the fact that there are now annoying giant palm trees. This should give you practice on changing the trajectory of your shot with the impact marker. In order to play each mode in the club you must first beat the corresponding one in the Marion Club. -Singles Tournament- High Score: -12 Once again, this is very similar to the Marion course. However, you may find that it is now much more difficult to get a birdie on all holes as some of them prevent you completely until you boost your stats a little more. It's nothing to worry about though, you should be able to win this with ease with a -3 or -4 score. -Singles Match- Sherry is not much harder than Joe, but you will notice that she gets birdies more often. It's not anything that you can't beat however. Take her out swiftly and unlock her in Quick Game. -Doubles Tournament- High Score: -8 Now your partner will show his/her prowess in hitting the ball off trees. Good thing you get to play every other shot. Just do the best you can and always take the safe route. Once again your partner will seldom miss a putt, even in the rain, so feel free to leave the greens up to him/her. -Doubles Match- Sherry and Grace do not make much of a team. Both of them are worse golfers than your partner, so as long as you are better than your partner you will win without giving up a single medal. With a little luck you can get this over with in 10 holes. -Practice Area- Approach Contest - This will test your ability with an approach shot. As the guy suggests, it is best to hit high trajectory shots that do not roll much. 7 out of 10 wins it. Shot Contest - Here you will use your driver to hit shots onto a plateau surrounded by hazards. Just aim at the near edge of the circle and use normal backspin. 7 out of 10 wins it. Putting Contest: Easy, Normal, Hard - Now it gets tough. Anyone who had previously been just powering their way over hills will find that this works no longer. If you are at the hill toward the bottom of the screen you will have to aim far to the left. Experience is your best teacher. 7 out of 10 wins it. Knock out Blooper! - Go up towards the putting green but turn right before going across the bridge. Eventually you will come across another bridge. Cross this and head onto the beach. A sign will tell you to protect the beach from bloopers. You should then see a blooper pop up in the distance. Hit a shot from the beach to nail the blooper in the face. He will then become angry and swim over to the other side. Head over to the lower left part of the area and go down across the bridge. Continue up to the beach and proceed to bounce another ball off Blooper's head. You will then be given a Custom Ticket B. *Thanks to WaluigiIsDaBomb for what the reward is* 6.3 ---------- Dunes Club ---------- Though this course is littered with sand and waste areas, you may find it to be easier than it looks. The competition is getting tougher every time however, so make sure you don't slack off. Somebody in the entrance area will tell you to take risky shots, and she is absolutely right. Just put a little backspin on the ball and go for best spot every time. Also, look out for high winds. Unlock modes in this club by beating the same modes in the Palms Club. -Singles Tournament- High Score: -11 This course will require you to think about taking risks more often. Always go for the birdie, and even if you mess up, it should not be too hard to save par. I was able to break the high score on this my first try, so almost anyone can at least win without too much trouble. -Singles Match- In this match you will play against Azalea. She can easily outdrive you, but that doesn't make up for her inaccuracy. Just get a birdie every hole and she will be defeated in no time. -Doubles Tournament- High Score: -7 Now is where having a bad partner can begin to show its ability to make you get bogies. A few times in this course, your partner will hit a shot so bad that the best you can do is a bogie. Don't sweat it though, this only happens a few times and can be remedied with a few good shots from you. Get him/her close to the hole and he/she'll do the rest. -Doubles Match- Tiny and Azalea clearly have you outranked in pure drive power. However, you will still win this with ease. Even if your partner can really screw up sometimes, the fact that every other shot of your team will be made by you ensures a simple victory. Never give up; you never know when you will get an unexpected extra chance to get the medal. -Practice Area- Approach Contest - In this contest, the wind will be your worst enemy. Learn how much wind affects high trajectory shots such as approach shots. A good tip is to check the simulation line before the shot. If it looks extra high, you will need to make extra compensation for the wind. 8 out of 10 wins it. Shot Contest: Easy, Normal, Hard - Now you will have to use an iron to get a shot within a certain distance around the pin. What works for me is to put the landing point about a pin's length in front of the hole and hit a shot with backspin. Once you have that, factor in the wind and hit the shot. Hard difficulty is tough to complete even using that strategy though so just keep trying until you complete all three. 7 out of 10 wins it. Putting Contest - Putting from 12 yards on an almost completely flat green may seem too easy to be true, and it is. The difference here is that you have to get the ball in the hole, not just around it. The small arrows will do more than you think across longer distances so be sure to compensate. Always hit just a little past the yellow marker and you should complete this one without too much difficulty. 7 out of 10 wins it. Knock out Pokey! - Go to the small patch of orange soil between the approach area and the putting area. Head up to where Azalea stands and then go across the bridge. A sign will warn you of a high presence of pokeys ahead. Cross the bridge above and you will be greeted by a three-segmented pokey. Hit him in the head each time to make him lose a segment and move over. After three hits he will give up his Custom Ticket C. Don't get to close to him or he will run away and you will have to start over. *Thanks to WaluigiIsDaBomb for what the reward is* 6.4 ---------- Links Club ---------- The Links course is mainly difficult because of the high winds and narrow fairways. The hazards such as heath surrounding the fairway don't help too much either. You may want to level up a bit because some of these holes are quite long. This is the most prestigious course in the area so do you best to win it. -Singles Tournament- High Score: -10 To win this tournament you must be very persistent. Your competitors will to have a decisive lead over you when in fact on the next hole they may get a triple bogey. Just stick it out to the end and you will probably get the gold. -Singles Match- Here is the moment of truth: you will now go head-to-head against your former teacher and world-renowned golfer Kid. For someone so great it really seems easy to beat him. He does get birdies regularly though, and unlike previous matches he may get a couple medals on you. -Doubles Tournament- High Score: -6 As usual, your partner doesn't seem to understand the concept of not hitting it 20 yards short. You will find yourself abusing the power shot, so make sure you are good at getting Nice Shots so you can keep them up. It's not that hard to win but the high score can be a real challenge. -Doubles Match- Now you face Kid and Gene, two of the best golfers known to anyone in the area. Sad, isn't it? If you aren't beating them, I suggest leveling up or just practicing your shots. They tend to mess up much more than Kid alone, but then again you have to deal with your partner. Destroy them with ease to unlock Gene in Quick Game mode. -Practice Area- Approach Contest: Easy, Normal, Hard - Ahh, the dreaded chip-in challenge. For me at least, this was the most difficult thing in the game. That's right, even the Elf's Short Course was easier (I honestly think that it is overrated in difficulty). Anyway, on easy you will have to sink one chip-in. No problem, you'll get lucky soon enough. Normal requires two. Just keep restarting until you get the first one, then hope you get lucky on the next nine. Now comes hard. Three chip-ins in only 10 shots?! You've got to be kidding me! My only suggestion is to never restart--you heard me. If you get equal practice on all holes you will eventually find a few that you can get relatively often. Work on these and eventually you will get it. If you are having trouble with the wind, try using a stronger club. Irons and woods tend to have lower trajectories, and therefore are less affected by wind. Beware, however, as using a wood from a bunker will greatly increase your lie percentage.1, 2, or 3 out of 10 wins it. Shot Contest - This is actually quite difficult. 20+ mph winds, a tree in front, and a fast fairway all add up to make this one tough. It helps to make the ball land right at the edge of the hill, which is still normal fairway, with normal backspin to make the ball stop. You may need to adjust the impact of the ball to make it curve around the tree. 8 out of 10 wins it. Putting Contest - The final putting contest is harder than it looks. By now, however, you should be good enough at putting that you can pass without too much trouble. On the seventh putt, the ball will go a little left, and on the tenth putt, switch to long putt mode for extra power. 7 out of 10 wins it. KO Monty Mole Mini-game - After going up the bridge to the approach area, walk right and continue up across the river. Monty Mole will pop up and you will have to hit him, just like the rest of the practice area baddies. The next place he will be is in plain view but may not be obvious on how to get there. Before going up the bridges to the driving range, look right. Go between the orange grass and the slope (right on top of the yellow bushes) and go left around both groups of trees and bushes. Nail the mole a second time. For the third and final time, go up the bridge to the left of the putting green and keep going until he pops up again. Claim your Super Drink after he is KO'ed. Be sure not to get too close or he will run away and you will start over. *Thanks to Patrick Flowers for what the reward is* 6.5 --------------- Mushroom Course --------------- Once you become the champion of the Links Course in either singles or doubles, you will receive a letter from (I'm assuming) Princess Peach. It will tell you that you should stand in front of the stained-glass picture of Mario's face. Go there and Toad should pop out of the ball of light and ask you to go play in the tournament. Say yes and be taken away to Peach's Castle. -Singles Tournament- High Score: -9 This is a whole new ball game. Kinda. Anyway, the course was designed by Mario, and it shows as the first hole is a picture of his face, with the green being his nose. One feature that has never been seen before is the play panel. Land the ball on one of these and an event will happen. The event depends on the hole, but it is usually a good idea to try and hit them. Some holes may be a little too long for your current skill level, so go around and rack up experience points if this is the case. Finish in first to receive your invisible-to-the-average-eye trophy. -Doubles Tournament- High Score: -5 Your partner will definitely make this course a challenge. It's no longer possible to go for the birdie on most holes, especially par 3's in which your partner hits first. It shouldn't take too long to win the tournament but it may take some time to beat the high score. 6.6 ---------- Side Games ---------- All side games can be reached while "Out and About." Some have several stages, while others are one-time deals. Most of them are pretty easy, and the most difficult ones can still be beaten within an hour. All of them offer rewards, so it is a good idea to try and complete them all. -Go-Go Gates Forest- This side game is found just left of the Dunes Course. Hit the ball through the gates and get par or better on the course to pass. Each course consists of three holes which you must beat consecutively. If you mess up on the last hole, you will have to start over. Don't let the pressure get to you! =Marion Course= This is basically a tutorial course to help you get the feel for Go-Go Gates. Passing it should be a breeze. Hole 1 (Par 4, 321 y, Gates 1) - This gives you the feel for what you must do. Nail the gate on the first shot, get the ball on the green with your second, and putt into the hole for completion. Hole 2 (Par 3, 149 y, Gates 1) - Get onto the green and through the gate on your first shot. Sink the ball to continue. Hole 3 (Par 5, 384 y, Gates 2) - The first hole where you have to think. Hit the ball onto the plateau to begin. Next, hit the ball through the red gate, and preferably land the ball past the tree. Your third shot should carry you past the blue gates and onto the small plateau. Finally, hit it onto the green and sink the putt. =Palms Course= Next comes the Palms challenge. This one is slightly more difficult, but you should win without too much difficulty. Hole 1 (Par 3, 162 y, Gates 1) - Hit the ball through the gate to the left of the green on your first shot. Use backspin to keep it on the fairway. If you have a powerful shot you should be able to make it onto the green in one shot. If not, it will take two shots. Hole 2 (Par 4, 366 y, Gates 1) - Hit your first shot so the ball is in position to get through the gate and onto the green on the next shot. Sink the putt to pass. Hole 3 (Par 5, 416 y, Gates 5) - Look closely at the five gates. Now, hit the ball into position so that you can pass the first four on your second shot. This will be difficult if you have a fade, but you can always take a second shot if necessary. Hit it through the final gate and sink the putt for the win. =Dunes Course= The Dunes course challenge is slightly more difficult as far as gate positioning and wind, but you should still pass it without much trouble. Hole 1 (Par 3, 155 y, Gates 1) - Now you must hit into the rough intentionally. Make sure that the ball is in perfect position behind the gate to get on the green. Your wedge shot will be high and affected by wind, so watch out and consider using an iron or wood to lower trajectory. Hole 2 (Par 4, 367 y, Gates 1) - If you have a powerful drive and favorable wind, go for the gate in one shot. Otherwise, it will take two. The only tough part is getting through the gate unscathed by wind. Hole 3 (Par 5, 490 y, Gates 3) - Hit the first shot to the left near the blue gate. Shoot through them and onto the small island. Take out the two red gates to land on the green and complete the hole. =Links Course= The final course, Links, may actually give you some trouble. Tricky gate placement and extremely high winds may throw you off. Read ahead to get the right strategies. Hole 1 (Par 3, 182 y, Gates 2) - For the first shot, just get the ball through the two gates and somewhere near the green. After that you have two shots to get the ball into the hole. Not too bad. Hole 2 (Par 4, 404 y, Gates 4) - This is actually the hardest Go-Go Gates hole in the game, at least for me. Notice the vertical alignment of the two gates closest to each other. This is what makes it difficult. Hit your first shot through the first gate but as far to the right and as short as possible to ensure a good angle on your next shot. Here comes the tricky part. Hit the ball through the red gate, but very far to the left (it should just barely miss the pole). If you did that correctly, you should be able to pass the next two in one shot and get close to the green. You may have to do a chip-in, but don't give up! If you get low winds, you may be able to clear all three gates on your second shot. If so, you will be able to get on the green and putt for the win. Remember, backspin is your friend. Hole 3 (Par 5, 492 y, Gates 4) - This one is pretty easy compared to the last, just don't screw it up or you will have to do the previous one again. On your first shot, hit the ball through the first gate and get as close to the second as you can. Wind will make this a pain, but it shouldnt hurt too badly. Now, Shoot through the second and third gates and land in position to nail the last. You will probably want to set the impact point all the way left to pull this off. Finally, hit through the blue gate and finish this hole. Claim your sparkly new Custom Ticket A from the guy after you beat all four courses. On to the next side game. *Thanks to draikan for what the reward is* -Lucky Country- This game throws club selection to a slot machine. You will be playing Three Slots rules (see section 7.6 Club Slots for details). It really helps to have a high drive stat for this, as you may be stuck without a driver. Not all holes require you to have all three clubs, but generally you will want to make sure that you get a wood or iron for every hole. If you are good at this, try to get three stars and receive your whole bag to use on the hole. The slots are much slower than they are in the Quick Play version. Remember that you must beat all three holes for each course consecutively to win. Because this side game does not have any special hole changes, I will not go in-depth for each hole. See section 8.0 Course Descriptions for specific hole details. =Marion Course= (Holes 8, 5, 7) =Palms Course= (Holes 15, 16, 7) =Dunes Course= (Holes 15, 12, 13) =Links Course= (Holes 3, 13, 16) Once you complete all four, you will receive congratulations and a delicious Muscle Drink. *Thanks to Conway L for what the reward is* -One-Club Challenge- You can find this place right next to the lodge. An old couple will challenge you to use a single iron to hit stick shots close to the pin. A stick shot means that the ball is within one pole-length of the pin. This place should make you good with iron shots, so I'd suggest beating it. There are three difficulties, each one with a smaller target zone, and in each difficulty you must hit the ball into the target zone from four different places consecutively. The first shot allows you to pick the club that you want to use. It is the longest shot, so as long as you can reach the pin here you are fine for the rest. Wind and slope of the green are never extreme, so go for the pin head-on. =Shot 1 (140 y)= This shot is the longest shot of the four. The main strategy for almost all iron shots is to aim the landing point about one pin-length from the hole and use backspin. This should get it into the zone every time. There is no slope in your way at all here, making it the easiest shot. =Shot 2 (73 y)= Here the slope may make the ball break to the left, especially if you have a high shot. Aim slightly to the right to make up for it, but otherwise there isn't anything to it. =Shot 3 (132 y)= Very similar to the previous shot, just farther away. The ball will not break as much from this angle, but be careful about under-judging the distance to the hole. If you really mess up the power timing, just don't use backspin. =Shot 4 (116 y)= This is the most difficult shot; if you undershoot the ball will hit the severe slope and not make it to the target zone. If you overshoot the ball will roll down the slope towards the pin and possibly roll to far. The best remedy is to aim directly at the hole (or beyond) and use super backspin. You will have to experiment to figure out the exact distance depending on your club choice. Also, watch out for the left (from your character's perspective; that's right to you) bounce the ball makes if you land directly on the gentle slope near the pin. Once you beat hard, claim your Custom Ticket A and praise from the old couple. *Thanks to nrblanc for what the reward is* -Golf Mini-park- Just outside the Marion clubhouse you can find this strange layout that is in fact a mini-park consisting of three holes. Your goal, as you will soon find out, is to play all three holes as one par 5, 6, or 7 hole, depending on the difficulty. Easy is par 7, normal is par 6, and hard is par 5. The pin lies 785 y away from you, so you should definitely get a powerful drive before coming here. Because it is the same course for all difficulties and you can beat all of them with a score of 5, I will just give a strategy for attaining a par 5. At the time, my Super POW club-enhanced power drive was 365 y. You don't need one quite as powerful, but every yard helps. Note that you only get a single power shot for the whole course, but you may want to use more than one, so get your timing down! =Hard (Par 5, 785 y)= Use a power shot to hit the ball onto the fairway that is second-farthest away from you and is towards the left. You may need to hit a low shot with super topspin if the wind is blowing. Next, change to a powerful club (not an iron) and hit up to the small plateau. You will have to rotate to the left to see it. You should probably use backspin to keep it on the plateau, and try to get it so that the tree is not directly in your way. If you can make it to the green now, go for it. If not it's okay, you do have a shot to spare. Hit it on the fairway and shoot an approach shot to the green. If the plateau is giving you trouble, just hit a shot onto the next fairway and go from there. If the wind is giving you trouble, restart and maybe you will get a calmer wind. Beat it on hard mode and you get a nice Custom Ticket B. *Thanks to Master X for what the reward is* -Coo-Coo Course- This can be found near the path to Palms Club; it's a brown shack. Head into the shack and a sick guy will ask you to play the Coo-Coo Course. It's a bit run down though, and you will have to avoid many hazards. All you have to do is beat it once with a score of par or better. Remember to restart if you don't like the wind. =Coo-Coo Course (Par 5, 520 y)= For your first shot, hit as far left and as close to the water into the rough as possible. Make sure you don't land in the heavy rough or heath, if you do just start over. Your second shot should be hit over the water and into the semi-rough with the small bunker in it. Now hit either on or near the green. From here you have two shots to get it into the hole, which should be no problem. Claim your reward from the newly rejuvenated man. He will say that he is going to clean up the Coo-Coo Course, but in fact all he does is fix the sign. Oh well, maybe next game. *Need to know what reward for this is* --Note: I have been sent conflicting rewards for this. Some say it is Custom Ticket C, others say D. I believe that it has something to do with whether or not you received the Custom Ticket D from Kid or not. I for one got C, and got my D from Kid. If anyone has EXACT details on this, I will credit that person as well as the three who initially sent in the info. I am not crediting anyone else who tries to tell me which Custom Ticket you get for this mini-game. -Elf's Short Course- This is found close to the Links Club. Many people have great difficulty with it, but it is not really that hard once you figure it out. Basically, you will have to do the front nine holes of this Elf guy's course, but there is a catch. You must complete each hole with a one-on, one-putt. This means that your tee shot must land on the green (fringe doesn't count) and then sink the next putt. Sounds easy, but there are strong winds, steep hills, and tiny greens. The best strategy that I can give you is to position the landing point one pin- length away from the hole, and then put backspin on it. The ball will land, slow down, and stop very close to the hole. This does not account for wind or slope, but you can only figure that out with practice. This also does not work exactly with all holes on the course. Some holes make you use shorter clubs, which have higher trajectories and will stop by themselves without the aid of backspin. Any wedge will usually do this, and so will a 9-iron. If you are not sure, just look at the simulation line. If it looks extra high, don't put backspin on it. Also note that it will be affected by wind more. To get specific strategies for each individual hole, check out section 8.7 Elf's Short Course. Good luck. Winning nets you a nice prize as well as the privelege to play all of his holes any time you want. That came out a little weird... *Need to know what reward for this is* If you are getting angered by the fact that you have to wait for the people to talk to you, just save your game after they finish. Before the Elf talks to you after you lose, press A+B+Select+Start to restart the GBA and just go to Story Mode and continue the game. Note that the 9 holes of the Elf's Story Mode challenge are NOT simply the front 9 holes of the Quick Play course. I think the first 6 holes in Story Mode are 1, 4, 5, 8, 10, and 11. If anyone knows the exact order of the holes, please send them in. --Send in rewards for any of these side games! 6.7 ------------------ Earning Experience ------------------ When you begin the game, your two characters will hardly be good golfers. Fortunately, after beating tournaments, playing matches, and completing practice drills, Neil and Ella will have gained enough experience to play with the best. The maximum level that the two can reach is level 99, and it really helps to have Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour for GameCube. Because it's important to build your characters according to your style and skill level, I've broken it down into each of the six categories into which you can put points. Note every time you gain a level, all of your stats will deteriorate slightly, except for the drive. This prevents you from permanently maxing out all stats and then building up a huge drive without limitations. Remember that the impact and control stats are leveled-up together. -Drive- The distance that you drive the ball can easily make the difference between a birdie and an eagle. I highly recommend boosting this stat the most, as it is one of the few stats that can not be compensated for with skill. There are clubs that boost this stat, but they do so on a percentage basis so the farther the drive, the larger the boost. -Height- The height of your shot has an impact on the ball that can be both positive and negative, depending on the situation. Having a low shot will sometimes help you slip the ball under tree leaves and it also reduces the ball's susceptibility to wind. The ball will also roll slightly farther, but this is negligible as you can simply put spin on it that cancels it out quite effectively. A high shot is just the opposite; it allows the ball to soar over obstacles and stop sooner than normal, but it is affected by wind much more. I prefer a low shot because of the wind factor as it is the only thing that is a pro in the low shot and a con in the high shot. Therefore, you may want to completely restrict Ella's height advancement (or Neil's if you like high shots). -Shot- Your fade or draw will always be pushed toward a perfectly straight shot when you upgrade this ability. A straight shot allows more versatility, as with an extreme draw or fade you may be completely restricted to one angle even if you change the impact. However it is never a big deal so unless it is getting out of hand, I'd suggest putting your points elsewhere. If you really need a straight shot, you can always pick up some super straight clubs at the Custom Club Shop. -Impact- Your impact stat affects the impact bracket under the impact timing zone. A good impact rating equals a wide bracket. Because this stat can be completely overcome by skill, I'd say only put points in this if you are struggling to get an adequate shot. If you are really having trouble, get clubs that increase your sweet spot at the Custom Club Shop. -Control- Control is basically how accurate your character's shot is. If you have a bad control stat, your ball will almost never go where you think it will go, even if you have perfect timing. Therefore, it is imperative that you level-up this stat to the max at all times or at least use clubs to enhance this stat. -Spin- Once again, the sensitivity of the ball to spin can be compensated for with skill, but I highly recommend increasing this stat to the maximum. This will allow you to master tough courses and challenges, namely the Elf's Short Course in Story Mode. Certain clubs can help the spin stat in limited ways, but there is no true substitute for a maxed out spin stat. Now that you know the advantages and disadvantages of each of the stat's you may want to know whom you should level up first. Leveling the main character may make sense because you will spend much more time playing as him, due to the singles tournaments, but leveling your partner is advantageous as well since she is such a poor player. I personally leveled them up at the same rate, and have no complaints. I do suggest giving Power, Super, Muscle, and Hyper Drinks to Neil as he has a better drive to begin with and you might as well make it awesome. 7.0 ************** * Quick Game * ************** After beating Story Mode, this is where you will spend all of your time. You play as any character that you have unlocked so far. You can also set clubs that you bought in Story Mode however you please. 7.1 --------------- Star Tournament --------------- Here you can participate in all five courses that are completely redone (except the Mushroom Course, it's the same) with fast greens and other features listed below. In order to play them however, you must unlock holes for each tournament. If you do not have the hole unlocked, you will just play the regular version of that hole. You can only unlock all the holes with Mario Golf: Toadstool Tournament. There is also a doubles version in which you can select your doubles partner. The star holes use the exact same hole as the regular course, just with the special features. Starman - Makes your next shot's lie percentage as though it were on the fairway. Boo - Slows down your shot, can sometimes help prevent the ball from going OB. The larger the boo, the more the slowdown. Item Box - Gives you a random item. You should always go for this; there is no penalty and it may make your opponent's life harder in match play. Red Mushroom: One power shot added to your stock. Green Mushroom: 100 experience points gained at the end of the round. Umbrella: Changes weather to rain. Shine Sprite: Changes weather to clear. Weather Vane: Changes wind direction. Boost Pad - Gives the ball an extra boost forward in its current direction. Jump Pad - Makes the ball jump and go farther forward in its current direction. Warp Pipe - Drop the ball into this pipe and it will rocket out the other corresponding pipe onto the fairway. Mushrooms - These small toadstools will bounce your ball around if hit and make a really funny noise. They only block your shot up close, and are scattered around the fairway. Star Bunkers - A star shaped bunker; fairly small but scattered around the fairway. Watch your shots around these. 7.2 ----------- Stroke Play ----------- Stroke Play allows you to play a course for a low score. You can play any course or its star counterpart, plus the Elf's Short Course. You can choose to play all 18 holes, the front or back nine, or random holes in groups of 9, 6, or 3. The green speed, tee placement, and handicap can be changed as well. This is mainly a practice mode with the options of your choice; no records will be kept. 7.3 --------------- Character Match --------------- The mode lets you play an 18-hole match against any character available. All courses are available except the Elf's Short Course. You can choose the green speed as well as the front or back tees. If you get a better score than your opponent, you will get a medal. First to 10 medals wins. Beginning with the first, every other tie will result in the number of medals needed to win being decreased. A "Dormie Hole" indicates that one only needs to tie to win. Courses will be restarted in the event of a tie on the 18th hole. In the Records menu, you can see the status of whom you have beaten. A silver star means that won but saved during the match, a gold star means that you won without saving, and a rainbow means that you won without saving and did not let your opponent score once. 7.4 ------- Doubles ------- Play a round of doubles in several different modes with this option. You can choose whom you play as well as your partner. The modes are Stroke Play, Match Play, Four Slots, Three Slots, and Skins Match. Stroke Play, Match Play, and Slots are described in their corresponding sections. Skins Match is played in two teams of two. A point, or skin, is awarded for each hole in which the team gets a lower score. If there is a tie, the point is held. The next time a team wins, they will get a point for the hole as well as all points currently being held from ties. All modes will allow all course options. 7.5 ---------- Speed Golf ---------- The object of this mode is to complete a course in a fast time regardless of your score. It is best to simply hit the shot immediately and hope the computer set you up well. All courses are available, except for the Elf's Short Course. You can choose the green speed and tee placement as well. 7.6 ---------- Club Slots ---------- This cool mode throws your club choices up to a slot machine. You can choose either Four Slots or Three Slots, both of which give you full course and option choices. In Three Slots, the first slot determines which long distance club you will get, the second is a medium distance club, and the third is a short distance club. If you land on a star, you will not receive a club in that category. But, get three stars to gain access to your entire bag. You will always have a putter. Four Slots is the same except you will get a fourth slot that gives you special conditions listed below. The winner is the player who gains the most points throughout the course. The point distribution is listed below, and is known as Point-tournament rules. Also, in Four Slots mode you will receive twice as many points as usual on the last hole. *Thanks to KVargs for Four Slots last hole info* -Four Slots Special Conditions- *The following conditions/descriptions are in the exact words of KVargs* Red and Orange Flag - No wind for that hole P - Add a power shot to your counter Two stars - If you use the auto-swing you will hit the ball perfectly x2 - You will recieve twice as many points on the hole (if you get this on the final hole, since you already get 2 times as many points, you will receive 4 times as much) Counter-clockwise Blue Arrow - You get an extra mulligan *Thanks to KVargs for the conditions and descriptions* -Point-Tournament Distribution- Double Bogey: 0 Bogey: 1 Par: 2 Birdie: 3 Eagle: 4 Hole in One: 5 Albatross: 5 7.7 ----------- Go-Go Gates ----------- Yet another fun mode, this one presents you with the challenge of hitting the ball through all gates as well as getting par on the course. There are six holes for each of the four main courses, making a total of 24 challenges. --Individual hole descriptions to come 7.8 -------- Near-Pin -------- Go for the lowest distance on an 18-hole or front/back 9-hole round of Elf's Short Course. You can choose the speed of the green and handicaps but on Elf's Short Course there are only front tees. Every time you hit a shot, the distance of the ball to the pin will be added to your score. If you do not make it on the green, your score will automatically be 100 feet. You will only get one shot per hole. 7.9 -------- Training -------- Training mode allows you to freely practice any hole on any course in every possible situation. Choose the wind speed and direction, the weather, if it will be a star or normal hole, the pin placement on the green, the tee placement, and the green speed. Practice holes that trouble you the most. 8.0 *********************** * Course Descriptions * *********************** The courses in Mario Golf: Advance Tour are wide and varied. There are a total of ten including the star courses. Each one has a different style, and this is what makes the game interesting. You will have to adapt your playing style to each course depending on its features. Here, I will walk you through each and every hole in the entire game. If you have a killer strategy for a hole that is not listed here, send it in and I will give you full credit of course. All distances are when the pin is in position 1. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go to Quick Play Training and press R. Scroll down until you see an option that says "Pin 1." Pressing left and right will change the pin to four different positions. Because of this, I will not describe putting to the pin in great detail. I will assume that you have a drive of approximately 240 y. Obviously if it is better, you can take different shots, and if pertinent, I will give strategies for these as well. 8.1 ----------------- Unlocking Courses ----------------- Mushroom Course - Place first in the Links Tournament in Story Mode. Elf's Short Course - Beat the Elf's Short Course mini-game in Story Mode. *The following descriptions are in the exact words of Yoshi348* -Star Marion- 1 - Gain XP from anything but linking to Toadstool Tour 2 - Link to Toadstool Tour 3 - Clear the minigame at the Marion Iron-shot Driving Range 4 - Beat Peach in a TT character match with one of your characters 5 - Clear the minigame at the Palms Putting Green on Easy 6 - Beat Diddy in a TT character match with one of your characters 7 - Score -10 or better on the Marion Doubles Tourney 8 - Clear the Ring Shot holes on the 1st course with one of your characters 9 - Get 3rd or better in Marion Doubles Tourney 10 - Beat Birdo in a TT character match with one of your characters 11 - Clear the minigame at the Links Driving Range 12 - Beat Wario in a TT character match with one of your characters 13 - Get 3rd or better in the Mushroom Doubles Tourney 14 - Beat Bowser in a TT character match with one of your characters 15 - Score -14 or better in the Marion Singles Tourney 16 - Beat Mario in a TT character match with one of your characters 17 - Get 3rd or better in the Marion Singles Tourney 18 - Win the Lakitu Cup on Toadstool Tour with one of your characters -Star Palms- 1 - Clear the minigame at the Marion Driving Range 2 - Beat Koopa Troopa in a TT character match with one of your characters 3 - Clear the Backspin Approach minigame at the Marion Approach-shot Range 4 - Beat Luigi in a TT character match with one of your characters 5 - Clear the minigame at the Dunes Driving Range on Easy 6 - Beat Yoshi in a TT character match with one of your characters 7 - Score -9 or better on the Palms Doubles Tourney 8 - Clear the Ring Shot holes on the 2nd course with one of your characters 9 - Get 3rd or better in Palms Doubles Tourney 10 - Beat Waluigi in a TT character match with one of your characters 11 - Clear the minigame at the Links Approach-shot Range on Easy 12 - Beat Daisy in a TT character match with one of your characters 13 - Score -10 or better on the Mushroom Singles Tourney 14 - Beat DK in a TT character match with one of your characters 15 - Score -13 or better in the Palms Singles Tourney 16 - Clear the Ring Shot holes on the 5th course with one of your characters 17 - Get 3rd or better in Palms Singles Tourney 18 - Win the Cheep Cheep Tournament on TT with one of your characters -Star Dunes- 1 - Clear the Running-approach minigame at the Marion Approach-shot Range 2 - Link to a TT game that has at least 9 Birdie Badges 3 - Clear the minigame at the Palms Driving Range 4 - Link to a TT game that has at least 18 Birdie Badges 5 - Clear the minigame at the Dunes Approach-shot Range 6 - Link to a TT game that has at least 36 Birdie Badges 7 - Score -8 or better on the Dunes Doubles Tourney 8 - Clear the Ring Shot holes on the 3rd course with one of your characters 9 - Get 3rd or better in the Dunes Double Cup 10 - Link to a TT game that has at least 45 Birdie Badges 11 - Clear the minigame at the Links Putting Green 12 - Link to a TT game that has at least 63 Birdie Badges 13 - Score -6 or better on the Mushroom Doubles Tourney 14 - Link to a TT game that has at least 90 Birdie Badges 15 - Score -12 or better on the Dunes Singles Tourney 16 - Link to a TT game that has at least 72 Birdie Badges 17 - Get 3rd or better in the Dunes Singles Tourney 18 - Win the Sands Classic on Toadstool Tour with one of your characters -Star Links- 1 - Clear the minigame at the Marion Putting Green 2 - Clear the TT Shot Practice on easy with one of your characters 3 - Clear the minigame at the Palms Approach Range 4 - Clear the TT Approach Practice on easy with one of your characters 5 - Clear the minigame at the Dunes Putting Green 6 - Clear the TT Putting Practice on easy with one of your characters 7 - Score -7 or better on the Links Doubles Tourney 8 - Clear the Ring Shot holes on the 4th course with one of your characters 9 - Get 3rd or better in the Links Doubles Tourney 10 - Clear the TT Shot Practice on normal with one of your characters 11 - Get 3rd or better in the Mushroom Singles Tourney 12 - Clear the TT Approach Practice on normal with one of your characters 13 - Get 90 Birdie Badges 14 - Clear the TT Putting Practice on normal with one of your characters 15 - Score -11 or better on the Links Singles Tourney 16 - Win the Peach Invitational on Toadstool Tour with one of your characters 17 - Get 3rd or better in the Links Singles Tourney 18 - Win the Blooper Open on Toadstool Tour with one of your characters *Extra thanks to Yoshi348 for how to get all star holes* 8.2 ------------- Marion Course ------------- This is a fairly easy course, and is meant to get beginners into the swing of golf (no pun intended). Low winds, large greens, and short holes make for an easy time. When you get a long drive you should be able to get eagles easily on some of the par 4's. The only real hazards are the evergreen trees scattered around. This is a great place in which to do character matches if you are trying to unlock star characters. =Hole 1= Par 4 372 y Here is a nice, straight course. Hit down the center with topspin for an extra boost. Aim to the left of the green and use backspin as it is quite small. Putting should be simple as long as you don't have to deal with the slopes on the right of the green. =Hole 2= Par 4 337 y This hole is fairly straight-forward, but there is an area of hazards in the center. Your drive should be just past the bunkers. Don't let it roll down the hill or you will have trees to deal with. Aim for the center of the large green and use good judgement if you have to putt up the hills to the pin. You may need to switch to medium power. =Hole 3= Par 3 148 y Drive the ball to the center of the green and use backspin to keep it on. There is plenty of fairway so don't be afraid to use a wood to roll the ball up to the green. There are a large number of slopes but staying to the center of the green will avoid them. =Hole 4= Par 5 494 y You will definitely have to beware of trees in this one. If you can, just use a power shot to blow clear past the first tree; just make sure you stay on high ground. If not, aim for the small piece of fairway that juts out to the left near the bunker. Use backspin to prevent it from falling in. If you can, use a power shot to get the ball to the green (if you even need to). Otherwise, get it as close as possible and set up for a possible fairway putt or at least easy approach. There are a ton of slopes so aim towards the center and hope for good luck. =Hole 5= Par 4 317 y The single tree that stands alone in the middle of the fairway can be quite an obstacle. I suggest trying to hit to the right of it and rolling the ball up to the left of the bunker. From here, a bump and run is a feasible idea, or go for a wedge shot if the wind is good. Aim to the left spot of the green with no slope. =Hole 6= Par 4 321 y If you have the power and the wind assistance to clear the water gap and land the ball to the left of the bunker, by all means do so. Otherwise hit the ball as far right and towards the back of the fairway as possible so as to avoid any tree interference. Aim to the left or right of the green to avoid the steep slope, and sink it in no more than two putts. =Hole 7= Par 5 447 y Conservative players will hit their tee shot on the left plateau, but risk- takers can try to hit the ball directly between the two central trees farther up the fairway. If you take the risk you will be a shot ahead of the rest, but screw up and you may have to take a bogey. Either way, the green is large and has little slope, so aim towards the pin. It is the perfect place to do a bump and run so whip out your 4 wood and go for it. =Hole 8= Par 3 136 y This short par 3 may give your ball a strange trajectory in which it will drop straight down onto the mitt-shaped green. Take advantage of its sudden stop to land the ball extremely close to the pin. It is very possible to get a hole- in-one here, especially with no wind. =Hole 9= Par 4 367 y Here it is best to hit your tee shot as far up the plateau as possible. This makes your second shot sail over the trees. I suggest aiming your second shot directly at the center of the green; just watch out for the bunker to the right. Putting should be simple as there are no major slopes through the middle of the green. =Hole 10= Par 4 338 y =Hole 11= Par 5 479 y =Hole 12= Par 3 149 y =Hole 13= Par 4 344 y =Hole 14= Par 4 391 y =Hole 15= Par 4 349 y =Hole 16= Par 4 358 y =Hole 17= Par 3 168 y =Hole 18= Par 5 493 y --More to come 8.3 ------------ Palms Course ------------ Slightly more difficult than the Marion Course, Palms introduces the palm tree, which is quite tall and will often get in the way of your shots. There is also plenty of water hazards, which should be avoided like the plague. =Hole 1= Par 4 371 y Quite a tricky hole to be the first. Risky players will definitely go for the central island with a power shot, but it is probably better to aim to the right fairway. The main advantage of the island is that you will not have any trees to deal with. If you are on the island I suggest a bump and run; if not then use a high trajectory shot to drop the ball in the center of the large green. Few slopes should make putting a breeze. =Hole 2= Par 4 379 y I hate this hole. If you want to get by the trees, your best bet is to land your tee shot on the plateau, then hit a power shot to the green. The layout of the palm trees may force you to take par, so don't be afraid to take an extra shot to get in position. Stay away from the highly sloped center of the green and hit your ball to the side with the pin. If the wind is up, try to roll the ball down the main slope if it gets you closer to the pin. =Hole 3= Par 5 470 y The trees definitely make this a tough par 5. I suggest aiming between the first two trees on your tee shot, trying to keep the ball on the plateau. If the conditions are right, you should be able to reach the green from here. If not, just get as close as you can and go from there. The green is long and thin, but with few slopes so you should get in the hole in one putt. =Hole 4= Par 4 356 y In the case that there is little wind, you may want to slip your tee shot in between the two trees. If not, just land on the plateau. The green has few slopes, but watch out for the bunker if you under judge the distance. =Hole 5= Par 3 148 y Due to the lake looming just past the green, a bump and run is not recommended. I would suggest putting backspin on the ball no matter what, as it is better to undershoot than end up with a penalty stroke. Aim for the large part of the green and sink it in one or two putts. =Hole 6= Par 4 369 y The fairway here is extremely thin and bunkers flank the sides, so aim dead center and compensate for the wind. The green shouldn't present too many problems; just make sure you get the ball fairly close to the pin. =Hole 7= Par 5 449 y The place that you will naturally aim here is littered with hazards. For best results, I suggest aiming at the front of the plateau. This way you can avoid the first clump of palm trees and the bunker and simply sail over the second tree group. You can definitely make it to the green from here; I usually try a bump and run with my 3 iron since the green is somewhat narrow. Watch out for the steep border slopes when putting. =Hole 8= Par 3 166 y This par 3 hole will have you aiming at a strangely shaped green. Try to land on the broader part of it. If you are stuck shooting across the large section of fringe, be sure to use extra power. =Hole 9= Par 4 362 y If you are bold, go ahead and try to shoot across the river. Otherwise just aim at the fairway. Try to land in the center of the green and go for the birdie. =Hole 10= Par 4 372 y =Hole 11= Par 4 388 y =Hole 12= Par 3 164 y =Hole 13= Par 5 465 y =Hole 14= Par 4 377 y =Hole 15= Par 3 141 y =Hole 16= Par 4 351 y =Hole 17= Par 5 499 y =Hole 18= Par 4 376 y --More to come 8.4 ------------ Dunes Course ------------ Dunes is very different from the rest. There are a wide scattering of bunkers and extremely thin fairways. You will need to take risky shots here if you want a low score, so skill is definitely needed to do well here. =Hole 1= Par 4 382 y The first hole of the course demonstrates the atmosphere for the whole course: be risky. Aim as far up any of the three fairway sections as you can. The only thing that you need to consider are possibly hitting bunkers and cacti getting in the way of your second shot. Go for the center of the green and putt across the gentle slopes to the hole. =Hole 2= Par 4 391 y Assuming that the wind is favorable, it is advisable to try and hit across the small patch of rough to get as far up the fairway as possible. Use a power shot and super topspin if necessary. Otherwise, the left cacti may get in the way of your shot should you decide to bump and run. This is in fact the best approach, as the green is long and flat. =Hole 3= Par 5 510 y Unless you have an extremely powerful shot, you won't be able to make the second section of fairway. Settle with the closer plateau and try to get the ball as far forward and to the right as possible. This will prevent the cacti from messing with your shot. If need be just give your shot a little extra draw with the impact marker. You should be able to make it on or near the green, just do your best and you will most likely get at least a birdie. =Hole 4= Par 3 150 y Your best bet on this par 3 is to hit an iron shot with backspin. Try to get the ball to stop in the center of the green. It really helps also if the ball is lined up with the slopes, as this decreases break. If you are forced to putt up the steep slope, you may have to take par, but you should definitely avoid a bogey. =Hole 5= Par 4 417 y This hole's thin fairway is a killer. Your tee shot should land you at the plateau behind the cactus, setting you up for a fairly easy iron shot. The green is extremely sloped, so don't be afraid to put backspin on the ball. The hole may take two putts to reach, but don't get discouraged. =Hole 6= Par 4 386 y You have a few options here. You can go for left area behind the two bunkers in the second section of fairway, you can try to get the ball on the right plateau on the second section of fairway, or you can be conservative and just hit on the front plateau. I like to choose the first option; just be careful not to land on the mound or you ball may take a bounce into a bunker. Your second shot should get you as close to the pin as possible but it is more important that you get the ball on the green for sure. =Hole 7= Par 4 403 y A good idea here is to try to roll the ball down the slope of the first plateau or use a power shot and get it on the second plateau. Either way, make sure that there will be no cacti in the way of you second shot. It helps to have a fade. A bump and run is a good bet here, just make sure it doesn't roll too far. The green is basically flat, so once you're on the green you're in the hole. =Hole 8= Par 3 165 y The center of this green is so hilly that it is best to drop the ball as close to the pin as possible on the tee shot. If you have to putt all the way across the fringe, you will want to use extra power (almost like it's in rain). =Hole 9= Par 5 490 y This hole presents a great opportunity for risk-takers. I strongly suggest landing the ball on the island in the middle of the lake as it greatly increases the chances of you getting an eagle. If you can't make the island you will be faced with a tough labyrinth of cacti and thin fairway. If the pin is on the right, you will have an easy time getting a chip-in if necessary. Also, this is quite a good hole on which to go for an albotross. =Hole 10= Par 4 390 y =Hole 11= Par 3 148 y =Hole 12= Par 4 371 y =Hole 13= Par 5 489 y =Hole 14= Par 4 389 y =Hole 15= Par 3 142 y =Hole 16= Par 4 414 y =Hole 17= Par 5 509 y =Hole 18= Par 4 377 y --More to come 8.5 ------------ Links Course ------------ One of the most highly regarded courses, Links offers thin landing zones, fast fairways, and a ton of heath. The wind is also a killer; at times it can exceed 20 mph. Get ready, this is the most challenging course yet. =Hole 1= Par 4 396 y What a challenging first hole. It is extremely advantageous to hit across the river towards the leftmost fast fairway. Otherwise, you will have to deal with the tree directly in front of the green. It is best to just fade or draw around it; try not to waste an extra shot so early in the course. Land the ball in the exact center of the green to make dealing with the steep hill a little easier. =Hole 2= Par 5 524 y Here you should definitely stay completely away from the bunkers. You will not make the green in two shots but it's better than a par or a bogey, right? Having a fade really helps on the second shot; try to get the ball to land on the rightmost part of the fast fairway and bounce off the mound directly toward the green. If this is too tough for you just stop it on the fairway in front and go for a safe approach shot. The green is broad and flat, so the putt should be easy. =Hole 3= Par 3 149 y If you get a bad wind here, this hole can be a real pain. Just aim for the center and hope for the best, as I always say. You may want to use backspin. Once you are on the green, however, putting is a breeze. =Hole 4= Par 4 409 y Though you may choose whichever spot you wish, I suggest aiming between the tree and the plateau. That way you will not have any obstacles in your way, unless of course you stop the ball short right in front of the tree. If the wind is paricularly strong, a bump and run is probably a good idea; just be sure to stop the ball with backspin before it breaks off the green. If you go too far away from the hole you may have to two-putt, but don't sweat it. =Hole 5= Par 4 416 y If you are feeling extremely lucky, you may want to get an extreme draw and topspin and bounce the ball along the fast fairway and over the heath to freedom beyond. However, landing in the heath will most likely cost you an extra shot, so be careful. If you decide to play conservatively, use backspin and make sure no trees block your second shot. The green is small and there is no easy way to approach the pin, so just land the ball in the center and trust your putting skills. =Hole 6= Par 3 202 y The ultimate bump and run hole; I suggest aiming just behind the mound, making sure you don't actually hit it. Backspin may be a good idea if you think it will go too far. Compared to the rest of the course, this green isn't too bad, so you should be able to one-putt for a birdie. =Hole 7= Par 4 402 y Only go across the river if you are in desperate need of extra yardage. The fast fairway will carry your ball directly into the heath if you overshoot or you will land in the water if you undershoot. Use super backspin. Normally, however, you will aim just behind the river, trying to land the ball on the tiny strip of normal fairway and stop it on the fast variety. Aim to the right part of the green and make par or better. =Hole 8= Par 5 507 y Though it's risky, I highly suggest stopping the ball on the area of fast fairway at the front of the plateau. This puts you out of the way of all trees. Next, get your ball on or near the fast fairway by the hole, and approach the right part of the green. If you are confident, aim directly at the pin. =Hole 9= Par 4 414 y Your tee shot should carry you to the patch of fast fairway on the plateau. From this position you can feasible try a bump and run (draw helps) but you may be better off dropping the ball in the center of the green with an iron. Whatever you do, you should be able to sink the next putt for the birdie. =Hole 10= Par 3 189 y =Hole 11= Par 4 392 y =Hole 12= Par 5 549 y =Hole 13= Par 4 351 y =Hole 14= Par 4 423 y =Hole 15= Par 3 155 y =Hole 16= Par 5 493 y =Hole 17= Par 4 414 y =Hole 18= Par 4 432 y --More to come 8.6 --------------- Mushroom Course --------------- Designed by Mario himself, this course is set in the mystical Mushroom Kingdom. It is the coolest course in my opinion, as it has new features such as lava, thwomps, bob-ombs, and play panels. Try not to be too risky, as a lot of holes here are quite tough. =Hole 1= Par 3 166 y =Hole 2= Par 4 436 y =Hole 3= Par 4 423 y =Hole 4= Par 5 526 y =Hole 5= Par 4 404 y =Hole 6= Par 3 154 y =Hole 7= Par 4 406 y =Hole 8= Par 5 520 y =Hole 9= Par 4 405 y =Hole 10= Par 4 412 y =Hole 11= Par 3 187 y =Hole 12= Par 4 417 y =Hole 13= Par 4 381 y =Hole 14= Par 5 527 y =Hole 15= Par 3 181 y =Hole 16= Par 4 464 y =Hole 17= Par 4 400 y =Hole 18= Par 5 517 y --More to come 8.7 ------------------ Elf's Short Course ------------------ I knew I'd be seeing you here. Though practice is the best teacher, I will try to help you out by giving hole-specific strategies to use. This is quite a strange course, as all holes are short par 3's. Since I know most of you are here because of the Elf's Short Course, I will give a strategy that pertains to that one-on, one-putt style of play (though I would anyway). Note that the 9 holes of the Elf's Story Mode challenge are NOT simply the front 9 holes of the course. I think the first 6 Story Mode holes are 1, 4, 5, 8, 10, and 11 on the course. If anyone knows the exact order of the holes, please send them in. =Hole 1= Par 3 58 y Easily the shortest hole in the game, and also the only one in which it is advisable to use an approach shot off the tee. Getting it onto the green shouldn't be too hard, but putting up the slopes can be difficult. If you are having trouble with that use a wood to try and roll it up the slope. =Hole 2= Par 3 156 y Try to drop the ball in the center of the green and then putt across the gentle slopes to the hole. The main challenge is keeping the ball from rolling into the rough, so I'd suggest using backspin or letting it bounce once in the rough. =Hole 3= Par 3 149 y Basically the same as the first hole, but now you will be using longer clubs which make the ball roll more. Backspin should remedy the problem, and putting should now be easier from the center of the green. =Hole 4= Par 3 170 y Now is the time to use bump and run. The wind may make this difficult, but you should definitely get in the hang of bump and running this hole. Putting shouldn't give you any trouble. =Hole 5= Par 3 122 y A tiny green coupled with high winds makes for a tough hole. Compensate for the wind as best you can and use backspin if you are using a low trajectory club. There aren't any major slopes to worry about, so the putting aspect is in the bag. =Hole 6= Par 3 158 y This one is tough. Aim towards the center and judge the wind as best you can. Backspin will most likely help. Once again the putting will be easy. =Hole 7= Par 3 130 y What works for me here is to let the ball land a little ways out on the green but with backspin. The ball should be on the flat part of the green, making the putt much easier. =Hole 8= Par 3 74 y This one is extremely tough, possibly the most difficult one. All I can suggest is to make the ball land on flat ground as close to the fringe as possible with backspin. Be careful with the backspin, as high trajectory shots tend to be exta sensitive to backspin. If you land the ball on one of the front slopes you will not need backspin. Putting is the easy part. =Hole 9= Par 3 110 y This hole can be a killer. Just judge the wind and aim for the widest part of the green. Backspin should help greatly. Be careful putting downhill; don't overshoot the hole. =Hole 10= Par 3 89 y =Hole 11= Par 3 106 y =Hole 12= Par 3 153 y =Hole 13= Par 3 69 y =Hole 14= Par 3 109 y =Hole 15= Par 3 79 y =Hole 16= Par 3 134 y =Hole 17= Par 3 90 y =Hole 18= Par 3 124 y --More to come 9.0 ********************************** * Connecting with Toadstool Tour * ********************************** To connect with Toadstool Tour, you will of course need all the requiremenst to play that game as well as a GBA-GCN link cable. Hook the two systems up and turn them both on. The connection screen should show up on the TV and GBA and it will prompt you to press A on the GBA. Connecting will allow you to transfer your character data, clubs, and taunts from the GBA into the GCN. On Advance Tour you will be able to unlock characters, courses, and other items, as well as a plethora of experience. See each individual section to find out how to unlock them specifically. All things, except birdie badges, that can be unlocked from Toadstool Tour MUST be done with your transferred character. So far, this is what I have. Luigi(*) Waluigi(*) Wario(*) Bowser(*) Even Star Course holes 4 1-up Mushrooms --More to come 10.0 *********** * Credits * *********** Nintendo/Camelot - for making such a great game. GameFAQs - for posting this FAQ. Me - for writing this FAQ. You - for reading this FAQ; please contribute! Instruction Booklet - for providing information about game modes. Jill Hofreiter - for proofreading this FAQ. Austin91 - for letting me know about the Muscle Drink. sturmdefeater - for correcting me on the stat boost of the Hyper Drink. WaluigiIsDaBomb - for giving me the locations of Custom Tickets A 1, B 1, C 1. draikan - for giving me the locations of Custom Tickets A 2 and D 1. Silvervette588 - for telling me how to unlock Luigi, Waluigi, and Wario; and for contributing the statistics for Peach*, Yoshi*, and Donkey Kong*. Deathborn668 - for giving me the location of Muscle Drink 1. Yoshi348 - for how to get all star holes. Richard Seddon - for telling me Bowser's drive. KVargs - for Club Slots information. JumperWillow - for the location of Power Drink 2 and some club descriptions. Patrick Flowers - for the location of Super Drink 1. nrblanc - for the location of Custom Ticket A 3. Conway L - for the location of Muscle Drink 2. Master X - for the location of Custom Ticket B 2. 11.0 ********************** * Legal/Contact Info * ********************** This document may not be reproduced and used for any means of profit. It is intended solely for private and personal use. I will not allow any other sites to host this FAQ, except GameFAQs, so please do not ask. If you post this FAQ without my permission, which you will never get, I will give one chance to remove it. If you remove my name from it or alter this section in any way, I will not hesitate to take legal action immediately. Just don't do it. All copyrights in this FAQ belong to their current holders. This document is copyright Eric Hofreiter 2004. If you would like to contact me, use my email address posted above. In case you are lazy, it is erichof425@hotmail.com. I only have a limited amount of criteria, but if my email is abused then I may be forced to expand this section. Again. 1. Mark the email with the subject "Mario Golf FAQ", or something similar. If you don't, I will delete it promptly. 2. Please use good taste and good grammar in your message. If I am forced to read something that is incoherent or offensive, I will delete it and all future emails from you. 3. If you decide to send me any malicious or illegal material, I will find you and take legal action. I really don't think you want that to happen. 4. DO NOT ask me to allow your site to host this FAQ. The answer is NO. If I get any more emails about this I will simply delete it and block the sender. 5. Finally, I will read and reply to questions, comments, criticism, corrections, additions, and any contribution whatsoever. If you contribute, please give me the name to which you would like to be credited. 12.0 ************** * Conclusion * ************** As a final note, I would like to say that this FAQ has been much more work than I had originally thought. I sincerely hope that you have found some use for it. Future additions will increase its size significantly, but the FAQ's full potential can only be realized with the contributions of its readers. Many people have already made contributions, but anything you can add would be greatly appreciated. Thank you once again for reading and look forward to my upcoming FAQs. Copyright Eric Hofreiter 2004