Golf

Golf preview, found in the Switch Sports announcement trailer

**Golf** is one of the seven sports currently in *Nintendo Switch Sports*, and one of the 4 returning sports. It was released on November 28, 2022.

## Overview

In Golf, the goal is to hit the ball into the hole with as few swings as possible. In the game, you use your Joy-Con to swing and hit the ball.

Remastered versions of the courses from Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort are available, along with a "Special" course with 3 new holes (The Wii Sports Club-exclusive course is not present).

## Online matches

A typical online match will be played between 8 players over 5 randomly picked holes (from an available 21), in a format comparable to online bowling:

* After the first 2 holes, the top 5 players and anyone tied with 5th place continue to the next 2 holes that constitute "Semi-finals"
* After 4 holes, the top 3 players and anyone tied with 3rd place continue to the "Final" on hole 5.
* If there is a tie for 1st after the final, the tied players move to a "Closest to Pin" overtime, where they are placed on a 6th hole within 1 stroke's physical distance of the hole, and get 1 stroke each to get the ball the closest to the hole. The closest ball wins.

The points system in online matches heavily reward going under par on holes, while not making as big of a difference between e.g. 2 or 3 over par:

 -2 (Eagle)
 -1 (Birdie)
 0 (Par)
 +1 (Bogey)
 +2 (Double Bogey)
 +3 (Triple Bogey)
 +4 (Sank It)
 +5 (Limit Reached)

There are no bonus points for Hole in One, with them being scored as Eagle or Albatross depending on the hole.

Online holes more often than not take place during heavier wind conditions than what would be acceptable in real life golf, with 30m/s being far from rare. The greens also tend to be very bumpy compared to on real life golf courses.

The shot clock for each player to complete a hole starts at 140 seconds on Par 5 holes, 120sec on Par 4, 100sec on Par 3, and 60sec on "Closest to Pin". The timer pauses when striking the ball, and resumes when the player is given the go-ahead to prepare the next stroke.

Players tee off from a two-tier stand faintly similar to ones found at driving ranges, with the players standing a few meters apart. Matches are non-contact, as players and balls cannot interfere with each other despite them playing at the same time.

If the ball has not been successfully put after the +4 stroke has concluded, the hole is automatically forfeited.

A full 5-hole match usually lasts around 15 minutes, so it takes longer time to attempt to reach A rank unless many 1st places are scored. The matchmaking also very often places B rank players in matches dominated by A, S, and even ∞ ranks, making progression from B to A very difficult.

## Offline matches

Offline play works similarly to in the Wii Sports series. 1-4 players can choose between going 3, 9, and 18 holes. Course options are:

* 3 Holes
	+ Resort A
	+ Resort B
	+ Resort C
	+ Classic A
	+ Classic B
	+ Classic C
	+ Special
	+ Random
* 9 Holes
	+ Resort
	+ Classic
	+ Random
* 18 Holes

Scoring is done with traditional stroke counting. Going -1 total or lower on the 18 Holes course unlocks the Golf Outfit (Golden) clothes set.

"Limit Reached" is reached at +6 on Par 3 holes, +8 on Par 4, and +10 on Par 5.

## Collection points

Applied in order from top to bottom:

* Play Bonus: 50 points
* Ranking Bonus: x1.?-2.0
* Nice-Shot Bonus: x1.1
* Nice Approaches: x1.1
* Par Bonus: x1.1
* Under Par x1 Bonus: x1.1
* Event Bonus: x1.5, x2, or x3

## Notes

* Online matches have no official scoring for -4, likely due to the de facto impossibility of getting a Hole in One on a Par 5 hole.
* "Closest to Pin" counts balls that go out-of-bounds and water as being worth less than any distance to the hole. This can lead to mind-games if it takes place on Resort 8 or Classic 8, as players can try to run down the shot clock and hope the other player(s) decide to shoot first and land in the water, after which they can use the putter softly to marginally move the ball and win.
* In Play Locally and *Play with Friends*, pressing ZR + R + A (Left Joy-Con: ZL + L + ▶) to select Golf during the Sports Selection screen (A short jingle will play if the button pressing was done correctly), will remove the HUD during that golf match, which the intermission tips describe as "Adding More Realism".
* In both the American and European English locales, fairway/rough distances are given in yards, while wind speed is given in miles per hour. However, distances on green are given in feet (with decimals) in the American locale, but are given in meters in the European locale.
* An instant replay is shown (and the player's Sportsmate is shown jumping) after a Chip-In (incl. Hole in Ones), or after a Nice Approach from a very long distance. They are however not shown after e.g. a Birdie.
* Various facilities near the holes (Library tents, food trucks, jumboscreens, etc.) are protected by an invisible force field that the ball will bounce off of if it gets close enough.

## Gallery

Golf preview, found in the trailerGolf preview, found in the Nintendo Thailand WebsiteGolf preview, found in the Nintendo Thailand Website