Mario Golf Secrets FAQ
By LightRanma@aol.com
Version 1.0
Copyrright 1999
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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I. Introduction
II. The Modes
III. The Courses
IV. The Characters
V. Other Tricks
VI. Conclusion
VII. Thanks
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I. Introduction
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Hi, and welcome to my newest FAQ - the Mario Golf Secrets FAQ! There is a
pitiful number of FAQs on this wonderful (and over-cutesy) golf simulation from
Nintendo, so I thought I'd write a short secrets one. The same rules apply to
this FAQ - the whole no stealing blah blah blah thing. Please enjoy! ^_^
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II. The Modes
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There is a host of different game modes in the game, and you get different
rewards from ach of them. Here is a list of what you can get from each mode.
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Tournament
Get: Course Points, Birdie Badges
This is the main gaming mode. In this mode, you select a Course and play
against other golfers (you don't ever see them though). The better you play,
the high you rank. At the end, if you rank high, you'll get lots of Course
Points to open up the next Course. Even if you rank low, you still get a few
Points. You can also collect Birdie Badges (you get 1 every time you birdie a
hole, and repeating holes don't count). When you get enough Birdie Badges,
something might happen...
Get Character
Get: Characters, Course Points
In this very hard mode, you play a character that you have yet to unlock for
use, and if you beat him/her, you earn that character to use in all modes. This
is the ONLY way to get Luigi, Yoshi, Sonny, Wario, Harry, Mario, and Bowser. Be
warned - the computer plays this mode almost perfectly, and you are certain to
lose quite a few times. But you do get a few (not many) Course Points when you
finish, depending on how well you played.
Ring Golf
Get: Stars
In this interesting but difficult mode, you have to hit the ball in such a way
where it flies through the intricately-positioned Rings on the hole, while STILL
making Par. Fail to complete either one of these tasks, and you fail and have
to start the hole over. Every time you complete a hole, you get a Star. Get
enough Stars, and something good may happen...
Speed Golf
Get: Course Points?
I haven't played this mode, basically 'cause it's useless and kinda boring, but
anyway, the object is to finish the Course as fast as possible, while still
playing well. I think you get Course Points (albeit not many) in this mode,
too.
Stroke
Get: Course Points?
I haven't played this mode either, but the fewer total strokes you have at the
end of the game, the better. I think you might a few Course Points in this
mode...
Mini-Golf
Get: Putting practice!
Go mini-golfing without the windmills and stuff, but complete with the tricky
courses! Hilly courses and tricky putts will put your putting ability to the
test.
Practice
Get: Practice!
Practice any hole on the Courses you've unlocked so far as many times as you
want in this mode, so you can perfect them. A surprisingly useful mode.
If you're going for Course Points, go with the Tournament mode on Course 3 - 1st
Place will net you 600 Points!!! Trust me, it works!
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III. The Courses
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There are six Courses in Mario Golf, and a possible secret seventh one, but I'm
not sure. Unlocking courses is very linear, but not easy at all - all you have
to do is get Course Points by playing in Tournaments (you get mucho points for
placing high), and Vs. Matches (not very many points), and even Get Character
matches (also not very many points). The number of points you get is determined
by two things - your ending Rank (applies to Tournament mode; 1st Place nets you
big points), and your EXP points multipled by some factor (applies to all modes
where you can get Points). Unlocking the first three Courses will be pretty
easy, but when it comes to the big numbers for getting the last three, it gets
tough. Good luck!
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Course 1: Toad Highlands
Difficulty: Easy to Medium
Course Points Needed: You start with this course!
This Course is all about practice. Every hole is laid out nicely with wide,
easy-to-get-to fairways, and flat, forgiving greens. The obstacles are very few
and far between, though there are some hilly holes in the Course. Use this
Course for Get Character matches and for getting Course 2. After that, it
becomes pretty useless and boring in the process.
Course 2: Koopa Park
Difficulty: Medium
Course Points Needed: 50
This Course is a step up from Toad Highlands, but not too much harder. The
fairways are still big - but the greens can get seriously tricky. Be sure to
practice your putting before you come here! I recommend this Course for
uncloking Course 3, and for a little fun in VS. Matches with your friends. A
measly 50 Course Points is needed to unlock this Course.
Course 3: Shy Guy Desert
Difficulty: Medium to Hard
Course Points: 200 after unlocking Course 2
Sand, sand everywhere!!! The Shy Guy Desert is much tougher than Course 2 - the
fairways are much more elusive, and the greens are very tricky. Not to mention
that there is sand everywhere - you'll be going into many a bunker on your way
through this Course. I recommend this Course for unlocking all the future
Courses and for some serious sandy fun with your friends.
Course 4: Yoshi's Island
Difficulty: Hard to Insane
Course Points: 600 after unlocking Course 3
This Course is a major pisser. You can expect almost nonexistant fairways,
near-impossible greens and water everywhere here. Oh, did I mention there are
many mountains and hills waiting to trap you too? Not only that, but Wind and
rain are knows to make frequent apearances here. This Course is good for some
VS. Mode fun, but stick with Course 3 for getting Course Points. It's much
easier, and you still get quite a few. Of course, if you're an expert, then go
right ahead...
Course 5: Boo Valley
Difficulty: Very Hard to Insane
Course Points: 1200 after unlocking Course 4
In this cold and lonely Course, you'll find very difficult fairways, impossible
greens, and even holes where you have to land on small islands to get to the
pin. This Course screams "O.B."! Just about everywhere except the fairway is
out of bounds. I stall say you should stick to Course 3 for points, although
this Course is fun in VS. Mode. Good luck!
Course 6: ???
Difficulty: ???
Course Points: 2200 after unlocking Course 5
I haven't unlocked this Course yet.
There is possibly a secret Course 7 in the game, although it isn't confirmed.
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IV. The Characters
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There are many characters to play as in Mario Golf, most of which you have to
unlock by completing certain tasks. The effort is usually worth it, though.
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Plum
Drive: 208 Yards
Shot: Straight
Plum is available when you first play the game. She's good for beginners,
though she isn't your best bet out of the starting four golfers. Stay away from
her and go with a stronger driver instead.
Charlie
Drive: 210 Yards
Shot: Low Fade
Charlie is the second of the four available golfers when you start the game. He
drives a little farther than Plum, but he also has a low fade, making him a
little harder to play. I suggest you avoid him too.
Peach
Drive: 212 Yards
Shot: Straight
Princess Peach is the third of the four default golfers, and also your best bet
until you get more characters. Her drive is stronger than Plum's, and she still
hits straight. She gets annoying after awhile with her over-prissy attitude,
but she'll be your best bet until you get another character or two.
Baby Mario
Drive: 215 Yards
Shot: Low Draw
Baby Mario is the last of the default golfers and also the strongest of the
four, but he has a low draw. Stick with Peach until you get to know the game,
and then maybe use Baby Mario to unlock the first of the Get Character mode
characters.
Luigi
Drive: 220 Yards
Shot: Medium Fade
Unlock him by beating him in the Get Character mode.
Mario's taller and thinner brother is an average golfer at best. He has a
stronger drive than Baby Mario, but also has a bigger fade than any one of the
beginning golfers, so you may want to stay away until you learn how to play
draws and fades. By now, you should be learning...
Yoshi
Drive: 230 Yards
Shot: Straight
Unlock him by beating him in the Get Character mode after you've gotten Luigi.
Everyone's favorite green dinosaur is one of the best characters in the game!
His drive is pretty strong, and he has no fade or draw. However, when compared
to the other future characters, he gets pretty weak, which is why you'll only
want to use him until you learn how to play draws and fades. But until you do,
Yoshi is your best bet!
Sonny
Drive: 240 Yards
Shot: Medium Draw
Unlock him by beating him in the Get Character mode after you've gotten Yoshi.
This weird farmer-like guy is actually a good golfer, after you've learned draws
and fades (which you should have by now). He's a little stronger than Yoshi,
and will be your best character until you unlock even more characters. You'll
have to use him to unlock Wario.
Wario
Drive: 250 Yards
Shot: High Fade
Unlock him by beating him in the Get Character mode after you've gotten Sonny.
Wario is the first of the really powerful golfers - the only downside is that he
has a huge fade, but then again, you should be able to play it by now. He has
some funny taunts and is fun to play, but becomes obsolete one you get...
Harry
Drive: 260 Yards
Shot: Medium Draw
Unlock him by beating him in the Get Character mode after you've gotten Wario.
Harry is definitely one of the best golfers in the game... maybe even THE
overall best. He only has a medium draw, like Sonny, AND hits 20 yards further!
He's also a really fun character to use. You'll want to use him for most of the
game, unless you're REALLY sharp on draws and fades...
Mario
Drive: 270 Yards
Shot: High Draw
Unlock him by beating him in the Get Character mode after you've gotten Harry.
Interestingly enough, Mario is one of the last characters you unlock.
Everyone's favorite heroic plumber is very strong, but also hard to play, seeing
as he has a high draw. You'll probably want to stick with Harry even after
you've unlocked Mario, unless you really think you need the extra power.
Additionally, Mario's childish voice gets EXTREMELY irritating after awhile...
Maple
Drive: 245 Yards
Shot: Straight
Unlcok her by getting 50 Birdie Badges in Tournament Mode.
Maple is a mixed bag of sorts. She's a decent driver, and definitely more
powerful than Yoshi - and she hits straight, too, which is a major plus. But
she loses a lot of power when compared to the likes of Harry, Mario, DK, and
Bowser. It really depends on what you prefer - strength or straightness. I
prefer strength, so she isn't for me. Plus, her voice gets really annoying...
Donkey Kong
Drive: 275 Yards
Shot: High Fade
Unlock him by getting 30 Stars in the Ring Golf mode.
The big ape makes a return appearance in Mario Golf... but unfortunately, he's
pretty useless if you have Bowser, since he has a high fade and hits 5 yards
less than Bowser (making him the 2nd most powerful character in the game). If
you don't have Boswer yet, though, then DK is your best bet for getting him (and
for power)! Too bad he's really hard to unlock...
Bowser
Drive: 280 Yards
Shot: High Draw
Unlock him by beating him in the Get Character mode after you've gotten Mario.
The King of the Koopas is not only cool-looking, but also boasts the most power
out of all the golfers in the game! He is very hard to play, but if you learn,
he'll become the best character for you to use, since he's so powerful.
Personally, he's my favorite. Once you get draws and fades completely down,
drop Harry and go with Bowser. He can make most Par 5s in two shots, and some
Par 4 holes in 1. Good luck using him!
Metal Mario
Drive: 285 Yards
Shot: High Draw
Unlock him by getting all 108 Birdie Badges in Tournament Mode.
... but wait! What's this? Metal Mario is actually the strongest character in
Mario Golf, boasting a 285 Yard drive! If you prefer strength, Metal Mario's
your man. You'll never be Bowser again. Too bad he's so irritating (he has the
same childish voice as Mario) and SO hard to get...
Those are the normal characters... but I bet you're wondering what the four
extra slots are for. They are for characters that can ONLY be imported from the
Game Boy Color Mario Golf, and as of yet, their statistics are unknown. There
is no known way to get these characters as of yet - we may have to wait until
the Game Boy Pak comes out with Pokmon Stadium so that we can import them.
Even my GameShark Pro wouldn't unlock them! It just made copies of Plum in the
extra slots. Until either the GB Pak comes out or a GameShark code is developed
to access them, we'll have to wait...
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V. Other Tricks
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This section gives you some of the less obvious and less useful tricks in Mario
Golf. These tricks are cool at best, and don't really actually help you.
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- Code Screen
At the Main Menu screen, highlight "Club House" and press and hold Z, followed
by R, and then A. This will take you into the Club House Menu with a new option
for entering Codes. Unfortunately, there are no known useful Codes at this
time. The only known one is a weird Official Nintendo Tounrnament Match, which
nets you a trophy if you send in your best score and win. Whatever...
- Color Change
At the Character Select Screen, hold C-Right, C-Left, or C-Down on any of the
characters and their clothing, hair, skin, or any combination of the three will
change color. This works best on Peach, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, Mario, Bowser, and
Metal Mario.
- Complimenting
When your opponent is setting up his or her shot, press any one of the
directions on the Control Pad - each different direction will result in a
different character compliment ("Good job!", etc.). Then again, who wants to
compliment? ^_~
- Infinite Hole Chances
Easily the most useful out of all the tricks listed here, you can start over
from the tee on any Hole you want to in the Tournament or Get Character Mode
until you get the score you want, making it virtually impossible to get a bad
score if you're patient enough. All you do is when you mess up or want to start
over, press Start and go to "Save and Quit", and Save the game in an empty File.
This will bring you to the Title Screen. Go to the Main Menu and select
"Continue", and then select the File you saved the game to, and voila - you're
back on the tee of the Hole with your current score, and you're not penalized at
all for doing this! This is a GREAT way to get more Characters in the Get
Character Mode, lots of Course Points in the Tournament Mode, and a LOT of
Birdie Badges!
- Play Left-Handed
At the Character Select Screen, hold the Z Button or the L Button on any of the
characters and they will play left-handed when you select them - meaning that a
high draw would turn into a high fade, and vice versa. If you're more
comfortable with either of the two, this is a very useful trick.
- Taunting
When playing with your friends or the computer, press any one of the C Buttons
when your opponent is setting up his or her shot. Pressing each of the
different C Buttons results in a different character taunt ("Hurry up already!",
etc.). It really is fun to taunt during matches...
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VI. Conclusion
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Thanks for reading my short Mario Golf Secrets FAQ - I hope it helped you! I
hope you will have as much fun with this game as I am, and I hope I can somehow
unlock the Game Boy Color characters for you and report my findings in this FAQ.
;) Until then, ciao!
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VII. Thanks
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- I want to thank Nintendo for making this wonderful Golf simulation.
- I want to thank myself for FINALLY finishing this thing. ^_~
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Later!
Copyright 1999
