Golf: U.S. Course

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Golf: U.S. Course
Golf: U.S. Course
Developer HAL Laboratory
Publisher Nintendo
Platform(s) Family Computer Disk System
Release date Japan June 14, 1987
Language(s) English (United States)
Genre Golf
Mode(s) 1–4 players alternating
Format
FDS:
Disk Card
Input
NES:
Serial code(s) FMC-GFUE

Golf: U.S. Course (also formatted as Golf: US Course)[1] is a Japan-exclusive golf game released for the Family Computer Disk System on June 14, 1987. It is the first game of the Super Mario franchise to support more than two players. Gameplay is more similar to that of the later NES Open Tournament Golf than to that of its companion title, Golf: Japan Course, which was released a few months earlier. Despite the name, the holes are fictional.

Gameplay[edit]

Gameplay of Golf: U.S. Course
Screenshot of gameplay

Gameplay is similar to the previous Golf: Japan Course, but with further features added. The course view and course map are now separate screens that can be toggled between, alongside the green view. This allows for a greater amount of detail, especially on the course view. Dense trees are no longer out of bounds, but are navigable areas; they always have at least a small amount of land around them, even if they appear to be in water from the map. The wind meter shows a crosshair within a larger crosshair to show the direction and speed relative to whichever direction the player will putt. There are four options along the bottom of the screen in course view, which can be navigated between by holding down B Button and using the +Control Pad left and right, while doing the same but using the +Control Pad up and down to change their values. These options are:

  • Tee point: This option is only functional before the first successful stroke, and allows the tee to be moved left and right.
  • Swing speed: Changes how fast Mario swings, from 1 (slowest) to 3 (fastest). Faster strokes hit harder, but are more difficult to hit cleanly.
  • Club: Switches between the 14 available clubs (the same as in the previous games).
  • View: Switches between the three viewpoints, though once the player is on the green it becomes locked.

Additionally, the score sheet can be viewed by pressing Start Button. Unlike in Japan Course, rather than a loading screen appearing every 4-5 rounds with a coffee shop, the loading screen appears every two rounds with a view of the score sheet thus far.

There are two game modes:

  • Stroke Play: Up to four players can try to do their personal best. The other players look like Mario (or the hidden female character) but with a different overall color. Player 2 is green, Player 3 is blue, and Player 4 orange. Player 3 uses Player 1's controller, while Player 4 has to share it with Player 2. The 1 Player Stroke Play scores were used in the tournament that was contested by 77,000 players.[2]
  • Match Play: Two players, controlling Mario and his green clone, compete against each other. Unlike in Japan Course, there is no computer opponent. A player can forfeit a round by pressing Select Button, holding +Control Pad up, and pressing Start Button.

There are four slots to save scores (represented by flags, lowered by Diskun when overwriting) with blank slots recorded as 900.

Contest and alternate version[edit]

Screenshot of the secret female golfer from Golf: U.S. Course
The lady golfer in the original version of the game

Like Japan Course, the game comes on a blue disk, meaning it is compatible with the Disk Fax, a device found in public places across Japan such as department stores. These machines would send the player's saved games and high score information to Nintendo. Nintendo held a contest centered around this game. The top 100 players received a trophy, and they along with 9,900 others received a gold Famicom cartridge of Punch-Out!! There was also an unannounced prize, which was a special version of the game that came on a gold disk known as Golf: Special Course (labeled Golf: Prize Card on the title screen)[3] and was given out to 1,000 randomly chosen players who had scored a hole-in-one. This version was harder due to its "Special Course." It also has a hidden character[4] that can be unlocked if the total score is 320 or under after four games. At the Stroke Play menu, holding A Button and pressing Start Button replaces Mario with a female character. She has the same abilities as Mario. This character was once unlockable in the blue disk version, but it required the extra step of registering the disk with the Disk Fax, which has been discontinued—as such, she is available today for that edition only on unformatted copies that had previously gone through the Disk Fax.

Staff[edit]

Main article: List of Golf: U.S. Course staff

Gallery[edit]

References in later games[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ゴルフUSコース
Gorufu Yūesu Kōsu
Golf: US Course

Golf: Special Course
Language Name Meaning
Japanese ゴルフスペシャルコース
Gorufu Supesharu Kōsu
Golf: Special Course

External links[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ HISTORY | Mario Portal |. Mario Portal (English). Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  2. ^ ゴルフUSコース. Famicon Masterpieces. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  3. ^ ◆ゴルフUSコースの景品の一つのはずなのにその後も登場。『ゴルフスペシャルコース』. Family Computer Disk System Art Database. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
  4. ^ kikai / マリオガイド (July 17, 2021). 幻のマリオキャラを探せ!【スーパーマリオ調査隊】. YouTube. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  5. ^ Sakurai, Masahiro (July 10, 2014). Post by Masahiro Sakurai. Miiverse. Archived October 17, 2017, 18:08:48 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
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