Out on the terrace there is a course of carpet and painted wood. Every hole is built from a number and tested by the computer before you see it, so each one can be holed — the question is in how many.
How a round works
A round is 9 or 18 holes. Each hole is a run of rooms joined by openings, with the tee in the first room and the cup in the last. Players complete a hole one after the other before the next one starts, and the lowest total over the round wins. The computer sets par itself: it plays the hole out in simulation, and par equals the strokes it needed, plus one.
- Water costs one penalty stroke and puts the ball back where it was played from.
- After par plus four strokes the ball is picked up, so one bad hole cannot ruin a round entirely.
- A ball arriving too fast can skip over the cup — slow putts drop, fast ones lip out.
- Solo mode is you against par; against the computer you see its strokes on the same hole.
Controls
Putting works like a slingshot: press anywhere on the course, draw backwards and release. An arrow points where the ball will travel and grows with the power, so your finger never has to cover the ball. Shaded patches carrying small arrows are slopes, the arrows pointing downhill. Around some cups a dark ring marks a bowl that gathers a slow ball; a light ring marks a hill that sheds it. With a keyboard, the arrows aim and set the power and Space putts.
Strategy
Play to the next room, not to the cup. Most holes have one or two turns. Trying to bank the ball round every corner at once usually ends against a wall; a firm putt that stops in the open middle of the next room leaves a simple stroke.
Use the corner banks. Many turns have a 45° bank across the outer corner. A ball sent into it at a medium pace turns the corner on its own and keeps rolling down the next room — often the shortest line on the hole.
Respect water. Bridges with rails forgive a slight miss; bridges without rails do not. If a bridge has no rails, line it up from straight on and use less power than feels natural, because a fast ball that hits the edge goes in.
Read slopes as rivers. A slope along the room speeds the ball up or holds it back; a slope across the room bends it like a current. Aim upstream and let it come down to the line.
Lag the long putts. On a bowl you can be firm, the ring will catch it. On a hill, arrive slowly or the ball rolls off the far side and back down.
Numbered courses
Every course has a number, and the same number always builds the same eighteen holes. The course list has a hundred of them with maps, pars and notes for every hole, so you can replay a course and try to beat your own score.
FAQ
Is every hole really possible?
Yes. Before a hole is shown, the computer searches for a way to hole out within four strokes using the same physics you play with, and checks that the line still works with a human-sized error in aim and power. If it cannot, the hole is rebuilt.
Why did my ball jump over the hole?
It arrived too fast. A cup captures a slow ball; a fast one skips across the lip. Aim to arrive with the ball just rolling, especially on the last stroke.
What does par mean here?
Par is the computer’s own number of strokes to hole out, plus one. Most holes are par 2 or 3; long holes with several turns or water can be par 4.
How do I play the same course again?
Each numbered course page builds exactly that course. Open it again and you get the same eighteen holes, in the same order, with the same slopes and water.
Can I play nine holes instead of eighteen?
Yes. Choose 9 holes as the variant in the new game menu. The daily challenge is always nine holes.