When it comes to golf, we’re down for almost anything. Crazy golf, mini golf, putt-putt, or any other variant; we’re always up for a round. We’ll even play normal, proper, ‘big‘ golf. After all, nothing beats walloping a tiny ball around the countryside in a loud pair of trousers.
We’re also partial to video game versions of the sport and Nintendo consoles have a rich history of great golf games, many of which have featured a certain mustachioed mascot. Mario and his Mushroom Kingdom pals haven’t hit the fairway in a brand new game on Switch yet, but the console has built up a bagful of quality golf games since launch.
With that in mind, we’ve collected together our picks of the best golf games on Switch (or, more accurately, the best golf-inspired games on Switch). They run the gamut from crazy to contemplative… actually, they tend to congregate on the ‘crazy’ end of the scale, but with PGA Tour 2K21 teeing off this summer, that should take care of the simulation end of things if you prefer more decorum and less fireworks on the fairway.
Regardless, you’re sure to have a good time with the games below whether you’re a scratch player or you hack your way from bunker to bunker like us.
So, without further ado, let’s check out the best golf games on Switch. Fore!
Publisher: TribandProductions / Developer: Triband
What the Golf? is a game that’s hard not to love; a riot of accessible, physics-based silliness and great fun whether you like golf or not. In fact, it’s perfect for bringing along a second player who doesn’t want to get stuck caddying. You can’t go wrong with this off-the-wall indie hit and we recommend you slide this into you golf bag at once.
Publisher: Sidebar Games / Developer: Sidebar Games
An RPG in the mould of Camelot’s exquisite Mario Golf on Game Boy Color, Golf Story was one of the breakout indie hits of Switch’s first year, and it’s lost none of its appeal since then. It’s getting a multi-sport sequel named Sports Story sometime this year, so there’s no better time to check out this top-down treasure.
Publisher: Giant Margarita / Developer: Giant Margarita
Party Golf turns the tranquility of the real game into a mad, simultaneous dash between you and your friends as you race against the clock to whack your ball into the hole on a side-on 2D course. With plenty of customisation options and a multiplayer focus, this offers a fine four-ball experience where you don’t have to wait politely for your fellow golfers to slice their way to the green for a triple bogey.
Publisher: 7Levels / Developer: Afterburn
Isometric puzzler Golf Peaks is yet another in Switch’s lineup of fun and rewarding alternatives to a ‘proper’ golf game that began on mobile before getting a Switch port. It’s a short experience, best enjoyed in small chunks, but you’re sure to enjoy your time with it. Who wants to traipse around a soggy hill for four-and-a-half hours on a damp Saturday morning anyway? Brisk and breezy, please.
Publisher: Zen Studios / Developer: Zen Studios
Coming from Zen Studios, a developer better known for its pinball games, Infinite Minigolf isn’t perfect when it comes to UI and clearly communicating its features, but it delivers a very solid, well-presented game of miniature golf and features a plethora of official and impressive user-created courses to enjoy. You can also build your own in the game’s comprehensive editor.
Publisher: Team17 / Developer: Blacklight Interactive
Golf With Your Friends provides a chaotic golf-like game with 12-person simultaneous online multiplayer which really shines if you can get some similarly-skilled friends to join you. Be aware that mixing skill levels and playing with random people takes the shine off things a tad. However, provided you’ve got enough friends online, this can be a riotous hack around some legitimately ‘crazy’ golf courses. Just make sure you heed the ‘With Your Friends’ part of the title, otherwise it’s just ‘Golf’, which is as fun as it sounds.
Just joking, golf fans! We love golf. Here, we’ll prove it…
Publisher: Nintendo / Developer: Nintendo R&D2
If you’re after an early digital version of the sport, Hamster’s Arcade Archives Golf brings the arcade original Golf to Switch. It’s a game which hails from an age where video games could just use the name of the sport as a title without anything else. It’s also the title which popularised the familiar power bar swinging mechanic many golf games use to this day.
However, if you subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online, you have access to its follow up, part of the Nintendo Switch Online offering of NES games. While the formative systems and mechanics put down in the ’80s have advanced a lot in the interim, the core gameplay of NES Open Tournament Golf is as solid as ever. Plus, it’s presently the only golf game on the system that puts Mario on the tee. Enjoy a swift nine holes if you haven’t played it yet.
Publisher: D4 Enterprise / Developer: Nazca Corp.
Thought we’d forgotten this one, eh? Neo Turf Masters (or Big Tournament Golf as it’s known in the US) is a satisfying arcade take on the game and one which still holds up very well to this day. The lack of career mode means it’s hardly a long term investment, but as short and sweet arcade golf games go, this is a great one. Just don’t expect to be playing it for hours on end.
Not a bad collection if you like to whack little digital balls around, hmm? Until the two-ball pair of Mario Golf for N64 and Mario Golf for GBC arrive on Switch (or the console gets its own fully-fledged Mario Golf game), these will do nicely. Let us know below which of these you think are up to scratch or if you think there are other Switch golf games worthy of this list.