---
title: "Golf It!: Complete Guide"
game: "Golf It!"
game_url: "https://qna.gg/games/golf-it"
author: "Qloud"
author_url: "https://qna.gg/players/Qloud"
topics: ["Secrets", "Achievements", "Maps", "Settings"]
summary: "Everything for Golf It! players: how putting and physics work, all eight official maps, hosting lobbies with friends, challenges and the shop, achievements and secrets, and tips for the map editor. Researched September…"
url: "https://qna.gg/g/golf-it-complete-guide-e6c5fd9a"
published: "2026-09-27T20:42:37.231Z"
updated: "2026-09-27T20:42:37.231Z"
source: "QnA.GG"
---

# Golf It!: Complete Guide

Everything for Golf It! players: how putting and physics work, all eight official maps, hosting lobbies with friends, challenges and the shop, achievements and secrets, and tips for the map editor.

*Researched September 2026 — current as of Update 1.1.0.8 (February 2026). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.*

## Quick Start

1. **It's multiplayer minigolf with physics.** Everyone plays each hole at the same time, so you can watch (and sometimes bump) other balls. Lobbies can hold 30+ players.
2. **Power comes from how far you pull back.** Hold the shot input and drag back to set power, then release. Small pulls are more precise than you think.
3. **There's a timer per hole.** If you don't sink it in time, the hole ends for you with a poor score ("Times up!" is literally an achievement).
4. **Eight official courses:** Grassland, Ancient Ruins, Winterland, Pirates Cove, Mines, Graveyard, Jade Temple and Deep Blue.
5. **Workshop maps are the real long tail.** Thousands of community courses are on the Steam Workshop — subscribe and play them from the map selection screen.
6. **Daily challenges earn coins.** Since Update 1.1 (December 2024) you get new challenges daily; coins buy cosmetics in the shop, and some items are challenge-only.
7. **Seasonal leaderboards** reset periodically and hand out exclusive gear based on your rank.
8. **Every official map hides secret objects.** Finding them unlocks achievements.
9. **Play modes:** online lobbies, local hot seat, split-screen PvP, cross-platform play, and VR (SteamVR or Oculus PC).

## Controls and Settings

Golf It! is mouse-driven on PC and also supports controllers and tracked VR controllers.

| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Aim | Move the camera around your ball; the aim arrow shows direction |
| Set power | Hold the shot input and pull back |
| Shoot | Release |
| Camera | Rotate/zoom around your ball; free cam is available with adjustable speed |
| Scoreboard | Can be set to show automatically after finishing a hole |

Controls are listed and rebindable in the options menu; check there for the reset and camera binds on your build.

Settings worth changing:
- **Window mode** — Window, Fullscreen Window and Fullscreen are all supported.
- **Invert options** — camera inversion no longer inverts the putter swing (fixed in 2023), so set it how you like.
- **Custom music volume** — separate from game sound since the 2024 audio overhaul.
- **Free cam speed** — useful for scouting holes before shooting.

## Physics and Putting Fundamentals

- **Less is more.** Most missed holes come from over-hitting. Start soft and add power.
- **Walls are your friend.** Bank shots off rails are often safer than direct lines through obstacles.
- **Surfaces and themes matter.** Different maps and materials behave differently, and Deep Blue has its own underwater physics.
- **Slopes curve shots.** Aim uphill of the cup on sloped greens.
- **Moving obstacles run on cycles.** Watch one cycle before shooting through anything that moves.
- **Boosters and magnets** change your ball's path. Learn where they are.
- **Falling off costs you.** Going out of bounds resets your ball and wastes strokes and time, so a safe two-putt usually beats a risky jump.

## The Official Maps

| Map | Theme and notes |
|---|---|
| Grassland | The original map from the Steam Greenlight prototype. Got a visual upgrade with 150+ new assets in Update 1.1. Best for beginners. |
| Ancient Ruins | Ruins theme |
| Winterland | Snowy winter theme |
| Pirates Cove | Pirate theme; flying parrots added in 1.1.0.8 |
| Mines | Underground mine theme; lighting updated in 1.1.0.8 |
| Graveyard | Spooky graveyard theme |
| Jade Temple | Temple theme |
| Deep Blue | The 1.0 underwater map with 500+ unique objects, special underwater physics and ancient ruins |

There is also a VR Classic course for VR players.

### How to learn a map
- **Start on Grassland.** It's the classic course and the best place to learn power control.
- **Scout with free cam** on every new map before committing to risky lines.
- **Play each map solo first.** Under-par achievements exist for all eight, and learning lines without pressure is fastest.
- **Look for shortcuts on replays.** Most official maps reward risky lines that you only spot after a few rounds; take them when you need to catch up.
- **Deep Blue is different.** Its underwater physics behave unlike the other maps, so treat it as a fresh learning curve.

## Multiplayer and Lobbies

- **Hosting:** create a lobby, pick maps (including subscribed Workshop maps), set a password if you want privacy. You can close a lobby to stop new players joining.
- **Server browser:** shows ping and can filter password-protected servers.
- **Hot seat:** local pass-the-controller play with a configurable play order.
- **Split-screen and cross-platform** play are supported.
- **Large lobbies:** 30+ players are supported, and performance was improved for huge lobbies.
- **Downloading maps:** joining a lobby on a Workshop map downloads it automatically.

### Party tips
- Mix official and Workshop maps to keep it fresh.
- Pick shorter Workshop maps for big lobbies; long, hard maps drag with 20+ people.
- Troll maps (impossible jumps, fake holes) are a Workshop genre — great for laughs, bad for competitive nights.

## Challenges, Coins and the Shop (Update 1.1+)

- **Daily challenges** of varying difficulty reward coins and items, sometimes exclusive ones.
- Hover a challenge to see its progress.
- Challenges also work on custom maps (enabled December 2024).
- **Shop:** spend coins on skins and cosmetics. Item previews were added in 1.1.0.8.
- **Inventory:** unwanted items can be scrapped.
- **Chat emotes:** type emote strings with a colon (added in 1.1.0.8).

## Seasonal Leaderboards

- Leaderboards reset each season.
- At reset you get exclusive gear based on your ranking (such as crowns).
- To climb: replay official maps you know best and focus on consistent under-par rounds.

## Achievements and Secrets

There are 44 Steam achievements.

| Type | Examples | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Shot counts | First Shot, Shooting Star (100), Hit it hard! (1,000), Swing away Merrill! (10,000) | Come naturally |
| Hole in One | 1, 50, 200, 1,000 | Replay short holes you've mastered |
| Under par totals | Birdie (5), Eagle (50), Albatross (250), Condor (1,000) | Cumulative strokes under par |
| Wins | 1, 10, 50, 100, 500 matches | Small lobbies with friends |
| Map clears | Finish each of the eight maps under par | Practice each map solo |
| Secrets | Find all secret objects on each map; "Golf It Secrets" for all maps | Use free cam and explore off-path |
| Top Secret | One per map (hidden descriptions) | Tied to super-secret objects |
| Misc | Times up!, Pizza with extra Cheese! | Times up! = let the timer run out |

**Secret hunting tips:**
- Explore edges, behind walls and under platforms on each map.
- Free cam helps you spot hidden spots, but you usually need to get your ball there.
- The "Golf It Secrets" achievement can be reset if needed (added in 2023).

## Map Editor Basics

The editor is one of the game's biggest features.

- **Thousands of objects** from every official theme, including the 500+ Deep Blue objects and 150+ new Grassland assets.
- **Terrain editor** based on voxel data for sculpting landscapes.
- **Event system** for moving parts, triggers, transformers, fog and time-of-day changes. As of 1.1.0.8 you can preview fog and time-of-day events and use a "simulate event" button.
- **Spline Mesh Builder** (1.1.0.8) for curved tracks and custom paths.
- **Sounds** from the audio overhaul are available in the editor.
- **Custom meshes and materials** can be imported.

### Editor tips
- Build and test one hole at a time.
- Use events sparingly at first; they're powerful but complex.
- Test your map in multiplayer with a friend before publishing; some bugs only appear with multiple balls.
- Clear signage beats clever tricks — players hate unreadable holes.

## A Good First Week

1. **Session 1:** Solo Grassland until you can finish near par. Learn how much pull-back equals how much distance.
2. **Session 2:** Play the other official maps solo once each. Note the holes that beat you.
3. **Session 3:** Host a small password lobby with friends on two or three official maps.
4. **Session 4:** Subscribe to a handful of highly rated Workshop maps and try them together.
5. **Every day:** Check the daily challenges for coins and exclusive items.
6. **Later:** Go back to each official map for under-par achievements, then start hunting secrets with free cam.
7. **If you're creative:** Open the editor and build a three-hole test course before attempting a full map.

## Common Mistakes to Avoid

- **Full-power shots.** Precise, low-power shots win most holes.
- **Shooting through moving obstacles blindly.** Watch a cycle first.
- **Ignoring the timer.** Don't spend all your time lining up the perfect shot.
- **Only playing official maps.** The Workshop is where most of the variety lives.
- **Giant lobbies on long maps.** Keep map length matched to group size.
- **Skipping daily challenges.** Free coins and exclusive items.

## Advanced Tips

- **Use banks.** A two-cushion bank is often more reliable than a straight line past obstacles.
- **Scout with free cam** before your first shot on unfamiliar Workshop holes.
- **Short-game control:** practice tap putts; many holes are lost on the final putt.
- **Know shortcuts per map.** Every official map has risky skips. Use them when you need to catch up.
- **Launch option for speedrunners:** the game supports LiveSplit via the `-livesplit` launch command.
- **VR:** playing in VR changes feel dramatically; tracked controllers use real swing motion.

## FAQ

**How many players can play Golf It!?**
Lobbies support 30+ players online, plus hot seat and split-screen locally.

**Does Golf It! have crossplay?**
Yes, cross-platform multiplayer is supported (Windows and macOS).

**Is there VR?**
Yes, with SteamVR or Oculus PC, including tracked controller support.

**How do I play Workshop maps?**
Subscribe on the Steam Workshop, then pick them in the map selection screen. You can unsubscribe from that screen too.

**What are coins for?**
Buying skins and cosmetics in the shop. Earn them through daily challenges.

**Is Golf It! still updated?**
Yes. The latest update, 1.1.0.8, arrived in February 2026 with shop item previews, chat emotes, visual updates and many editor features and fixes.

**Is there DLC?**
One: "Golf It! - Under Construction."

## Sources

- [Golf It! on Steam](https://store.steampowered.com/app/571740/Golf_It/)
- [Golf It! Steam news (Updates 1.0 to 1.1.0.8)](https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/571740)
- [Golf It! global achievements on Steam](https://steamcommunity.com/stats/571740/achievements)