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.

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

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.

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
• Golf It! Steam news (Updates 1.0 to 1.1.0.8)
• Golf It! global achievements on Steam