Golf With Your Friends: Complete Guide

This guide covers how to shoot well, read courses, and use power-ups in Golf With Your Friends, plus hosting and lobby settings, game modes, the level editor, DLC, and what's known about the sequel.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the Oct 2025 security patch and the Quality of Life update (May 2025, hotfix 2 July 23, 2025). Golf With Your Friends 2 is announced for Fall 2026 but not yet released. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• Everyone plays at the same time. Up to 12 players tee off together online, so there's no waiting for turns. Collisions between balls can be turned on in lobby settings.
• Power is everything. Most bad shots are overhit, not mis-aimed. Learn to use about half power for most putts.
• Watch the par and the stroke limit. Each hole has a par and usually a max stroke count. Hit the max and you take the penalty score and move on.
• Look before you shoot. Use the free camera to check the hole's layout, shortcuts, and hazards before your first stroke.
• Bank shots are your friend. Walls are predictable. Bouncing off them is often more reliable than threading a gap.
• Power-ups change everything when they're on. Honey traps a ball, freezing stops it, and the cube turns it into a block that won't roll. Know what's enabled before you start.
• Local play is hotseat. Couch play is turn-based on one screen, not split-screen, and needs one controller.
• There's no crossplay in the original game. Only players on the same platform can join each other. The sequel is promised to have full cross-platform play.

Game Modes

Mode | What it is

Classic | Standard mini golf: fewest strokes wins

Dunk (hoops) | Shoot for par through basketball-style hoops instead of holes

Hockey | The hole is replaced by a goal; team-based chaos

Every course has a Classic and a Dunk version, and most also have a Hockey version. The Steam achievements track each course and mode separately, so a full completion run means playing every course in every mode it supports.

Lobby settings worth knowing

Hosts can pick presets or tweak individual settings from the lobby's Mode button:

• Collisions on or off (balls bump each other).
• Power-ups on or off.
• Hole time limit and max strokes.
• Course and hole selection, including custom levels.

Lobby types include Public, Friends, Password, and Invite Only. The July 2025 hotfix stopped the host AFK timer from applying to Friends, Password, and Invite Only lobbies.

Courses

The base game has 13 themed 18-hole courses (234 holes), each with its own mechanics. Names below are the ones the game and its Steam achievements use:

Course | Theme and what to expect

Forest | The starter course: gentle slopes and simple layouts. Best for new players

Twilight | A magical night-time forest; a step up from Forest

Pirate | Pirate theme with sand and cannons

Ancient | Prehistoric/dinosaur theme; the store suggests aiming for an albatross here

Oasis | Desert and pharaoh theme

CandyLand | Sweets theme; the practice area also has Gingy, who can eat your ball

Haunted | Spooky Halloween theme

Space Station | Sci-fi station holes

Deep | Underwater theme

Volcano | Lava and high ground

Museum | Natural history museum

Worms | Crossover with Team17's Worms series; explosive, chaotic holes

Escapists | Crossover with Team17's The Escapists; prison-yard layouts

Stick to Forest and Twilight for a group of first-timers, and bring out the crossover and late courses once everyone knows the controls.

Paid course DLC:

DLC course | Notes

Corrupted Forest | Darker take on the forest theme

Bouncy Castle | Bouncy surfaces and wild rebounds

Peaceful Pines | Scenic course with its own layout

Olympus Odyssey | Greek mythology theme

Cosmetic packs: Caddy, Racing, Summer Party, Sports, Pizza Party, Fairytale Fables, Horrifying Headgear, Teams Mascot Hat, Critical Hit, Soaring Eagles Cosplay, and Legends of Olympus.

The Ultimate Edition bundles the base game with the Corrupted Forest, Bouncy Castle, and Peaceful Pines courses and several cosmetic packs. It regularly goes on deep discounts (for example, 80% off during the December 2025 Steam Sports Fest).

Shooting Fundamentals

Aim

• Line up using the aim guide and the camera. Aim through the center of the hole's opening, not the edge.
• On slopes, aim uphill of the hole and let gravity bring the ball down.

Power

• Short putts: a small fraction of max power. Overhitting short putts is the most common mistake.
• Long straightaways: medium-high power, and aim to land short so the ball rolls in.
• Ramps and jumps: enough power to clear the gap, not max. Too much sends you off the course.

Banks and rebounds

• Ball angles off walls are consistent. Aim at the wall where the reflection lines up with the hole.
• Use banks to go around obstacles and to slow a fast ball near the hole.

Moving obstacles

• Windmills, rotating arms, and sliding blocks all run on a timer. Watch one full cycle, then time your shot.

Power-Ups

When power-ups are on, you pick them up on the course and use them on opponents or yourself. The store page highlights:

• Honey: traps an opponent's ball in a sticky blob.
• Freeze: freezes an opponent's ball in place.
• Cube: turns a ball into a cube that doesn't roll properly.

Other power-ups affect your own ball or other players in different ways. Check the in-game list for everything available in your version.

Tips:

• Save disruptive power-ups for when a rival is about to putt out.
• Use them when your own shot is already safe.
• In collision games, defensive positioning near the hole can block others.

Hosting a Good Game

• Pick a course everyone can enjoy. Forest and Twilight are easy for new players. Save the trickier courses for regulars.
• Set a reasonable max stroke limit to keep rounds moving.
• Turn on the hole time limit in big lobbies.
• Collisions and power-ups are fun but chaotic. Turn them off for competitive rounds.
• Use a Password or Invite Only lobby for friends-only games.

Level Editor and Custom Courses

• The built-in Level Editor lets you design, share, and play custom holes and courses.
• Custom levels can be loaded from the lobby's course selection.
• Design tips: start with a simple par 2–3 hole, test with friends, then add hazards. Clear sightlines keep holes fun.

Scoring Terms

Term | Meaning

Par | The target number of strokes for the hole

Birdie | One under par

Eagle | Two under par

Albatross | Three under par (a hole-in-one on a par 4)

Hole in one | Sinking the ball with your first shot

Max shots | Hitting the lobby's stroke limit; you take the penalty score for the hole

Out of time | Running out the hole timer before you sink the ball

Achievements

The Steam achievements are mostly grind and course completion, with a few you can go for deliberately:

• Course achievements: play a full game of each course in Classic, Dunk, and (where offered) Hockey, and get par or better on each course in Classic. The par-or-better ones are the hard part, so practice those courses in Local mode first.
• Shot milestones: Beginner Putter (100 shots), Amateur Putter (1,000), and Master Putter (10,000) unlock through normal play.
• Scoring: Hole in one, 10 birdies, 50 pars, one albatross, and 10 albatrosses.
• Failure achievements: go out of bounds (once and 50 times), hit the max shots limit, and run out of time (once and 50 times). Easy to farm in a private lobby.
• Who's The Food Now?: get eaten by Gingy in the practice area.

Customization

• Unlock hats, skins, and trails for your ball through play and DLC packs.
• To change your hat: open the Customize menu, select the hat, and apply it.

Performance and Settings

• The PC minimum specs are modest (64-bit Windows 7 SP1 or 10, i3-2100 or FX-6300, 2 GB RAM, GTX 460 or Radeon 6870 class GPU). The install is about 5.25 GB.
• Lower the quality preset in Settings or the Pause menu if you get stuttering.
• Keep the game updated. An October 2025 patch fixed a Unity security vulnerability. Players on older builds should update.

Golf With Your Friends 2

• Release: Fall 2026 on Steam and consoles, with full cross-platform play.
• Developer: Radical Forge, rebuilt from scratch in a new engine. It launches as a full release, not Early Access.
• Content announced: six new courses (including a skate park course and Bumper Station, a space course with Space Rails, Speed Ramps, and Anti-Gravity Ramps), new hole explosions, deep customization, up to 12 players, new modes, and an accessible level editor on Steam and consoles.
• Collision Mode returns from the original.

The original stays playable and still gets maintenance patches.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Overhitting putts. Less power is almost always better near the hole.
• Shooting without looking. Check each hole's layout and shortcuts first.
• Ignoring moving obstacle timing. Watch one cycle before shooting.
• Hosting huge lobbies with no time limit. One stuck player holds everyone up.
• Aiming directly at the hole on slopes. Aim uphill.
• Using power-ups too early. Save them for key moments.
• Expecting crossplay. The original game doesn't support it.

Advanced Tips

• Learn shortcuts. Many holes have high-risk shortcuts: jumps, hidden paths, or walls to bank off. They're worth it once you've learned them.
• Hole-in-one practice: replay a course in local mode to learn exact power levels for key holes.
• Controller vs mouse: mouse is often more precise for power control. Controllers work well for couch play.
• In collision games, go second. Let others shoot first, then use their balls to bank or bump into position.
• Use banks to slow down. A soft bank near the hole stops overshoots.
• Watch other players' shots. Online play is simultaneous, so you can learn a hole from how others play it.

FAQ

How many players can play? Up to 12 online. Local play is hotseat on one screen.

Is there crossplay? Not in the original game. Golf With Your Friends 2 will support full cross-platform play.

Can I play solo? Yes. Use Local mode without adding extra players.

What's in the Ultimate Edition? The base game, three course DLCs (Corrupted Forest, Bouncy Castle, Peaceful Pines), and several cosmetic packs.

When does Golf With Your Friends 2 come out? Fall 2026 on Steam and consoles. As of late September 2026 it isn't out yet.

How do I make custom levels? Use the built-in Level Editor, then load your creation from the lobby's course selection to play with friends.

Is there split-screen? No. Local multiplayer is turn-based hotseat.

Sources

• Golf With Your Friends on Steam (store page and announcements)
• Official site FAQ: gwyf.golf
• Official announcement: Golf With Your Friends 2 Bumper Station reveal (May 21, 2026)
• Official announcement: Golf With Your Friends 2 Coming Fall 2026 (Apr 23, 2026)
• Official announcement: Update Required (Oct 3, 2025)
• Official announcement: Quality of Life Hotfix 2 (July 23, 2025)
• Wikipedia: Golf With Your Friends
• Steam achievements list (course and mode names)