Mario Golf : la saga golf signée Camelot

Mario Golf: the golf series by Camelot

1447 mots | Temps de lecture : 7 minute(s)

Since 1999, Mario Golf has brought the world of the Mushroom Kingdom to the greens. Created under the guidance of Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo, the series has accompanied almost every console of the brand, from the Nintendo 64 to the Switch, by combining accessible golf, cult characters, and crazy courses.

Its originality? An RPG-style adventure mode on portable versions, where you create your golfer and help them progress to the top. Here is the complete guide to the saga, episode by episode, from the roster to the courses.

Summary

Camelot, the discreet architect of Mario Golf

Unlike platform games entrusted internally to Nintendo, Mario Golf is developed by Camelot Software Planning, a Japanese studio also responsible for the Mario Tennis series and the Golden Sun RPGs. This dual role explains why Mario's golf games combine sports simulation and progression mechanics borrowed from role-playing games.

The saga finds an ancestor in NES Open Tournament Golf (1991), where Mario and Luigi already donned golf attire on NES. But it was the first Mario Golf on Nintendo 64, released on June 11, 1999 (Japan), that laid the foundations for the modern "Mario Sports" line, alongside the Game Boy Color version launched two months later.

Console episodes: from N64 to Switch

On home consoles, the series relies on three pillars:

  • Mario Golf (Nintendo 64, 1999): six thematic 18-hole courses and a three-step shot gauge that would become the studio's trademark. Unusually, human golfers invented by Camelot (Plum, Charlie, Sonny...) are encountered alongside Mario and Peach.
  • Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (GameCube, 2003): eighteen characters, powerful shots (Power Shots) and more spectacular courses. Released on July 28, 2003, in North America and September 5, 2003, in Japan.
  • Mario Golf: Super Rush (Switch, 2021): the return to consoles after an eighteen-year absence, with motion controls and new modes.

Each installment features carefully crafted settings: deserts populated by Shy Guys, valleys haunted by Boos, greens planted at the foot of Peach's Castle.

Adventure mode: when Mario Golf becomes an RPG

The great originality of Mario Golf lies in its portable versions, which graft a real RPG-style adventure mode onto golf:

  • Mario Golf (Game Boy Color, 1999): you play as young golfers (Kid, Azalea, Joe, Sherry) who climb the ranks of the circuit. These characters could even be transferred to the Nintendo 64 version thanks to the Transfer Pak.
  • Mario Golf: Advance Tour (Game Boy Advance, 2004): you choose Neil or Ella as your hero, train them at the Marion Club, and distribute their experience points between power, control, and spin, up to level 99. The ultimate goal: surpass the greatest golfer, Mario. Released on April 22, 2004 (Japan).

This progression system has never disappeared: it is found, modernized, in the Castle Club of World Tour and then in the Golf Adventure of Super Rush.

Mario Golf: World Tour, the move to online gaming

Mario Golf: World Tour (Nintendo 3DS, May 1, 2014, in Japan) marked a turning point: it was the first episode in the series playable online, via the Nintendo Network, with regional and global tournaments. The Castle Club story mode reprises the idea of a golf club that you explore, from the locker room to the equipment shop.

The game brought together 21 characters, including Mii characters playable for the first time in the series and DLC additions like Toadette, Rosalina, or Gold Mario. It also offered downloadable courses replicating layouts from Mario Golf N64. However, the online service closed on April 8, 2024.

Super Rush, the Speed Golf gamble (2021)

Released worldwide on June 25, 2021, on Switch, Mario Golf: Super Rush shakes things up with two fast-paced modes:

  • Speed Golf: everyone hits at the same time, then runs to their ball avoiding obstacles; the best time wins, not just the best score.
  • Battle Golf: a nine-hole arena where you have to sink your ball before your opponents.

Each character has a special shot that disturbs the course (Luigi freezes the green, for example), and the Joy-Con motion controls simulate a real swing. The Golf Adventure mode reprises the RPG formula by allowing your Mii to progress from novice to pro. After launch, free updates added characters (Koopa Troopa, Ninji, Toadette, Wiggler, Shy Guy), the New Donk City course, and new game modes. The title sold 2.48 million copies by the end of 2022 and was crowned "Sports Game of the Year" at the 25th DICE Awards.

Roster and courses: a growing cast

Over the episodes, the roster has continued to expand. The core brings together familiar faces — Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, Bowser — to which are added rarer figures on the greens:

  • Reformed antagonists: Bowser Jr., King Boo, Petey Piranha (in Toadstool Tour) or even King Bob-omb in Super Rush.
  • Special Guests: Rosalina, Pauline, and Toad complete the Super Rush roster.
  • Original Golfers: Camelot created its own human characters (Plum, Charlie, Neil, Ella...), a true singularity in the Mario universe.

On the course side, each game features thematic layouts: tropical islands, Koopa castles, deserts, and forests, often dotted with classic enemies transformed into obstacles.

Main Mario Golf Episodes

Mario Golf Nintendo 64, 1999 (Japan)
Mario Golf Game Boy Color, 1999 (Japan)
Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour GameCube, 2003
Mario Golf: Advance Tour Game Boy Advance, 2004 (Japan)
Mario Golf: World Tour Nintendo 3DS, 2014
Mario Golf: Super Rush Nintendo Switch, 2021

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FAQ

  • Who develops the Mario Golf series?
    The games are developed by the Japanese studio Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo. Camelot also produces the Mario Tennis series and the Golden Sun RPGs, which explains the mix of golf and progression mechanics.
  • What is the first Mario Golf?
    The first Mario Golf was released on Nintendo 64 on June 11, 1999 (Japan), followed by a Game Boy Color version the same year. NES Open Tournament Golf (1991) is, however, considered its direct ancestor.
  • Is there a story mode in Mario Golf?
    Yes. The portable versions (Game Boy Color, then Advance Tour with Neil and Ella) offer an RPG mode where you develop your golfer. It can also be found in the Castle Club of World Tour and the Golf Adventure of Super Rush.
  • What's the difference between Mario Golf and Mario Tennis?
    Both series are developed by Camelot and share an arcade tone and an adventure mode. One is golf, the other is tennis. Super Rush adds new racing modes like Speed Golf to golf.
  • What does Mario Golf: Super Rush offer on Switch?
    Released in 2021, it introduces Speed Golf and Battle Golf, where you race to your ball, special shots unique to each character, motion controls, and a Golf Adventure mode with your Mii.
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