Golf Plus

Golf Plus is a Plus Event that appears in the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The objective of the event is to win as many Star Coins as possible by scoring in the fewest shots. The playable characters in this event are Mario, Peach, Bowser, Sonic, Vector, Rouge and Mii, with Rouge being unlocked by beating her in the event on the seventh day of Mario's story in the Road to Rio mode.

Gameplay
In this event, the player starts by aiming their shot, with all shots starting from an elevated platform rather than from the ground. They can do this either by using the Touch Screen to move around their aiming points and select from various clubs. They can also zoom in and out on the course and move the camera to various areas of the course to view the rest of the hole. The player can also move around their aiming point using and change clubs using. The cursor will start off with a suggested club, power level and place to aim, however the player is able to freely change this. As well as aiming, before the player takes their shot they can add backspin to their shot by pressing, view the current scorecard using , change the camera angle from the character to their aiming point using , opt to use one of a limited number of special shots using and proceed to making their shot using. The player is also told the current windspeed and direction, which may affect the shot depending on the strength and direction of the wind. When the player proceeds to their shot, they are given the suggested power level for their shot, as well as still being able to change clubs, use Power Shots, add backspin and alter their aim slightly. To make the shot, the player must slide the club towards the ball from the distance of their desired amount of power. The further from the ball the player swings their club, the higher power their shot will have. The angle at which the player hits the shot will also affect the way the ball flies, giving straight shots for straight hits and angled ones for off-centre. When the shot has been made, the player can either replay it using, skip it using or fast forward it using. The courses feature a number of different obstacles, including rough, which makes the ball harder to hit and fly a shorter distance, and bunkers, which have a similar effect to the rough but cause the fall to fly an even shorter distance. There are also water hazards and out-of-bounds areas, which give the player an extra point when landed in and cause the ball to be replaced on the course at the point where it entered the water for water hazards and where the shot was originally hit from for out-of-bounds. As well as the regular golf obstacles, the courses also feature some more unusual ones, such as ramps, which contain rainbow panels that will boost the wall when landed on but otherwise act as normal obstacles, as well as unusually shaped walls which simply block the ball. The course also features Warp Pipes, which will transport the ball to elsewhere on the course, with the red pipe offering the chance to get a hole in one, and Piranha Plants, Brick Blocks, Castles and Empty Blocks which also serve as basic obstacles. There are also shield walls, which bounce the ball back when hit and bumper pads which launch the ball off at an angle. There are also Flappers that move around the course until a ball is hit with a beam that turns balls into heavy iron balls for one stroke if they are caught in it, which makes them harder to hit. Three appear at first and move around the central bunker on the course, but once those have been passed another two appear by the hole. Another hole includes a flag which can be hit to score a hole in one, and another features a Koopa Paratroopa that moves the hole and the flag after every shot. The last hole also includes character walls, which are simple walls shaped like characters that disappear if they are hit by a ball. The characters that appear are Mario, Bowser, Lakitu, Spinies and Goombas from Super Mario Bros. and Sonic, a Moto Bug, a Burrobot and Dr. Eggman in his Eggmobile from Sonic the Hedgehog. Once the player hits the ball onto the green, a grid will appear to help with the aiming and judging of distances to reach the hole. Rather than usual golf scoring, the outcome of the event is decided by collecting Star Coins. Each hole has a set number of Star Coins that can be won for it, which can be obtained by reaching the hole in the fewest strokes. If a character's stroke count overtakes the current lowest stroke count for the hole, they will stop playing the hole whether they have reached it or not. If a stroke count is tied for the hole, the Star Coins for the hole are carried over onto the next one. On hole 4, instead of winning a set amount of Star Coins, the player has six shots in which they can hit ? Blocks to receive varying numbers of Star Coins, which can all be won for the total of the hole by reaching the hole within the number of strokes.

In this event, the player can choose to play either 3, 6 or 9 holes.

Advice

 * The color and pattern of the trajectory line change when the ball hits an obstacle, goes out of bounds or fall in a water hazard.
 * Target the red circle in the middle of the ball on the Touch Screen to hit the ball straight where you aim.
 * Slide diagonally when hitting the ball to add curve.
 * Super Shots are more effective if you time your swing wo it when the white circle overlaps with the ball.
 * Slide the stylus quickly when hitting the ball to gain a little extra distance.
 * Press the R Button to add backspin to your shot.
 * Press the Y Button to view where the ball will land.
 * On a Pipe Strike hole, if you hit the ball into a pipe without touching the edges, it will come straight out of the other end.