You get to play Golf and drive around a Caddy in GTA 5.
Golf is one of only a handful of sports-related activities you can engage in around Los Santos (the other sport being Tennis). However, you can not fault Rockstar Games for including just a few sports activities in GTA 5, as the execution and realism of these minigames are top-notch and nothing short of spectacular.
If you have played GTA 5 for a while now, you’ve already played at least a round of Golf in-game. If you have not, now is the best time to wipe the dust off your old golf bag and start hitting balls in the fairway.
This guide will show you where to find the Golf Course and how to play Golf in GTA 5.
Golf in GTA 5
Golf has been around in the Grand Theft Auto HD Universe since Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. However, players could only use the Driving Range in the previous games, as an actual 9-hole Golf round would not be playable until Grand Theft Auto 5 was released in 2013.
Similar to Tennis in GTA 5, players can only start playing Golf in-game by completing the mission ‘Complications,’ where Simeon sends Franklin to repo a vehicle from Michael.
You can play solo as Michael, Trevor, or Franklin against an NPC or have all three protagonists play together as a friend activity. However, when playing Golf as a friend activity, the protagonists who start the game will have to pay for all three characters.
Golf in GTA 5 is surprisingly comprehensive – golfing mechanics and gameplay are fairly realistic and challenging.
Players even get a complete set of golf clubs, which they can use to hit the ball at varying distances. Stroke type, power, and trajectory can likewise be adjusted to player preference – players can even hit a draw or fade if they want to.
Most real-world Golf rules also apply, which means that out-of-bounds shots will give the player the corresponding real-world penalties (extra strokes).
Golf Course Location in GTA 5
There is only one Golf Course in GTA 5 – the Los Santos Golf Club.
You can find the Los Santos Golf Club at the GWC and Golfing Society in Richman. The property will only be unlocked after completing the ‘Complications’ mission with Franklin, but you can only purchase the property after completing the ‘Nervous Ron’ mission.
Suppose you are thinking about purchasing the Los Santos Golf Club. In that case, you will have to start abusing the Ammu-nation cash register glitch right now – the Los Santos Golf Club costs a cool $150,000,000 in-game making it the most expensive purchasable property in all of GTA 5.
Despite that absurd amount, the property also brings in a decent amount of income at $264,500 per week, making it the most profitable property in Los Santos.
How to Play Golf in GTA 5
Now that you know where to find the Golf Course in Los Santos head to the location to get started. Make sure you have some cash ready, as you will have to pay $100 to enter the Los Santos Golf Club.
The goal is simple: Sink the ball in the hole in the lowest number of strokes possible.
- Enter the Golf Course:
2. Pick your desired opponent and difficulty, then select Start Game:
3. You will be given three options for the first tee and every consecutive shot after that:
- Walk towards the tee/ball;
- Drive the golf cart towards the tee/ball;
- Skip to the tee/ball.
If you want the full golfing experience in GTA 5, we recommend walking or driving the golf cart towards the tee/ball. If you are playing Golf to get 100% completion, skip to the tee/ball so you do not waste time.
Note: the tee/ball area will be marked blue on the map/minimap.
4. At the tee box, you have a couple of options that can help you shape your shot, so the ball lands precisely where you want it to:
You can preview where your current combination of shot and club type will take the golf ball by pressing on the Spacebar or Left Shift (PC) X/A button for the PlayStation or Xbox, respectively.
You can also change your shot type to any of the four types:
- Normal – Normal shot power. Decent distance and accuracy.
- Power – Maximum shot power. Best distance; poor accuracy.
- Punch – Low flight shot. Great for traversing between trees.
- Approach – Low-power shots send the ball toward the green.
In addition, the type of club you use will also dictate the distance and height at which your golf ball flies.
- Driver (D) – Longest distance. The best club for holes is more than 300 Yards in distance.
- 3 Wood (3W) – Shorter length than a driver; lower ball flight than Driver.
- 5 Wood (5W) – Shorter distance than 3 Wood; slightly higher ball flight than 3 Wood.
- Irons (3i-9i) – Going up in number yields a shorter distance but a taller ball flight. 3i offers the best distance but the shortest ball flight. 9i offers the tallest ball flight but the shortest distance.
- Pitching Wedge (PW) – A very high ball flight but a short distance. I meant to ‘pitch’ the golf ball towards the green.
- Sand Wedge (SW) – Best used in Sand Traps or bunkers. It offers very high ball flight to escape deep bunkers.
- Loft Wedge (LW) – Offers the highest ball flight height of the wedges. It is meant for clearing high obstructions such as trees.
Strokes
Knowing the terms used to describe how many shots you need to take or have taken in a particular hole is also essential.
Each hole will have varying distances and ‘Par.’ Par is the ideal number of strokes you must take to score 0 (which is a good thing in Golf.) The lower your number of strokes relative to ‘Par,’ the better.
- Hole In One – Best possible scenario. It took one stroke to put the ball in the hole.
- Eagle – Two strokes under the prescribed number of strokes (Par) for a particular hole. They are also known as two under.
- Birdie – One stroke under ‘Par.’ Also known as one under.
- Par – Made the hole in the prescribed number of strokes for that particular hole.
- Bogey – Made one extra stroke over ‘Par.’
- Double Bogey – Made two extra strokes over ‘Par.’
The number of strokes you took to make each hole will count towards your overall score. As a general rule, the lower your score, the better.
Hole in One
GTA 5 offers a laundry list of activities and side quests that will keep players entertained for hours on end – Golf is just one of them. Yet we bet you will spend tens or even hundreds of hours playing Golf in GTA 5 because of how realistic, enjoyable, and comprehensive the entire experience is.
Take a break from those Heists and invite Trevor and Franklin for a rousing game of Golf at the Los Santos Golf Club. Trust us; you will be hooked in no time at all. You might even start playing Golf in real life.
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