Neko Golf – Anime Golf takes its own shot at making a golf game that has a mix of realism while employing anime-style graphics. Despite the abundance of golf games on the mobile gaming market alone, COLOPL, Inc.’s new entry guarantees to provide even veteran virtual golf players with a truly unique multiplayer golf experience. Whether you are looking for a fun yet challenging way to pass the time or are eager to show off your precision and aiming skills in a game of golf, Neko Golf is at the very least worth peeking into.
Neko Golf exhibits characters from the White Cat Project / Colopl Rune Story ARPG and lets you have fun with customizations on your avatar’s appearance and accessories as well as provides liberty in choosing your clubs for different scenarios. At the same time, the overall gameplay mechanics, while containing their own share of complexities, allows players to develop their unique strategies.
The initial tutorial session is quick and simple, and the best part is that it allows players to spend an unlimited amount of time perfecting their strokes. Neko Golf has a control scheme that is easy to pick up and learn but somewhat difficult to master. The Pull-and-flick gesture needed in launching each stroke is certainly not a common method used in golf games but there are limitless opportunities to master this before heading on to matches.
If you have just started diving into Neko Golf, or are about to, you can still enjoy progression through casual playing. However, if you have a competitive spirit and would want to climb the ranks among the strongest competitors, then we have you covered. Read on and check out our Neko Golf guide for a bunch of tips, tricks and strategies so you can dominate every course!
1. Understand The Basics of Golf
Regardless of how similar or different a golf video game is from actual golf in real life, it helps to have a good enough idea of its general rules and mechanics just like any other sport. Golf appears to be a little more complex compared with other sports and arguably not a game for everyone to enjoy in real life. Golf certainly houses a lot of rules that players need to be aware of and having different golf clubs as your tools of the trade adds a little more to its complexity. Golf does not lag behind other sports as well in terms of having its own unique set of words that either has no sense outside of the sport or have a completely unrelated meaning.
For experienced and veteran players of golf on video games, a lot of these should potentially have been learned with experience. For the completely uninitiated, however, it is important to have a full understanding of the golf lingo. There are expectedly numerous mentions of these terms within the game itself but knowing what each term means before or during gameplay leads to a better understanding of the in-game guides and tips.
A full game of Golf consists of playing through 18 holes although, in Neko Golf, you will only be playing through a couple of holes in each session. Using a set of golf clubs, players aim to sink the golf ball into the hole from the tee box or the starting point in as few strokes as possible. Each hole has a given score or par, which determines how many strokes it should take for players to finish it. A par 3 hole, for example, should be completed with 3 strokes or less.
Players need to hit balls where they lie or stop following their previous stroke. There are exceptions to this rule as in the case of shots being impossible to take but these usually come with their own set of penalties. From the tee box, the more dominant part of each hole is the fairway. Towards the end of the hole, the hole itself is surrounded by a small area called the green. The outermost edge of the hole or course is surrounded by the rough, which serves as the boundaries of the playing field, and going beyond that leads to out-of-bounds. There are hazards commonly found in the playing area as well such as water hazards and sand bunkers.
Although conventional golf allows golfers to carry 14 different types of golf clubs with them, you can only carry 8 different ones in Neko Golf. There are 4 basic categories of golf clubs, the woods, which include the driver; irons, typically used from the fairway; wedges, which are designed for shots requiring more loft-like getting out of bunkers; and putters, which are used for putting when in the green. Neko Golf automatically switches a recommended club for you for each stroke although you can always decide to choose another.
Golf also has unique terms for the players’ scores below or above par, depending on the number of strokes it takes to complete the hole other than par. A Birdie is a score given when finishing a hole 1 stroke below par and an Eagle is what you get for scoring a -2 par. Scores above par are not as bad as well and can be a Bogey, Double Bogey, or Triple Bogey which means a stroke, 2 strokes, or 3 strokes above par, respectively. Regardless of the hole’s par, finishing it in one stroke will always yield an ace or a hole-in-one. This is very difficult to experience in real life as it is almost as difficult to pull in Neko Golf.
2. Spend Time On The Training Range
It is only natural to want to jump in on a match as soon as you finish the initial tutorial session. As effective as the initial guides are, it certainly hints at having you go for additional training, especially at the last part where you can practice boosting your accuracy for each stroke. After all, the pull and flick mechanism in Neko Golf is something unique, especially in a golf game. It certainly takes time to get used to, especially for beginners, but it is a core mechanic that puts every player’s level of accuracy to the test.
Once you are free to venture across the different features on the home screen, the main game mode will constantly be shifting between casual mode and battle mode. To differentiate, the casual mode is more suitable for an enjoyable match that does not place much pressure on you but also does not provide as many rewards.
Battle mode is rather more competitive as it grants the winning player more tour points with each match and leaves nothing for the losing player. The switch between these 2 game modes may require different approaches for players with differing skills and experience but we recommend that you primarily proceed to further training before engaging in either type of match.
Neko Golf provides a Training Range you can access through its icon just at the lower right side of the main game mode button. You can choose the kind of training you want to go through and spend as much time as you want on each one as well. At the left side of the training screen, you will be on the Tee Shot Training by default but you can easily switch to Fairway, Rough, and Bunker shots from the icons. You can also practice your putting via the icon at the top of the screen.
It is very important to spend as much time as possible on the training range not just to improve your accuracy in every stroke you make but also to be more conscious about other elements you need to consider before taking each shot. Most, if not all, of these details, are covered in the starting tutorial but it can be easy to forget especially if you are focused on the actual gameplay then.
In case you forgot, you are given a choice between using a draw shot or a fade shot with the former being the default choice. You can conveniently switch between these 2 via the icon at the lower right side of the screen. A draw shot will have a lower trajectory but has more potential to reach greater distances given that the ball will roll more after it hits the fairway or green. A fade shot, on the other hand, leads you to pull a higher trajectory shot that will end with the ball hardly rolling after it lands.
The pull and flick mechanic used for each shot is something you will never forget but what you might miss early on is the power level associated with each shot. If you look closely, there are 50% and 100% marks on the line you pull on before each shot. Although you should mostly go for 100% power on the tee shot, you will have to consider more suitable power levels after your first shot.
Tapping on the screen any time before taking a shot will give you a bird’s eye view of the area where a full power shot and a precise one will take the ball. Again, there is usually not much concern for this for the tee shot unless the course is shorter than usual. However, beyond the first stroke, you should take note of where 100% power will take your ball and make necessary adjustments based on what you see from the other perspective.
A putt will always be on the last leg of each hole and would typically ease your adrenaline down a notch. However, putting can be a challenging phase as well, sometimes even more challenging than other strokes you make. When on the green or close to it, the terrain’s differing elevations can lead to challenges relative to predicting how the ball will roll. This is where you need to mix the right amount of power behind the stroke as well as make adjustments to the shot angle in preparation for where the ball will most likely swerve to.
It is fair to say that all golf games are easy to pick up yet hard to master and Neko Golf sticks to this impression. Be sure to not lose hope and patience if the disparity between the shot you have in mind and the actual outcome does not seem to close in after a few minutes of practice. More so, new golf clubs and enhancement of existing ones will likewise provide different results as well.
3. Consider The Initial Matches As Practice
Just because you paid very close attention to the initial tutorial session and spend a good deal of your extra time on the training range will mean that you will automatically be racking in wins in multiplayer matches. For one, a practice session and a match against any other player will yield different atmospheres and then there are experience gaps that may exist between you and your current opponent.
To avoid frustrations, discouragement, or loss of patience and hope, it is best to consider your initial dives into multiplayer matches as an extension of your training regimen. Whether it is a casual mode or a battle mode, consider it more as a source of learning and experience first rather than hoping to nab big rewards for wins.
Before battle mode becomes available, you will be engaging NPC opponents in a couple of casual matches. This is a sure treat for players who may not be as initially confident playing against other players. To a great extent, the chances of bagging a win here are bigger specially if you have gone through some practice strokes within the training range.
What should encourage you as a beginner to be more confident in multiplayer matches is that you will always be paired against another player within the same tier as yours. You will be in the Rookie I tier before you are allowed to engage in matches and the tour points you earn that contribute to reaching the next rank will be determined by your performance in matches.
You will notice that the higher your tier goes, the more challenging it becomes to amass tour points to get there. You can at least have a mindset that you are always likely to be paired up with a player with similar experience and skill level.
On one hand, spending some extra time in the training range may give you an advantage over other players who may have opted to jump straight into the main game modes but as you move to higher tiers, you will be sure to meet players that will give you a tough match.
Another important feature of Neko Golf that you will only experience outside of the training range is the changing winds and weather. These features add an extra layer of complexity and challenge relative to how you will have to project how each of your shots will go. Although these details will always be visible within each match, it helps to peek into the Course Info that you can access through its icon on the lower left side of the main game button.
The Course Info provides the holes you will play within the match as well as details on weather and wind strength. Note that this will change every once in a while so it is best to make a habit of looking into it before entering a match.
4. Learn From Every Opponent You Face
Relative to our previous strategy of considering the early matches as an extension of the training session, another important reason for you to initially view them as practice sessions is that these matches provide opportunities for you to learn some tricks and strategies you cannot acquire from the training range. Every opponent you face in both casual and battle modes will surely have lessons to share, whether you perceive them as more or less experienced than you in Neko Golf.
Every match in Neko Golf will have you alternating strokes with your opponent for the entirety of the match. The instances when it is not your turn can be boring for some players but they should be instead considered as learning moments. As you will be able to witness the same perspective as that of your opponent, you can make close comparisons to every aspect of the shot they consider in contrast with yours.
Even as a beginner, it will be fairly easy to spot the skill level of your opponents and gauge whether they are more or less experienced than you. Regardless, even the least performing player will still provide you insights on how to improve your strokes as well as mistakes you may want to avoid. Although we discussed how power is not everything in golf, seeing shots made by an opponent that goes beyond the green or bounce outside of the fairway will more effectively remind you to utilize less than 100% power in applicable instances.
5. Accomplish Missions For Extra Rewards
Although losing a match in battle mode stands as the only time spent in Neko Golf without any measurable rewards save for experience and learning, winning in both modes as well as losing a casual match will earn you something. To a great extent, every bit of moment spent playing earns you outright gains that are well worth the effort. Beyond all that, however, Neko Golf provides numerous extra benefits to enjoy especially for the most active virtual golf players and a large chunk of this can be attributed to the missions feature.
Simply engaging matches one after another will naturally have you accomplish various objectives listed under the different classifications of missions Neko Golf has in store for you. For a more efficient approach towards growth and progression, however, it is best to check these objectives to see areas you may need to work a little bit more on and consider each selection as your main guide towards progressing faster in your golf career.
For starters, be sure to accomplish beginner missions as soon as you can as these targets not just give you extra resources easily but also tour you through some of the game’s basic features you may have missed. The Daily Missions stands as the easiest list of objectives to accomplish and should soon form part of your routine. Note that a weekly set of missions can be found on the lower half of the page.
Achievements are more like milestones you reach across various aspects of the game and while some of these objectives may take some time and patience to complete, with G Jewels as rewards, each one is certainly well worth pursuing. Finally, there are also special missions associated with the golf tour as well as other aspects of the game that have limited availability.
Note that there are sub-categories under special missions so be sure to scroll through each objective taking into account the deadline for each one. With huge sums of G Jewels and other valuable items up for grabs, push as much as you can to accomplish the special missions.
6. Upgrade Your Favorite Characters And Golf Clubs
The starting character you have as well as the initial set of golf clubs you will use in Neko Golf initially leaves players happy, most especially beginners. The initial character sports a fairly decent set of skills and even the most basic level 1 golf clubs still do the job.
Spending G Jewels via the gacha machine which can be accessed via its icon at the lowermost right side of the home screen, can earn you characters or at least shards that unlock them when pieced together. Each character naturally has their own set of skills to use and you are bound to consider one most suitable for you in time.
Once unlocked, you can change your character thru the “Wear” icon close to where your character stands on the home screen. Characters you have yet to unlock can also be checked as far as the skills they have including ones you can unlock. Although it will take some time to unlock all 6 characters and be able to have the means to upgrade them, it is important to get to know each character as thoroughly as you can to have an idea about what they can do when you use them or play golf against them.
Each character has a skill shot available as well as 2 passive abilities when you unlock them but securing extra shards will eventually enhance their golf spirit rank, paving the way to unlock 2 more skill shots and 5 more passive traits. While the gacha mechanics make it difficult to set eyes on a specific golfer you want to work on, Neko Golf provides banners within its gacha system where specific characters will have a higher probability of being recruited. With this, you can boost your chances to focus on spending G Jewels to try and obtain the character you like and upgrade them as well.
As for golf clubs, there are 8 types available in Neko Golf as well as 7 different series or brands that have each one. Although most of what you will have as a beginner belongs to the Raccoon Series, playing through matches and accomplishing missions and events will yield you random ones.
Extra copies of each golf club are never a complete waste since you need those level-up existing ones. Aside from extra copies of the specific golf club, you will also need to spend golf club runes and coins for each level up. Although the base level cap for golf clubs is only 5, increasing each one’s Golf Spirit Rank can increase the level cap up to 15 and provide other perks for the golf club.
Just like the characters themselves, it can also be a challenge to determine which golf clubs you will unlock first as well as which ones to have more duplicates of. In this sense, you can always choose to upgrade any golf club whenever you can as each upgrade increases its capabilities. Be sure to always compare similar types of clubs with one another as you are also bound to discover one that will suit your preferences and play style beyond all the others.
7. Feel Free To Stray From Defaults
Just like conventional golf games especially on mobile, Neko Golf provides convenience to players, especially beginners, with default configurations that may not necessarily be the best one across every scenario. Although these are certainly appreciated early on, you will come to discover and should soon consider alternatives to what is initially provided to you. This is more of an expert strategy that fits more experienced players but having a realization early on should at least set your mind on how to improve your strokes and performances.
To start, your aim will almost always be directed towards the hole at the end of the playing grounds. Sometimes, this may disregard bunkers or other obstacles and risks involved if you fail to perfectly adhere to a full power shot. In the same manner, making adjustments to the default aim every turn can always lead to much better results.
Another point to consider is that the default aim or angle is given to you will not consider weather and wind strength and direction, leading to chances of the actual result deviating a lot from the projected outcome of the stroke. Again, you will always have to keep a keen eye on these features before considering to decide on your next stroke.
We mentioned earlier as well that Neko Golf automatically switches your golf club based on what is conventionally most suitable for the given situation and while this feature is certainly something to appreciate, keep in mind that the chosen golf club may not necessarily be the one that can yield you the best results for that scenario. Finding an alternative with an assurance of a much more favorable outcome will require some experience and patience but will be well worth the effort once you get the hang of it.
Relative to features that make playing a little more convenient, Neko Golf also provides an Auto-Hit feature when putting. A Putt Info provides details on the terrain and your distance to the hole and bars below it providing probable results if you choose to utilize the auto-hit button. In a lot of cases, a high enough chance of successfully sinking the shot may entice you to consider the convenient approach but we recommend doing the shot manually if there are chances of failing to do so in auto, especially in battle matches.
As a final quick tip as well, be sure to expend the 4 attempts you have to shorten the countdown timer when opening Club Chests or any other chests. You can do this by playing a short video ad and each 15 to a 30-second ad that you play reduces the timer by 4 full hours. Consider those 4 attempts to play ads as a means for you to rest your flicking fingers as well as your eyes but, more importantly, getting better clubs or enhancing existing ones sooner can help you in your succeeding match.
And that wraps up our comprehensive guide for Neko Golf. We surely hope that you found reading through our guide worthwhile and that you can readily apply what you have learned to your progression moving forward. If you happen to stumble upon some additional tips or tricks on top of what we have presented, be sure to share them away down in the comments!