To start GopherGolf double-click on the GopherGolf icon. From the file menu choose Open. Open any of the courses listed. You can also double click on a course to open it.
A dialog box appears. Enter the names of the people playing. Don’t skip player entry boxes. If there are two people playing the Player 1 and Player 2 boxes should be filled in. Next you can choose to play in practice mode or in competition mode. In practice mode you can jump around on the course to and from any holes you wish. You can replay holes if you like. In competition mode you must follow the course in the order it was designed. In practice mode your final scores will not be eligible to be entered into the course Leader Board (a record of the ten lowest scores for the particular course). In competition mode there is an stroke limit per hole which is set by the course designer. The maximum strokes per hole is stated on the bottom of the Player's dialog. If you click on the Practice or Competition button without filling in any players the game assumes you want to play with only one person and it uses "Me" as the player name.
B. Putting
The ball is placed on the tee area. The color of the ball changes when players change turns. Each player has a different color ball. Each player must complete the hole before the next player can begin. The putter is placed directly below the ball and appears as a small, thick line.
The player who got the lowest score on the previous hole goes first. Be sure to check the color or pattern of the ball to see who should be putting.
You can have two keys assigned to every action. For example you could have the "x' and the "Keyboard 4" key turn the putter clockwise. This helps for when more than one person is playing. To view or edit the key assignments choose Controls... from the Game menu. To change the assignments click on one of the buttons to the right of the action you want to assign. When the correct button is highlighted press the appropriate key.
Key Actions:
Left 90 Degrees Turns the putter 90 degrees clockwise
Left Quickly Turns the putter clockwise quickly(5 degrees at a time)
Left Slowly Turns the putter clockwise slowly(1 degree at a time)
Right 90 Degrees Turns the putter 90 degrees counter clockwise
Right Quickly Turns the putter counter clockwise quickly(5 degrees at a time)
Right Slowly Turns the putter counter clockwise slowly(1 degree at a time)
Flip 180 Degrees Moves the putter to the opposite side of the ball
Swing Swings the putter(see below for more detail)
Show Slopes Shows the slope values for any slopes on the hole(see below for more detail)
You can also use the mouse to putt. To select mouse control from the Controls dialog. This will change the cursor to a putter. To aim the putter just move the cursor behind the ball where you want to hit it. You can use the mouse button to swing.
When the putter is placed use one of the Swing keys to hit the ball. Holding the Swing key will draw the putter back. When the back swing is where you want it release the space bar or arrow key. This moves the putter back towards the ball striking it. A larger back swing will cause the ball to be hit harder. The putter has a maximum back swing point. If it reaches this point the putter waits for you to release the button to begin it's swing. The power indicator located below the score card also indicates how hard your swing is.
To cancel your shot hit the Swing key again after the stroke starts.
C. Hazards
The two objects that need a little explaining are water and slopes. Water areas are similar to a small canal in real miniature golf. The water is lower than the playing surface. If the ball is traveling at a sufficient speed it will travel right over the water. If the speed is too low the ball will fall down into the water. If this happens the ball is placed at the point where it started over the water and a one stroke penalty is added to your score.
Slopes are slanted areas of the playing field. The lighter areas of the slope are "higher" than the darker areas (see figure 1). The ball will be “pulled” from the lighter areas to the darker areas. The slopes have a cumulative effect. Two slopes with the same direction would represent a longer slope (see figure 2). The slopes have an incline factor of between one and ten. One is the flattest slope and ten is the steepest. To see the slope factor before you hit the ball, hold down the ‘s’ key. This will show a number at the center of all the slope regions and an arrow showing the slope's direction (see figure 3). This number represents the slope factor for that particular slope area.
 
D. Gopher
The gopher is a pesky rodent that pops up randomly on the course. If you hit the gopher one stroke is taken off your score. If your ball rolls into a gopher hole you get a one stroke penalty, this can only happen if the gopher is no longer in the hole. You can control how often the gopher pops up and how long he stays up by selecting the gopher menu item in the Game menu.
