Golf is a video game based on the traditional game of golf. It can be played as a single player game or two players taking turns after each course. There are nine courses where the goal of the player is to hit the ball into the cup. Swinging the club in an attempt to hit the ball is known as a stroke. While the number of strokes is unlimited, each course has a designated "par", representing the average number of strokes it should take to complete the course. The total par for the game is 36. Using the difficulty switch on the Atari, the "B" position indicates an easier mode with the cup being larger and the ball stopping at the edge of the rough. In the "A" position, the cup is smaller and the ball can end up in the rough.
The player uses the controller to swing the club and hit the ball. The longer the button is held on the joystick, the longer the backswing will be; this is the method used to control the power of each hit. The golfer always faces towards the ball and it will travel perpendicular to the club.
The courses are covered in hazards, sand traps, trees and the rough. If a tree is hit with enough momentum, the ball will bounce backwards. If it hits a water hazard, it will be returned to the fairway closest to where it entered and the player will receive an extra stroke penalty. Balls caught in sand traps become invisible and lose momentum when hit. When a ball hits the rough, represented by the blue patches, it will lose all momentum. The ball in the rough will be invisible and have half its regular momentum when hit.