• Action
  • Caddie Skill (hold)
  • Change Shot (press) or Golfer Ability (hold)
  • Zoom to target marker
  • Change club
  • Change club
  • Zoom out
  • Zoom in
  • Move target marker
  • Move camera
  • Add ball spin or fine aim (when putting)
  • Plan view
  • Pause

If you’re looking to dig deeper into your favorite Xbox One games, Community Meld is your one-stop location for extra content, news, downloads, and more. Pop out Meld by pressing on this game’s Main Menu or Pause Menu, then use it to check out your achievements or read updates specially tailored to your current Xbox One title!

Welcome to Powerstar Golf!

The goal in golf is to hit the ball from the tee to the cup – marked by a flag, known as the pin – in the fewest number of strokes possible. The par value of a hole refers to the number of strokes a competent golfer is expected to take to complete the hole.

Scores in golf are calculated according to the par value for the hole being played:

Double Eagle
3 strokes under par
Eagle
2 strokes under par
Birdie
1 stroke under par
Bogey
1 stroke over par
Double Bogey
2 strokes over par
Triple Bogey
3 strokes over par

Any score over Triple Bogey is listed as a plus value, e.g. "+5".

In Powerstar Golf, rounds are played using either Stroke Play or Match Play rules.

In stroke play, the golfer who plays the entire round using the fewest strokes in total wins.

In match play, two golfers compete to win each individual hole, and the golfer who wins the most holes wins the match. If a golfer achieves a lead equal to the number of holes remaining, the match is said to be "dormie", meaning that they only need to draw the next hole to secure the win.

Most holes consist of three main parts; the Teeing Ground, Green, and Fairway. Players begin by hitting the ball from the teeing ground towards the green, where the cup is found. Fairways are stretches of nicely-mown grass that act as a pathway to the green, from which it is most advantageous to hit the ball.

Land on the fairway with your tee shot (on all but par 3 holes) and you’ll be awarded bonus XP for achieving Fairway In Regulation (FIR). Land on the green at least two shots under par and you’ll achieve Green In Regulation (GIR).

Semi-Rough, Rough and Heavy Rough are areas of longer grass that fill in the gaps around the hole, and should be avoided to achieve the best score.

Bunkers and Water Hazards also serve as obstacles on many courses, along with trees, buildings and other objects. If your ball lands in a water hazard it will be reset on the closest playable area (not nearer to the cup) with a 1-stroke penalty.

Aiming & Setting Up Shots

Aim your shot using to move the target marker to where you want the ball to land. Use or to zoom the camera in or out, or press to zoom the camera straight to the target marker, and use to rotate the camera around it. To return to your golfer after moving the camera, press .

When you’re ready, begin your shot by pressing . As the shot bar fills, press again to set the power of your swing. The triangular marker on the shot bar indicates the approximate power required to reach the target marker, but be careful – this doesn’t account for wind, terrain elevation, obstacles or power reduction when hitting from rough surfaces or bunkers!

After setting the power, watch the cursor as it moves back down the shot bar, and press when it reaches the strike zone to set the accuracy of the shot. Timing is crucial – stopping the cursor in the center of the strike zone ensures a perfect strike – the best possible hit. The further from the center of the strike zone the cursor is stopped, the less accurate your shot will be.

Hit the red areas to the left or right of the strike zone and you will hook or slice the ball, causing it to curve to the left or right. Missing the strike zone entirely will result in a very low-power, extremely inaccurate shot.

The power and accuracy of a shot is also affected by the terrain you shoot from – shooting from the fairway provides the clearest shot, while shooting from a bunker can cause unexpected outcomes.

Gear, available from the Store, can affect the size of the target area and adjust the width of the strike zone’s components. Try different types of clubs, balls, boosters and caddie perks to find a style that works for you!

Putting

When putting in Powerstar Golf, the grid reveals the slopes of the green, to help you judge the best direction and power for your putt.

The moving dots on the grid lines indicate the severity of the slope for different parts of the green. Color also helps indicate this severity; red patches are quite steep, while green patches are close to flat.

You can change the maximum length of your putt by pressing .

Aim the target marker with , or use for finer aiming control, then press to begin your putt. As the shot bar fills, press again to set the power of your putt. Unlike other shots, you don’t need to set the accuracy when putting!

Changing Club Types

While setting up your shot, use and to switch between different clubs. Choosing the right club can have a dramatic effect on the height and distance of your shot.

The size of strike zone components also changes depending on the club you choose – some clubs are suited for hitting a short distance from a bad lie, while others for long drives from smooth fairways.

Pitch and Chip Shots

When using irons and wedges, you can change your shot type by pressing . Pitch shots have a steeper and higher trajectory, while Chip shots are very low with a lot of roll. Both can be very useful when approaching the green.


Adding Spin

Unless you’re putting, you can apply spin by using while setting up your shot.

Adding spin to the left or right of the ball will cause it to curve in flight. This is referred to as fading and drawing.

Increasing spin on the bottom or top of the ball can cause the ball to stop quickly, reverse direction, or roll farther upon hitting the ground. This is called backspin or topspin.

Ability Basics

Each Golfer and Caddie in Powerstar Golf has a unique ability or skill which when mastered can offer a distinct advantage during play. You can only use them a few times in each round though, so choose your moments carefully.

To activate a golfer’s special ability, either hold while setting up the shot, or press it while the ball is in motion, depending on the golfer being used. You can only use a golfer’s ability when the special ability panel (on the far left of the screen) is lit.

Caddie skills are always activated by holding while setting up the shot, as long as the skill panel is lit (on the far right of the screen).

The number of times you can use the abilities and skills depends on the length of the round – the longer the round, the more uses you get. Additionally, you can increase the number of uses with Boosters. The small oval ‘pips’ on the ability and skill panels show you how many uses remain.


Frank's Ability: Rocket Launch

Activate this ability before taking a shot, and Frank will hit the ball with extreme power, sending it blasting off like a rocket!

Reiko's Ability: Tesla Field

Activate this ability before taking the shot and Reiko will apply an electromagnetic charge to the ball and cup. When the ball is close enough, the magnetic field draws it towards the cup!

Henry's Ability: Illusion Ball

Activate this ability when the ball is in flight and Henry will split the ball into five illusionary balls. When they have all come to a stop the ball closest to the pin in a good lie will be used for the next shot. You can influence the direction of the illusionary balls by holding in the desired direction when you press .

Kiara's Ability: Lucky Clover

Activate this ability while the ball is in flight and Kiara will summon a burst of luck to steer the ball back towards the center of the fairway, allowing an off-course shot to be corrected. Be careful, though – Kiara's ability doesn't account for obstacles, such as trees or cliffs!


Laoshi's Ability: Zen Focus

Activate this ability before taking the shot and Master Laoshi will enter a calm, meditative state that seems to slow down time – allowing for better timing when setting the shot’s power and striking the ball.

Dominique's Ability: Super Spin

Dominique can add incredible spin to the ball after hitting it – allowing the ball to curve drastically in the air or on the ground, stop on a dime, or even roll backwards. To activate this ability, press and hold while the ball is in motion. The strength of the spin applied will depend on how long is held for. You can set the spin direction using to direct the displayed arrow while is being held.

Powerstar Challenges give you the chance to earn extra XP… if you can complete them!

There are many different challenges, from simple to complex, some decided by a single shot and others lasting for several holes. The more difficult the challenge, the greater the reward!

If you don’t want to take on a challenge, you can simply ignore it – there’s no penalty for failing – but remember, if you pass them up you’ll miss out on that XP!

The Store

The Store is the go-to place to purchase all the gear you need to improve your game. Clubs and balls can increase your golfer’s capabilities, while boosters give short-term benefits that last for a single round. Caddie perks give further boosts to your game, and styles let you customize the look of your golfers and caddies.

Powerstar Golf’s store allows you to buy Gear Packs at varying price levels. The cost of a pack determines the grade (or quality) of gear you’ll find inside. Items come in the following grades:

Basic (starting) gear has a gray background/outline.

Amateur gear has a green background/outline.

Pro gear has a blue background/outline.

Elite gear has a purple background/outline.

Extreme gear has an orange background/outline.

When purchased, a pack will give you a random set of items, as described underneath the pack. If you’re lucky, you might get something super rare!

You need credits in order to purchase packs – these can be earned by completing rounds of golf, completing events in Career Mode, or playing against Rivals. Alternatively, if you’re feeling impatient you can buy credits through the Xbox One Store!


Player Gear & Inventory

The Inventory is where you manage and equip all your gear. You can access the inventory from the Golfer/Caddie Setup menu, or from the Round Confirmation screen prior to beginning a round of golf.

Your gear is arranged in different sections, shown along the top of the screen. As you select different items, their stats and properties are displayed at the bottom-right, along with the effect on your overall stats, at the bottom-left.

Some items are part of a set. If you obtain and equip all items in a set, you’ll get an additional bonus! The number of filled-in circles on the bottom edge of the item card show you how many items from the set you own.

Currently-equipped items are indicated with a red banner across their corner. If the banner is gray, the item is equipped to a different golfer than is currently selected.

You can move unwanted items to the Locker to help keep your inventory tidy. Don’t worry – you can always move them back again if you decide you need them!

Breaking Records

If your Xbox One console is connected to the internet you can earn extra XP and bragging rights by beating records set by other players of Powerstar Golf.

There are 2 types of record – Shot records, and Round Score records. Shot records are stored for every hole on every course for the longest drives (except on Par 3 holes), closest approaches to the pin, and longest putts. Round Score records are stored for the different-length rounds on every course.

When taking a shot, the relevant shot records set by your friends, as well as the current world records, are marked on the course so you can see what you have to do to beat them.

You can browse all the records in the Leaderboards screen.


Rival Mode

Rival Mode lets you challenge other players' best rounds, even if they’re not playing Powerstar Golf at the time. You can challenge a rival's all-time best on any round they've completed in stroke play format (excluding rounds played in Career Mode).

If you beat your rival’s score you’ll earn credits – the longer & more difficult the round, and the better their score, the more you'll earn. If you fail to beat it, you'll earn a smaller amount of credits just for trying, and your rival will earn some XP too!

Through the Rival Mode menu option you can pick a specific opponent, whether that’s a friend or any other Powerstar Golfer from around the world, and choose a specific round to challenge them on.

Alternatively, any time you play a round in Stroke Play format outside of Career Mode, you will automatically be offered suitable opponents to challenge (provided you have not turned this feature off in the Settings screen).

Either way, every time you complete a round in stroke play format outside of Career Mode, your best score is stored automatically for other players to compete against.

Caddie sharing allows you to share your caddies with friends across Xbox Live. When you share a caddie, friends can use them in their own game, benefiting from the perks you’ve equipped them with. They’ll also get to see your favorite costume style!

To share a caddie, press while viewing them on the Caddie Setup screen. To stop sharing a caddie, press again, but don’t worry – you can continue to use a caddie that is being shared! Note that you can only share one of your own caddies at any one time.

To borrow a caddie, scroll past your own caddies using or on the Caddie Setup screen. A list will appear showing the caddies that are available to borrow. Borrowed caddies come with the perks and costume style their owner has equipped them with.

Select the caddie you want to borrow and they will join you on the course for every round until you select a different caddie. Bear in mind, you can only borrow one caddie at a time.

Whenever you complete a round of golf using a borrowed caddie, the caddie's owner gets an XP reward! You must complete the round, though; partially-completed rounds don't gain XP.

Powerstar Golf Title Information

Published by Microsoft Studios (2013)

Developed by Zoë Mode

Help & Technical Issues

To report a bug or submit a support inquiry, check out the Xbox Support Forum at http://forums.xbox.com/