Everyone remembers the first time they heard that bright, compressed "Mario Golf!" shout on the Nintendo 64 title screen. It was 1999. Camelot had just finished Hot Shots Golf and decided to bring that mechanical DNA over to the Mushroom Kingdom. But honestly, the mario golf 64 characters weren't what people expected back then. Instead of a massive roster of established Nintendo icons, we got this weird, charming blend of legendary plumbers and literal "regular people" like Charlie and Sonny. It was a gutsy move that defined the series' identity for decades.
You’ve probably played the newer Switch version, Super Rush, and felt it was a bit... sanitized? The N64 original had a distinct crunch to it. The characters felt like they had weight, and unlocking them felt like a genuine achievement rather than a checklist.
The Weird Human Hierarchy Nobody Talks About
If you boot up a fresh save, you only have four choices: Plum, Charlie, Peach, and Baby Mario. It’s a humble start. Most players gravitate toward Peach because, well, she’s Peach. But the competitive secret in the early game is actually Plum. She’s this purple-haired girl who looks like she wandered out of an anime, and she’s arguably the most "honest" character in the game. Her drive is short, sitting at around 208 yards, but her ball path is straight as an arrow. If you’re playing on a course like Toad Highlands where the wind is acting up, Plum is basically a cheat code for consistency.
Then you have Charlie. He looks like a guy who’d try to sell you a used Camry. He’s got a slight fade on his shot, which basically means the ball curves to the right for right-handed players. It's subtle. But if you aren't accounting for that 210-yard drive's lateral movement, you’re ending up in the bunker every single time.
Then there's the unlockable humans. Joe, Sherry, Azalea, and Kid.
Getting Kid is a nightmare for some. You have to beat him in a Character Match, and the AI in Mario Golf 64 doesn't play around. He’s small, but he hits 212 yards with a draw. A draw is the opposite of a fade; it curves left. Most players hate using Kid because his low trajectory means the ball rolls forever once it hits the fairway. Great for distance, terrible for sticking a landing on a narrow green surrounded by water.
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Why Camelot Chose Humans Over Koopas
It’s a question that’s plagued forums for twenty years: Why are there so many humans? The consensus among developers and historians like those at Video Game Chronicle is that Camelot wanted to bridge the gap between their realistic golf roots and the Mario brand. They didn't want it to feel like a "party game" only. They wanted it to feel like a sports sim that happened to feature Mario. This is why the mario golf 64 characters have such varied "sweet spots."
The sweet spot is that tiny red area on your power bar. If you miss it, you "duff" the shot. Characters like Wario have a sweet spot the size of a pixel. Meanwhile, someone like Sherry has a massive sweet spot. She’s the ultimate beginner's choice because she’s forgiving, even if her 200-yard drive feels like she’s hitting a marshmallow.
The Heavy Hitters: Bowser, Metal Mario, and the Power Meta
Let’s talk about the big boys. The ones that actually break the game if you know what you’re doing.
Bowser is a monster. He hits 275 yards. That sounds amazing until you realize his shot has a massive draw and his sweet spot is essentially non-existent. If you’re playing on the Nintendo 64 controller—with that loose, plastic-on-plastic analog stick—timing Bowser’s impact is a high-stress activity. One millisecond off and you're in the deep rough.
Then there is Metal Mario. To get him, you had to nab all 108 Birdie Medals. That was a grind. He’s basically Bowser but slightly more refined. He hits the ball at a medium-high height, which is a godsend for clearing trees on the Koopa Park course.
- Bowser: 275 Yards (High Draw)
- Metal Mario: 285 Yards (High Draw) - The undisputed king of distance.
- Wario: 230 Yards (Low Fade)
- Donkey Kong: 275 Yards (High Fade)
Donkey Kong is actually a fascinating case study in the mario golf 64 characters meta. Because he has a "High Fade," his ball goes way up into the air and then peels off to the right. In most golf games, high shots are bad because wind affects them more. But in Mario Golf 64, a high shot means the ball stops dead when it hits the green. If you can master the wind compensation, DK is actually more precise than Bowser despite having the same power rating.
The "Transfer Pak" Mystery
A lot of younger players don't realize that the roster you see on the N64 isn't actually the "full" roster. There were four extra characters—Joe, Azalea, Kid, and Sherry—that you could technically only get by using the N64 Transfer Pak with the Game Boy Color version of the game.
It was a clunky bit of hardware. You’d plug your GBC cartridge into the back of your N64 controller. If the connection wobbled, you'd lose your save. But if it worked? You could bring your leveled-up RPG characters from the handheld version into the 3D world. This was revolutionary for 1999. It turned the game from a standard sports title into a weirdly personal RPG experience. You weren't just playing as "Kid"; you were playing as your Kid who you spent hours training on a tiny 2-inch screen.
Mario and Luigi: The Balanced Trap
Mario and Luigi are... fine. They’re the "all-rounders." Mario hits 250 yards with a draw, and Luigi hits 220 yards with a fade.
Here is the thing: nobody who is actually good at the game plays as Mario.
That sounds harsh. But in a game defined by extreme stats, being "okay" at everything is a recipe for mediocrity. Mario's 250-yard drive isn't long enough to eagle the par-5s on Bowser’s Badlands, but his sweet spot isn't large enough to guarantee a perfect approach under pressure. He exists in this weird middle ground. Luigi is slightly better for technical players because his fade is easier to predict than Mario's draw, but even then, you're usually better off picking Azalea or Wario.
Mastering the "Star" Versions
You haven't truly experienced the mario golf 64 characters until you've unlocked their "Star" versions. By beating a character in a Character Match, you unlock a version of them with boosted stats.
Suddenly, Plum isn't just a dinky 208-yard hitter. Her Star version bumps her up to 233 yards. This changes everything. It turns the "safe" characters into power hitters and turns the power hitters into absolute gods. Star Bowser can reach almost 300 yards. At that point, you aren't even playing golf anymore; you're just skipping over half the map.
But there’s a trade-off. The Star versions have even smaller sweet spots. It increases the "risk vs. reward" loop that Camelot perfected. It’s why people still play this game on the Nintendo Switch Online expansion pack today—the physics hold up because the character balance is so tight.
How to Choose Your Main
If you're jumping back into this classic, don't just pick your favorite Mario brother. Think about how you play.
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If you struggle with the timing of the "A-A-B" button combo, stick with Plum or Sherry. Their wide impact zones will save your sanity. If you're a "grip it and rip it" type of player who doesn't mind a little chaos, Donkey Kong is your best friend. His high arc allows for some incredible shortcuts over mountains that Bowser just can't clear because he hits the ball too low.
And if you want the ultimate challenge? Try winning the Mushroom Cup with Baby Mario. His 215-yard drive and low draw make him one of the hardest characters to control in high-wind situations. It’s a flex. A weird, 64-bit flex.
The beauty of the mario golf 64 characters lies in their flaws. They aren't perfect avatars. They curve the ball when you don't want them to. They have tiny sweet spots that punish your shaky hands. But that's what makes the game feel alive.
To really master the game, your next step should be diving into the "Practice" mode on the Toad Highlands course. Don't just hit the ball. Look at the "Shot" window in the bottom right. Toggle through your characters and watch how the "grid" on the ground changes based on their height and curve stats. Once you can visualize the curve before you even swing, you’ve moved from a casual player to a pro. Focus on learning one "Draw" character and one "Fade" character so you're ready for any wind direction the game throws at you.