Overly Long Video Detailing These Things:

EDIT: Some people are reporting shorter Memory Card writing sequences than I have experienced. It might have to do with the type of Card (1st/3rd party 59/251/1019-block, how much other data is on it, etc.). This information COULD change your routing, so feel free to experiment.

Here, I will explain in words how the Memory Card operates in Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour, why it may or may not be used, and how to insert/remove it safely.

The first point to consider is that the Memory Card is only active while writing and reading data to and from the game. And unlike other Nintendo consoles before it and since, a Memory Card is required to save data since there is no writable memory on the disc or in a hard drive in the GameCube console. And the Wii console does not save GameCube data in its flash memory or SD cards; it only uses the Memory Card ports. Thus, you can replicate New-Game starts as long as you play without a Memory Card (which is fastest for such speedruns that otherwise lack the option to turn-off Auto-Save).

Next, I will define two phases of the Memory Card: "empty" and "full". "Empty" means that you are using a Memory Card in Slot A, but it has no game save data on it. "Full" means that there is a saved game file on the Memory Card and it may have as much unlocked as you need.

This is still a topic of discussion, but the general consensus is that "Empty" Memory Cards may be allowed for any category, even New-Game categories such as "any%", but "Full" Memory Cards would be solely delegated to New-Game+ and IL (Speed Golf) categories. A "Full" Memory Card allows you to pick any character you choose.¤ (¤ - Except Neil and Ella - and no Custom Clubs. It's a community rule unless we decide to make an "Anything Goes" category because it wouldn't be fair to 99.9+% of MGTT players who don't have Level 100 characters and Custom Clubs transferred over from Advance Tour).

Having an "Empty" Memory Card would emulate the way auto-saving works on the cartridge for Mario Golf (64), thus allowing for resetting after completing a (Star) Tournament to skip the Award Ceremony and save about 7 seconds each time. It would absolutely save over three minutes if you reset to skip the end titles if you're running "100%", since you'd have to trigger them twice total (Bowser Championship and Star Bowser Championship). You will be losing time on Ring Attack, however, since the game brings up the "Saving to Memory Card" dialogue after EVERY HOLE. Time is also lost in any instance in which a Save Point is encountered and the game goes immediately back to the Main Menu (e.g. Character Match, Side Games). Every Memory Card dialogue box costs up to 5 seconds, so consider your options wisely. These facts make "Unlock Hidden Characters" and "100%" routes much more complicated if you want the most optimum time-saves.

Any category that does not require completion of Tournaments (esp. Ring Attack) would NOT benefit from using an "Empty" Memory Card. And again, a "Full" Memory Card only applies for New-Game+ categories and Speed Golf.

One category that is interesting is "Unlock Hidden Characters". This category combines Ring Attack to unlock Shadow Mario, Side Games to unlock Petey Piranha, 50 Badges (first three Tournaments) to unlock Boo, and 18-hole Birdie Challenge to unlock Bowser Jr. The only time saves from an "Empty" Memory Card are from skipping two Award Ceremonies with resets. But those are more than offset by the times the game saves to the Memory Card for Ring Attack, every difficulty level of each Side Game, and every nine holes of Birdie Challenge. Optimal re-routing will be discussed in this Guide separately: http://www.speedrun.com/mgtt/guide/wcqvk

"100%" becomes a logistical enigma if you want to take full advantage of any time-saves allowed by the Memory Card while minimizing the use of it when unproductive Save Points are involved. Re-routing of "100%" will be discussed in this Guide separately: http://www.speedrun.com/mgtt/guide/wcqvk

THESE NEXT PARAGRAPHS ONLY APPLY IF YOU WISH TO RUN A COMPLEX OR NG+ CATEGORY WITH AND/OR WITHOUT THE MEMORY CARD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

When the game is loaded and you are on the Title Screen without a Memory Card, the game shows a dialogue box that says "No Memory Card Found in Slot A." "Continue without Saving?". At which point, for a New-Game run (esp. Ring Attack), you would proceed with "Yes". If you DO want to use the Memory Card, insert it into Slot A and then select "No". Then the game will remind you that when the Memory Card icon floats in the middle of the screen while making a ringing noise, the game is saving data to the Memory Card and you shouldn't take the Card out or turn the Power off at those times. When the game is loaded and you are on the Title Screen with a Memory Card, the game goes right to the aforementioned Memory Card reminder upon pressing Start or A.

In order to play the game without saving AFTER loading the Memory Card, then you'll have to take the Card out at any point the game is not actively saving data. You can do this either in the Options box at the bottom half of the Main Menu. Then go to Data -> Delete Data. If you haven't removed the card yet as this point, REMOVE IT BEFORE CONFIRMING OR YOU'LL LOSE THE DATA! If you have removed the card, the game gives you a dialogue box that there is no Memory Card in Slot A. The game understands that it can't delete data from a Card that isn't there, so it gives you the option to Continue without Saving instead. At that point, the Continue box disappears (and Link if you have linked your game to Advance Tour), since you would need the Memory Card to load any suspended rounds you are playing.

Alternately, you can take the Card out before completing a Tournament, Ring Attack hole, Side Game, or Character Match. If you do so at a convenient time (such as during the loading of Lakitu Tournament, which comes from the game and not the Card, so there's no writing of data), then the aforementioned dialogue box about Continuing without Saving will take the place of the Memory Card writing process that normally occurs the first and only time (select "Yes" to get out of the dialogue). The Continue box will no longer appear.