found this faq that goose made. figure i'd paste it here.

MARIO GOLF SPEEDRUN FAQ

Q: Can you really speedrun this game? A: They literally built in a speed golf mode in the game. I'm not sure why this surprises people.

Q: Is this a joke speedrun? A meme game? It has to be right? A: No. This is seriously one of the most skillful and most fast paced speedgames I've ever played. It's pure reaction to your surroundings and then execution. Every hole you are given random wind speed, wind direction and weather. In a split second you have to react to it, aim your shot, decide which club to shoot with, and execute the shot. The closer to the hole you get, the faster and the better. Every frame and pixel of aim movement, spin on the ball and timing the stroke in accordance with the weather adds up. You are trying to be perfect with six elements (aim, spin, club selection, distance, accuracy, weather) every shot... for over a hundred holes.

Q: RANDOM wind speed, direction and weather? Isn't that RNG? Doesn't this make the game like playing the lottery? A: No. In fact, this INCREASES the skill in the game. Everyone has to deal with the same thing. Getting different weather on each hole ensures that only the best players will get the best times, since they know how to react best. There is no "random luck weather" that will save you 10 minutes on a run. The RNG element in Mario Golf forces players to be as skillful as possible, and react as quickly as possible to every shot.

Q: Why are you playing as Metal Mario? A: Metal Mario is superior to every other character in every possible way. He shoots further, which is faster. His spin is also the most severe which allows you to sculpt his shots with the most versatility. What this means is, if you aim and start shooting, and then decide your aim was off slightly, you can correct this, while still swinging, with Metal Mario's spin. Every character can do this to some extent, but Metal Mario does it most effectively. The combined power and versatility of Metal Mario's shot makes him by far superior to every other character in the game. In "All Courses" (the main category) you will always be using Metal Mario.

Q: Why are you not playing as Metal Mario? A: If we're not playing as Metal Mario, odds are we're doing a category where you either need to unlock him, or a category that skips him all together.

Q: What are the categories for this game? A:

"All Courses" - Complete all 6 courses in any in game mode with any character. The only rule is that you do not "give up" on any hole. "100%" - From a fresh file, unlock all the characters, get all gold trophies in Tournament mode and get the credits. "Any% (Courses)" - From a fresh file, go through the courses in tournament mode until you get 1st place in the Boo Valley tournament to unlock the credits. "Any% (Ring Shot)" - From a fresh file, beat all 36 Ring Shot challenge holes to unlock the credits.

Speed Golf (Individual Courses) - This is the built in "Speed Golf" mode where an in game timer tracks your time to complete any one of the six courses in the game.