Like most Mario games released around the time, the first player played as Mario, and the second player played as Luigi.
At certain points in the game, Mario and Luigi are offered advice by their caddies, Princess Peach and Princess Daisy.
Mario's old nemesis Donkey Kong is present in the game as an accountant securing the prize money for Mario and Luigi.
The Famicom version, Mario Open Golf featured five playable courses, whereas the NES version only featured three. The Japanese version is also significantly more difficult.