Once Mini Golf Deluxe's theme begins to be heard from the Yamaha YM-2151, the text of "MOVE BALL ON TEE WITH SELECT BUTTON. PRESS SET BUTTON WHEN READY TO SHOOT. CONTROL SPEED AND ANGLE WITH TRAK-BALL." will be displayed in the bottom-left corner of the screen; the game will then start as the text "HOLE 1" appears in that same corner of the screen. You will then have to use the Select Button to cycle through each of the three tees, then press the Set Button when you are ready to shoot - and once you have done so, you will have to roll the trackball in the direction you want your ball to go in. If you manage to get a hole-in-one, the text of "AWARD EXTRA HOLE!" will appear (given that you will only start out with three or four, depending on how the cabinet is set); however, after four shots, the text "LAST SHOT" will appear, and after a fifth shot, the text "OUT OF SHOTS" will appear, and the game will proceed to the next hole (unless other players still have shots remaining). If that next hole is the last one you have earned, the text "LAST HOLE" will appear - and unless you can manage to get a hole-in-one, the text "OUT OF HOLES" will appear once you have finished it (or been forced to give up on it). The following table displays images of all eighteen of the holes, and lists their numbers, along with their additional features:
| Hole | Number | Additional features |
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1 | None |
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2 | Six moving billiard balls (the four red ones move clockwise while the two blue ones move anticlockwise; if your ball hits them, it will be bounced off them) |
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3 | One bump and one vertically-moving yo-yo (which can cover up the hole; as with the billiard balls from the last hole, if your ball hits it, it will bounce off it) |
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4 | Three bumps; there's also a water hazard in the centre of the green, and if your ball falls in it after clearing the first bump, it will count as a penalty stroke |
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5 | Six extending boxing gloves (the first, second, fifth and sixth ones will extend themselves vertically while the third and fourth ones will do it horizontally) |
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6 | Eight racing cars which act as bumpers; there are also seven houses at the top and bottom of, on the left and right sides of, and in the centre of the green |
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7 | Six moving racing cars which drive around in an anticlockwise figure-of-eight; unlike the billiard balls and yo-yo, if your ball hits them, they shall explode |
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8 | Six statues of American football players; as with the eight ambulances on the fourth hole, they do nothing, but if your ball hits them it will bounce off them |
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9 | Seven baseball players (who all look like the one from Pool Shark, who appears with "STRIKE ZONE" text); if your ball hits them, it will bounce off them |
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10 | The hole moves in a clockwise direction (which is a physical impossibility), so you will have to time your shots carefully if you want your ball to go into it |
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11 | There are four holes on the first island, the last of which (with the arrow below it) leads to the second island; the others only lead back to the tee at the top. There are also two water hazards in the centre of the first island and around both islands, and if your ball lands in either, it shall count as a penalty stroke |
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12 | Three pipes, the second of which leads to the toilet (which has an opening/closing lid), along a fourth pipe into the bath and along a fifth pipe into the hole; the plunger at the end of this hole also animates, but as with the eight ambulances and racing cars from the fourth and sixth holes, it does not do anything |
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13 | One bump and one NASA space shuttle, which flies up into view below the hole (not the one you are aiming for) in the centre of the green; if your ball falls off, it will count as a penalty stroke. Time your shots carefully if you want your ball to go into the shuttle and be flown over to the pipe that leads to the hole |
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14 | Nine lizards which act as bumpers; there's also a water hazard on the right side of the green, and if your ball lands in it, it shall count as a penalty stroke |
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15 | One bump and one horizontally-moving playing card (the Queen of Diamonds); if your ball hits it, it will bounce off it, but it can also force it into the hole |
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16 | One big car with two opening and closing doors; if your ball hits them, it shall bounce off them, so time your shots carefully if you want to get into the hole |
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17 | One pipe, two flippers, nine oval bumpers, one plunger and three round light-up bumpers; the plunger shall also animate every time a player takes a shot |
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18 | Two big trophies and one horizontally-moving triangle (with a gold golfer on it); if your ball hits it, it will bounce off it, but it can also force it into the hole |
After the eighteenth hole, the game will not end if some players still have holes remaining; it will start all over again, but once all players are out of holes, the game will end. If any of the players' scores are high enough, they will have the chance to enter their initials on the game's high-score table (by rolling the trackball left and right to select letters, and pressing the Set Button to confirm them) - and once they do so, the game shall go back into attract mode.