basics

press finger down on ball and hold (you will hear a click sound)
pull club back by dragging ball back away from the direction you want to hit. energy line grows longer to a peak, then recedes once past peak.
release finger to launch ball.
your must play at least one practice hole before playing a full round of 18 holes

tips

try to get the ball in the hole in as few shots as possible. (duh)
try to hit the green as soon as you can. putting is easier then hitting from off the green.
avoid bunkers, rough, and hazards. (also duh)
try to aim for center of the green until you develop your accuracy.
to get another perspective on your shot, try pinching and dragging the screen to zoom in and out and to pan around. some shots are easier if you adjust the zoom.
release the ball past the peak to get a shorter bounce, or before to get a longer one.
try to line up the ball with where your finger is touching (the club) when you are pulling back. the ball will travel in this direction.
the higher your shot, the greater effect the wind will have on it.
try a few practice holes before playing a round.
the wind often changes, come back later and maybe the round will play easier (or harder)

only your best score is displayed on the top scores board.
you can take as long as you want to complete a game, but your score will not count toward the leaderboard unless you complete your game within 7 days.
saving your score to the top scores board requires internet acceess. if you are not online, the saving of your scores will be retried every 2 min for up to 24 hours whenever you are at a menu screen.
you can edit your use name one of two ways. 1) the first time you complete a round, a popup will prompt you for a new user name. 2) tap “settings” from them main menu, then “User Name” to edit.