[6] Maxim gave it a perfect score of all five stars and said that the game was "easier to play than a sorority co-ed.

In fact, the gameplay is so basic you can handle it easily while half in the bag".

[16] However, The Cincinnati Enquirer gave it four stars out of five, saying: "[Don't] be disillusioned by the fun and light-hearted presentation: 'Hot Shots Golf 3' is deep where it counts – the game play".

[15] By July 2006, the game had sold 800,000 copies and earned $22 million in the United States.

Next Generation ranked it as the 77th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country.