Kirby can hit enemies to collect power-ups that grant him unique abilities, such as those that allow him to destroy certain obstacles or fly around the level.

HAL Laboratory originally designed Dream Course as a standalone game called Special Tee Shot.

[2] In single-player, players maneuver Kirby around a miniature golf course by deflecting him towards a specific area of the playfield within a limited number of strokes.

[2] Kirby can knock himself into certain enemies to acquire a Copy ability, which can be used to clear courses in a faster period of time.

[6] Though it received several previews from magazines and was displayed prominently on the packaging for the console, the company shelved the project following the success of its Kirby series on the Game Boy.

Special Tee Shot was later re-released in 1996 for the Satellaview, a peripheral for the Super Famicom that played games via satellite broadcasts.

It was shown off as a playable demo at Nintendo's annual Shoshinkai trade show, alongside Super Mario 64.

Kirby Ball 64/Kirby Bowl 64 was designed to take advantage of the system's analog stick to allow for more precise movement, in addition to utilizing gouraud shading for its graphics.

[20][23] GamePro writer Scary Larry claimed it was just as refined and fun to play as earlier games in the Kirby series.

Staff from Nintendo Life compared its silliness to Electronic Arts' Zany Golf (1988), and that it possessed fun gameplay and a balanced level of difficulty.

[13] IGN's Lucas M. Thomas believed Dream Course's unique concept made it incomparable to other games.

[4][5] USgamer writer Nadia Oxford applauded its abnormal level design and comical presentation, and said it offered a break from the more action-oriented games on the console: "Kirby's Dream Course isn't the most exciting game on the SNES Classic Edition, but it's cute, fuzzy, and fun – much like the big pink macaron who runs the course.