KINGDOM
EDITOR’S NOTE:
The original version of this page draws on player experiences up to 2023 and had not been updated since.
We are now revising it with the help of Brad Fath, whose insight as a top player brings exceptional value. His experiences may not always apply directly to the average player, but they represent the level we all aspire to reach — and that makes his contribution especially meaningful.
The updates include the new look-and-feel and the new matching system implemented by GR as of october 16, 2025.
This page remains a work in progress, so please bear with us and let us know where updates or clarifications are needed.
Kingdom is a month-long event where you can compete against real players in 1-to-1 matches. Kingdom battles are unlocked at stage 9 and are available for 24 hours every day.
Kingdom is free to play, and your goal is to battle your way up to the rank of Emperor.
Each season there is a different set of courses for each level: Knight, Viscount, Earl, Marquis, Duke, King, and Emperor; each have their set of courses, and from season to season the courses change.
As per Golf Rival, there are no replay profiles or bots in Kingdom.
You can click on any topic to jump directly to that section.
Homepage
As of October, 16 2025, the homepage for Kingdom has been redesigned, and it is different from the past seasons. It has a fresh new look: an easier look-and-feel.
Also, the general homepage of the game has a newly added Kingdom icon on the Home screen.
To get to the rewards page, tap on the shield on the homepage.
Then tap on the exclamation mark on the next page.
Then tap on the chest that you want to see.
This is the end of season homepage of Brad Fath.
It indicates the number of points earned and the final rank.
The new version has a rewards button that takes you to the chests.
Ranking
The Golf Rival Kingdom is divided into six noble ranks: Knight, Viscount, Earl, Marquis, Duke, King, and Emperor. All ranks are graded from level V (the lowest) to level I (the highest).
When you first join the Kingdom, you will start with the rank of Knight V, the lowest rank.
During a Kingdom season, you receive an Avatar frame (as per GR: “Vanity Frame”!) according to your current noble rank.
These are the Avatar frames:
| Knight |  |
| Viscount |  |
| Earl |  |
| Marquis |  |
| Duke |  |
| King |  |
| Emperor |  |
The first six major ranks have five sub-ranks each, from lowest to highest: knight V, Knight IV, Knight III, Knight II, and Knight I (using Knight as an example).
The Emperor does not have sub-ranks but has specific Emperor rankings.
New players start at Knight V by default.
By finishing seasons in higher ranks, you will start the next one from a new (higher) rank.
Each rank gives you a unique Vanity Frame, which you carry throughout the game. You can check them out in the Rewards tab by clicking on your rank on the Kingdom main screen. The Top 100 Emperors also earn a Glory Flag, which appears under their Avatar for the following season.
At the beginning of each new season, you will be granted a new lower rank according to the following rules:
| Final ranking of last season | Rank at the start of the following season |
| Emperor (All) | Marquis 2 |
| King 1 | Marquis 3 |
| King 2 | Marquis 4 |
| King 3 | Marquis 4 |
| King 4 | Marquis 5 |
| King 5 | Marquis 5 |
| Duke 1 | Earl 1 |
| Duke 2 | Earl 2 |
| Duke 3 | Earl 2 |
| Duke 4 | Earl 2 |
| Duke 5 | Earl 3 |
| Marquis 1 | Earl 4 |
| Marquis 2 | Earl 5 |
| Marquis 3 | Earl 5 |
| Marquis 4 | Viscount 1 |
| Marquis 5 | Viscount 1 |
| Earl 1 | Viscount 2 |
| Earl 2 | Viscount 3 |
| Earl 3 | Viscount 3 |
| Earl 4 | Viscount 4 |
| Earl 5 | Viscount 4 |
| Viscount 1 | Viscount 5 |
| Viscount 2 | Knight 1 |
| Viscount 3 | Knight 1 |
| Viscount 4 | Knight 2 |
| Viscount 5 | Knight 2 |
| Knight 1 | Knight 3 |
| No Games Played | Knight 5 |
Points
Points will be gained or lost for winning or losing a battle, see the list below.
Each victory awards 20 points, and a loss results in a deduction of points.
Different ranks have different point losses for losing a match: Knight loses 5, Viscount 7, Earl 10, Marquis 15, and Duke and higher ranks lose 20.
Promotion Battle: When you reach 100 points, you enter the Promotion Battle. If you win, you get promoted to the next rank.
Demotion Battle: When you reach 0 points, you enter the Demotion Battle. If you lose, you will be demoted to your previous rank.
Emperor Crisis: If you don’t play Kingdom within 24 hours, you will lose 20 points until you have 0. If you don’t play Kingdom within 24 hours when you are in the Emperor rank and your score is 0, you will fall to the King rank.
RankPoints – win/lose
- Knight: 20/-5
- Viscount: 20/-7
- Earl: 20/-10
- Marquis: 20/-15
- Duke: 20/-20
- King: 20/-20
Rush Hour
As of October,16 2025 extra points for Rush Hour will be awarded.
Rush Hour happens in the second half of the season, i.e. after 14 days.
More on this as soon as information will be available.
New “Double Points Card” reward
Worthy challengers who progress through ranks can now collect this reward when moving up to a higher rank group (e.g. from Knight to Viscount, sub-ranks do not count). This reward is a consumable reward which doubles the points earned from a win upon using it and it can be earned once per rank per season.
All seasonal Kingdom and rank rewards remain up for grabs.
Matching
Matching your opponent in Kingdom is based on (a) Kingdom rank, and (b) trophy count.
The opponent you are matched with will only be up to three ranks higher or three ranks lower than your current rank.
However:
- In a Promotion Battle, you can only be matched with players whose rank is up to three ranks higher than your current rank, and
- In a Demotion Battle, you can only be matched with players whose rank is up to two ranks lower than your current rank.
The opponent you are matched with will only have up to twice as many trophies as you. If you have 3000 trophies, then your opponent’s trophy count should be less than or equal to 6000.
However, your trophy count will not be taken into consideration:
- When both players are ranked higher than or equal to Earl V.
- When your matching time has been over 20 seconds.
Recent changes to players matching
Just recently the way players are matched together was changed.
Faster matchups and shorter matchmaking wait times:
In Kingdom, as a PvP (Peer v Peer) mode, matchmaking speed plays an important role.
Longer waiting times became a more prominent piece of feedback in the Golf Rival community. With this update, GR improved the matchmaking system with the goal of enabling quicker matchups and shorter wait times for a smoother experience in the Kingdom competition, therefore the wait while spinning for a match was shortened.
More balanced matchups that are based on club levels rather than Kingdom ranks:
The rule about max rank difference has changed in favor of club-level matchmaking. This change will lead to more cross-rank pairings, as well as more balanced matchups based on club levels.
These parameters are not yet clear, but the change expanded the field of players that you may be matched with, and it also expanded the level of courses that you may play on.
And should mean Easier Kingdom quests for faster completion and smoother progression on your journey to the Emperor rank.
Holes
The holes played in Kingdom varies from season to season.
They may include holes from the top stages 13, 14, and 15.
When they do, the stage play tee will be the back tee (Duke tee) in Kingdom.
The new update, as of October, 16 2025, include also an expanded pool of golf courses for a new layer of competition and challenges, giving you more ways to play and explore the Golf Rival courses through the lens of Kingdom.
Tee boxes
An important element in Kingdom is the introduction of middle tees and championship tees (back tees).
A hole is played from the middle tee when at least one of the players is ranked as Earl. Hence, the middle tee in Kingdom is often referred to as the “Earl Tee”.
Examples of middle tees:
- Kingdom Grand Canyon hole 12 par 5 middle tee
- Kingdom High Alps hole 10 par 3 middle tee
A hole is played from the back tee when at least one of the players is ranked as Duke. Hence, the back tee in Kingdom is often referred to as the “Duke Tee”.
Examples of back tees:
- Kingdom Egypt Sands hole 4 par 5 back tee
- Kingdom High Alps hole 10 par 3 back tee
- Kingdom High Alps hole 11 par 3 back tee
- Kingdom Iceland hole 1 par 4 back tee
- Kingdom Iceland hole 3 par 5 back tee
- Kingdom Iceland hole 4 par 5 back tee
Kingdom exclusives
Some holes in Kingdom are not found in stage play.
These include:
- Kingdom Grand Canyon hole 14 par 3 back tee
- Kingdom Iceland hole 15 par 3 back tee
- Kingdom Iceland hole 16 par 5 back tee
- Kingdom Iceland hole 17 par 5 back tee
Hole variations
Some holes in Kingdom, while retaining the general layout found in stage play, can have design changes.
Example 1:
- On Egypt Sands hole 4 a patch of rough has been added in front of the green in Kingdom.
- Stage 8 Egypt Sands hole 4 par 5
- Kingdom Egypt Sands hole 4 par 5 back tee
Example 2:
- Stage 10 High Alps hole 10 par 3 is a straightforward shootout hole: In Kingdom, however, the tees are moved way back. Some of the added boulders offer bank shot possibilities.
- To get over the rock formation in stage play requires a Helm 10 or a Bat Wings 5, a Bat Wings 3 won’t do it: In Kingdom, a Bat Wings 3 can get over from the middle tee.
Example 3:
- On Iceland hole 10 the rock formation between the tee and the green has been modified, and even the front tee has been moved back.
Example 4:
- City Ruins hole 15 is basically stage 14 City Ruins hole 2 with numerous alterations.
Example 5:
- Likewise, City Ruins hole 17 is basically stage 14 City Ruins hole 10 with numerous alterations.
Rewards
Free Rank-Up Rewards
You receive a Free Rank-Up Reward when you win the rank’s promotion battle. If you subsequently are demoted, you will not win the same Rank-Up Reward a second time, if you get promoted again later.
Season Reward Chest
A Season Reward Chest will also be granted to you according to your final rank when the current season ends.
Due to the recent changes, it also looks as if there is a little different scoring during the season.
All this information is available by tapping the question mark or at the top right corner of the page.
The following images show the rewards of top 100 Emperors.
To get to the rewards page, tap on the shield on the homepage.
Then tap on the exclamation mark on the next page.
Finally, tap on the chest that you want to see.
The following image shows the end of season homepage of Brad Fath.
It indicates the number of points he has earned and indicates his rank.
The new version of the homepage has a rewards button that takes you directly to the chests.
Bonus Rank-Up Rewards
In addition to these free rewards, you can buy a Season Pass to claim the Bonus Rank-Up Rewards. The Season Pass is a one-time offer for each season.
You can buy the Season Pass at any time during the season. If you do not purchase the Season Pass right away, you will still be able to collect the previous Rank-up Bonus Rewards after buying the Season Pass before the season ends.
New Season
Time
When this season finishes, the system requires 24 hours to calculate your final points. Subsequently, a new season will commence the following day at the same time (12:00 PM-4:00 AM UTC+1).
The Rank
When a new season starts, players will begin from a rank lower than the rank they achieved in the previous season. For example, if you finish the current season as a Duke, your rank at the start of the next season will be lower than Duke.
All previous rank-up rewards will be unlocked automatically.
| Final ranking of last season | Rank at the start of the following season |
| Emperor (All) | Marquis 2 |
| King 1 | Marquis 3 |
| King 2 | Marquis 4 |
| King 3 | Marquis 4 |
| King 4 | Marquis 5 |
| King 5 | Marquis 5 |
| Duke 1 | Earl 1 |
| Duke 2 | Earl 2 |
| Duke 3 | Earl 2 |
| Duke 4 | Earl 2 |
| Duke 5 | Earl 3 |
| Marquis 1 | Earl 4 |
| Marquis 2 | Earl 5 |
| Marquis 3 | Earl 5 |
| Marquis 4 | Viscount 1 |
| Marquis 5 | Viscount 1 |
| Earl 1 | Viscount 2 |
| Earl 2 | Viscount 3 |
| Earl 3 | Viscount 3 |
| Earl 4 | Viscount 4 |
| Earl 5 | Viscount 4 |
| Viscount 1 | Viscount 5 |
| Viscount 2 | Knight 1 |
| Viscount 3 | Knight 1 |
| Viscount 4 | Knight 2 |
| Viscount 5 | Knight 2 |
| Knight 1 | Knight 3 |
| No Games Played | Knight 5 |
FAQ
Q: How many players make it to King?
A: The number varies from season to season, but in season 12 (April 2020) according to Golf Rival Support these were the numbers for the five different grades of King:
- King I: 91
- King II: 9
- King III: 29
- King IV: 83
- King V: 759
Q: What kind of clubs does it take to make it to King V?
A: Per season 13 (May 2020) some of the top players made it with Bat Wings 4 and Earth 8/Lava 8 on their baby accounts. Although with the amount of BW6-8 and Earth 10-11 in circulation, BW5 and E9 is maybe a more realistic set of drivers that most players would need in order to make it to King.