Mini golf has long been associated with fun courses featuring windmills and bridges. Some courses, however, take the fun of mini golf to the extreme with well-implemented themes and storylines, or simply Rube Goldberg-like contraptions. Here are 12 of the coolest mini golf courses across the U.S.
Best Miniature Golf Courses
1. Molten Mountain - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
The 18-hole part of this course is located entirely within the course’s signature volcano, which “erupts” every 30 minutes.
2. Par-King - Lincolnshire, Illinois
This course originally opened for the families of golfers who were hitting balls at the next-door driving range, but has since evolved into a destination of its own with a mockup of the Sears Tower and roller-coaster-like ball machines.
3. Urban Putt - San Francisco, California
While most of the courses on this list are designed with kids in mind, Urban Putt incorporates technology and art (and serves food and drink), making it perfect for adults looking to get some putting time in at this indoor location.
4. Oceans 18 - New Bedford, Massachusetts
States that aren’t known for the best weather have taken to creating indoor, black light mini golf courses, like this ocean-themed one with clams and sharks.
5. Around the World in 18 Holes - Lake George, New York
This mini golf destination has two courses — around the world and around the U.S. The world version includes the Taj Mahal and London Bridge.
6. Pirate Island Golf - New Jersey
Pirate Island has multiple locations within the state, but all feature the same theme, which include caves, pirate ships, and skeletons.
7. Glowing Greens - Portland, Oregon
Another black light mini golf course, Glowing Greens also has 3-D features that can only be seen properly with special glasses. One course is pirate themed and the other is underwater themed.
8. Disney’s Winter Summerland Miniature Golf - Orlando, Florida
Golfers can pick either the “winter” or “summer’ courses, which are covered in what appears like either snow or sand, respectively.
9. King Putt Entertainment Center - Henderson, Nevada
This black light, Egyptian-themed course is full of surprises with interactive objects along the 18 holes, like an air gun that shoots your ball and a giant cobra.
10. Mayday Golf - North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Myrtle Beach may very well be the mini golf capital of the world. This course, which is complete with a yellow airplane overhead, comes with a whole storyline that you crashed on a remote island — the island where you’re now playing mini golf.
11. Perils of the Lost Jungle - Herndon, Virginia
This adventure-themed course borrows from movie classics such as King Kong and Indiana Jones. What makes it special, though, is that in addition to the scenery there are smoke machines, sound effects and animatronics that bring the course to life.
12. Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Mini Golf - Gatlinburg and Sevierville, Tennessee
The Gatlinburg location features a Davy Crockett-themed course that plays up its Tennessee roots while the Sevierville location’s Old MacDonald-themed course has cows, gophers, and even flying pigs.
This article was written by Isabella Sayyah.