Pike’s Pass / Pirates Bounty – Las Vegas, NV

Played on January 12, 2013

Reviewed by the Pink Putter

We took a mini-vacation to Las Vegas to escape the Minnesota winter, only to find that Vegas was just slightly warmer than home. Fortunately, four of the five courses we played on our trip (reviews to come!) were indoor. We started conveniently with a round right in our hotel at the Circus Circus Adventuredome.

September 2018 Update from Mr. Tee

The course name has changed to Pirates Bounty and has been fixed up considerably. I’m betting the name change was the result of all the rough reviews we saw online of Pike’s Pass. From videos and other images I’ve seen online, this course has been considerably upgraded. We’ll definitely have to re-review on our next Vegas trip.

Rating

Whiff – The Adventuredome opened in 1993 under the name Grand Slam Canyon. Now, at 20 years old, it definitely shows, especially amongst the constantly changing skyline of the Las Vegas Strip. Within this dated “indoor amusement park” lives Pike’s Pass, an 18-hole miniature golf course with a loose pirate theme. The holes were short and dull- no pipes, hills, ramps, etc. The surface of the terrain was squishy and we couldn’t tell if this was intentional or not. It almost felt like some sort of foam was under the turf. The obstacles were chintzy fake logs and tree stumps that weren’t even attached to the floor, so you could pick them up and move them around. The faux rock barriers were falling apart and signs at some of the holes were completely torn off. The 18th hole was supposed to have a mechanical feature that was broken (for who knows how long). Lastly, there were no pink balls, so I had to settle with gold. The cost is $5 a player but if you stay in the hotel you get a 2-for-1 coupon. Therefore, the only redeeming quality of Pike’s Pass was that we only payed $2.50 each to play it. If you’re in Vegas, I don’t recommend this course, there are others in town that far surpass it.