North Shore 9 at Adventure Zone – Duluth, MN

Played October 17, 2014

Reviewed by Mr. Tee

The North Shore of Lake Superior is a popular tourist destination especially during the Fall months. The view of the majestic lake coupled with the array of colors bursting from the tree line and pleasant weather draw people from across Minnesota and the rest of the world. It’s lovely and worth your effort to check it out sometime. I try to get up there at least every two years. Bob Dylan, northern Minnesota’s most famous export, even name checked the the highway that most of the attractions reside on one of his most famous albums. The Pink Putter and I decided to take a day off of work to take in the sights and on the way up, we took a stop-off in Duluth to check out the mini golf options. It seemed fitting that the only course open was inspired by a former golf course that “was designed and built in the in the late 1800’s, along with Skyline Drive and the Incline Railway” on the North Shore. And they had skill cranes and so how could we say no?

Rating

Par – The idea behind the theme of the course was good in theory but the reality missed the mark. Adventure Zone tried to hide the tall walls and to create an immersive environment within the larger entertainment center but the way they skinned the walls was quite odd. The scenes were so absurd that it could be funny in an ironic way if it was executed better. You can see the pictures below to get a better sense of what I’m talking about. The actual play featured numerous common tropes like lighthouses and loops with a fairly wide variety of play. None of the holes were very challenging or long but were fun nonetheless. We would have liked more for more holes on the course but $3 isn’t too shabby for some fun. For those not familiar with Duluth, it gets absurdly cold in the winter so having an indoor mini golf option is nice.