When we first started documenting the game of mini golf, our goal was to capture spaces that provided special experiences that one will remember for a lifetime. For us, our stories began with fond childhood memories of going to courses with our families. Fate brought us together on our first date of mini golf and earlier this year we got married in that same spot. The best versions of the game transport our imaginations into a world of fairy tales, windmills, and bridges. We had only fantasized about a course where you would fall into the water with the ball or run the risk of getting whacked off the course into a bed of flowers. Then, we got cast on Holey Moley.

Rating

Hole-in-One – The opportunity to play this course was the best, most unexpected and thrilling opportunity we’ve had in all of our travels through the world of miniature golf. There is no doubt that we would jump at the chance to play any and all of these wildly creative holes and environments again or for the first time, in the case of over half of the course. We’re so glad we can relive the course on episodes streaming at ABC.com or Hulu but we feel unbelievably fortunate to have played in that world.

Below we each rank and talk about all of the 10 holes in the first season of the show. We discussed each of the holes we played in more depth with The Putting Penguin in a piece that we enjoyed quite a bit. We hope you enjoy hearing about our experiences on all of the holes we’ve played. As mini golf fanatics, it was a surreal experience that sometimes doesn’t feel real.

Now on to our thoughts on the holes we played and watched.

Dutch Courage

Mr. Tee – The first time I saw this in person was from afar as I arrived to set. Facing it in the dark of night with the blades of the windmill glowing from the attached lights and spinning at a good pace, I was mesmerized and intimidated. I wanted to stay in the moment of playing this hole forever. After tying my opponent on the hole, I think I blacked out. It was the first hole I faced and the experience I had playing, not getting hit by the blades and scoring a three felt like an out of body experience. Seeing each episode with the melancholy music and the windmills spinning is my happy place. Easily my favorite hole.

Pink Putter – Giant cartoon windmills and oversized tulips are right up my alley. I think at one point, I joked that I’d want to live at Holey Moley in the windmill. Of course, seeing players get knocked out in person was truly terrifying and my goal was to not get hit by the windmills myself. I managed to make it through unscathed!

Slip N’ Putt

Mr. Tee – Running up a heavily lubricated slide felt like fulfilling dreams of getting on Double Dare as a kid. The surrounding set pieces including a fiberglass polar bear and fox were a lovely touch. My only gripe was that the lower putting green was kinda bland. I loved the putting challenge from the “B” position and felt lucky to have gotten a 3 on this hole as well.

Pink Putter – Even though it never made it to air, I had so much for running up Slip N’ Putt! I didn’t think I could do it and after a quick fall to my knees, I pulled myself together, took a deep breath and made it to the polar bear first. Sliding back down was almost as fun! I scored a 3 and felt pretty good about that.

Surf or Turf

Mr. Tee – I love this hole because I won on it and moved to the 2nd round. My “extreme emotional reaction” and flexible fall into the sand came from the relief of not failing. The touch shot required to ride the wave over the water and onto the green eluded me but is a devilish device.

Pink Putter – I saw the crew constructing this hole on my first night out to film. They modified the Arc de Trigolf set to create Surf or Turf, replacing the red hop pads with a narrow turf bridge. This looked like a super challenging shot and I’m sure glad I never needed to play this to break a tie for Round 1!

Tee’d Off

Mr. Tee – Short, simple putts are not my forte. The physical structure as an oversized dunk tank and a visual nod to a golf ball on a tee is a genius combo. I may have a higher opinion of this hole had I achieved success but part of me wanted to lose in grand fashion. Falling 15 feet into freezing cold water is definitely going out with a splash. I practice 4 foot putts daily in hopes that I get another chance to avail myself.

Pink Putter – Sure, this hole looks cool on TV. But only having one chance to make a high pressure putt with no wiggle room for error was not fun. Being the second player to putt, it was super high stakes. And even though I was so upset to have lost on this hole and did not want to go into the freezing water, I put a smile on my face and waved to the crowd.

Mt. Holey Moley

Mr. Tee – My reason for liking this hole is two-part. I wish I played the most of the holes on the course because I would have relished the opportunity to achieve mini golf glory and receive the green plaid jacket from Steph Curry. I can only imagine the rush of flying across the water on a golf club zipline while fire is bursting out of a massive volcano. I can imagine the pressure of facing off on this and winning. Kudos to those 10 people who did it during season 1. It’s no small feat.

Pink Putter – Oh how I wanted to make it to Mt. Holey Moley! But alas, it was not in the cards for me. Hitting up the mountain looked hard, but zip lining over the lagoon looked like so much fun! I’m not sure how I would have fared if I made it this far, but it was super fun to watch the finalists take it on.

Arc de Trigolf

Mr. Tee – The guillotine and mini Eiffel Tower are extraordinary set-pieces but the dual path to the green for the competitors and ball are doubly devious. I would have a blast practicing and playing this hole for fun but in a competition, this would be downright scary. I wish I had a chance to play it. Someday…

Pink Putter – I’m so glad I didn’t have to play this intimidating hole. That arc was a “grip it and rip it” situation and I was not prepared to take it on.

Log Roll

Mr. Tee – Another hole I saw from afar and loved watching play out on TV. The logs rolling at the competitors felt like watching a human version of Donkey Kong. The bright blue and red fiberglass lumberjack is a great color connection to Mario from the video game too. Putting up that hill looked super tough and then having water hazards to greet you at the top makes this one of the more intimidating holes. Much like Arc, I’d love to get up in this environment but would not be eager to compete on it.

Pink Putter – When I saw this hole on set, I wanted to play it so badly. Running up the ramp and dodging logs looked like my kind of fun, plus it seemed way more forgiving than Tee’d Off. I’m super bummed I never got to take on the Log Roll.

The Distractor

Mr. Tee – The most drama-filled moments of the show happened on this hole. Laurel made a 15-foot putt to match her opponent’s shot while people were jumping rope. Kenny G playing sax and distracting an LPGA pro playing against an amateur putter was exhilarating. Half of the distractions were over the top and ridiculously funny but the drill sergeant, the tickler and a few of the other gimmicks didn’t have the same impact. I hope Season 2 does more human-based distractions because when it works, it’s great.

Pink Putter – I love the concept of this hole, however in reality, I’m not as sure about it. Some of the distractions were really fun and creative, others lacked excitement. It was really hit or miss for me and I’m not upset I didn’t get to play it.

Sweet Spot 

Mr. Tee – The spinning putting platforms are not unlike ones we’ve seen in our mini golf travels. Par-King has a few holes with this moving target concept. What I love most about Sweet Spot is how the candy theme was integrated into the obstacles and surrounding visuals. What can I say, I live for the opportunity of being an adult kid in a candy store.

Pink Putter – I love the Willy Wonka aesthetic of Sweet Spot and would have been happy to take on this spinning shot if given the opportunity.

Caddysmack

Mr. Tee – The basketball fan in me loves the sunken basketball court design and the possibility of teaming up with Steph Curry to win. The putting elements and gameplay of this one just don’t excite me nearly as much as the other fun and immersive holes.

Pink Putter – Aside from the chance to meet Steph Curry, the game play of Caddysmack left me wanting more.