Hawaiian Village (Pineapple Beach) – N. Myrtle Beach, SC

Played on October 13, 2019

Reviewed by Mr. Tee. Special appearances by Randy Rice, Pat Sheridan of The Putting Penguin, and Allan Cox. Plus brief cameos of a few putters that participated in the 2019 USPMGA (United States Pro Mini Golf Association) Mini Golf Masters.

The second stop on my journey through the trio of Masters tournament courses in Myrtle Beach was Hawaiian Village. Just a short jaunt north up King’s Highway (US-17) from Aloha Mini Golf, you land at this facility in less than 10 minutes by car. Along the way, you’ll pass by Rainbow Falls and a slew of beach town tourist traps. You’ll find two 18-hole courses and the US ProMiniGolf Hall of Fame reside on-site. I quickly found parking and I popped by the Pineapple Beach course immediately to see how the putters were doing on their three rounds here. It became clear right away that this was the most challenging/frustrating of the 3 Masters courses. I returned here after the Masters wrapped up with my buddy and fellow Holey Moley alum Randy Rice to see how I would fare. I understood quickly how difficult it would be to play this course 3 times in a row. With COVID still raging in the US, I’ve opted to wait to take on this course in the Masters till 2021.

Rating

Birdie – The primary-colored and other vibrant off-course thematic features that surround the holes are nicely executed. The tropics/surfing theme and vibe is a trademark of all of the Detweiler family courses across Myrtle Beach. The big and small nods to their passion can be found throughout the courses and clubhouse which gives it more human personality than some of the larger chains mini golf joints across town. I can appreciate the putting challenge this course offers but of all the Masters courses, this one is a bit less personally satisfying. Compared to your average minature golf courses, it’s well above par. As many competitors shared, the course got new greens and was remodeled in 2018 to intentionally make this a much more challenging course for the pros they host on the course during the Masters in October. I appreciate the desire to intentionally create a course that raises the bar in difficulty and may gain a greater appreciation for this course as I attempt to play it in future Masters events down the road.

Live birds and little mini golf tchotchkes inside the clubhouse

View of the road sign and water feature next to King’s Highway

Randy and I faced off to see who would have the unenviable distinction of taking this trophy home. Spoiler! It was me.

Fifteen under par but this record was set pre-remodeling

Hole #1 with a few of the Masters competitors Allan Cox, Highlighter & Danny Baddeley setting up for their 2nd round here

Randy figuring out the best approach to this hole

Tough putting due to the turfed walls and openings that can send you out of bounds

The cave features are a nice part of the experience and provide a little shelter from the heat or rain

Careful putting is essential to playing off the concrete and avoiding going over the turfed walls

Pat from the Putting Penguin showing us how it’s done next to a lovely stream of water

Hawaiian Village Mini Golf Website

Pros

Well executed tropical theme
A course where you can measure yourself against the best mini golfers in the world
Fun primary-colored non-playable features like a jeep and boat that fit the theme
The turf and holes are well maintained

Cons

Redesign of the holes in 2018 made the course more challenging and frustrating for some
Turf walls/edging around the holes makes it easy to go out of bounds

Nerdy Notes

18 holes, Par 40.
Pricing – One round of 18 holes (9-5pm) – $9.30, One round after 5pm – $10.24. All day pass (9-5pm) – $13.95. All locations (including Hawaiian Rumble & Aloha Mini Golf) one round each – $23.36 All 3 locations, all 5 courses – $32.55
All day passes valid 9am-5pm
Rubber covered putters
Larger complex is home to the 18-hole Village course and US ProMiniGolf Hall of Fame
Clubhouse includes a number of mini golf goods like trophies.
Live tropical birds in the clubhouse. This is a trademark feature of all of the courses operated by Bob Detweiler, founder of the USPMGA. The other courses are Hawaiian Rumble and Aloha Mini Golf.