Malligan’s Mini Golf at Rosedale Center – Roseville, MN

Played on August 31, 2019

Reviewed by Mr. Tee

It’s not uncommon to stumble upon mini golf in your run-of-the-mill shopping mall. Our state’s larger-than-life Mall of America has two indoor 18-hole courses we’ve been known to play regularly, especially during the long and cold winter months. But when my buddy Kyle sent me photos of what appeared to be a new course in the close-to-home Rosedale Center, I was a bit surprised and intrigued. The Pink Putter and I jumped in the car and drove over to check out this setup on the northwest side of the mall. As usual, we regularly travel with our own putters in the trunk, and in this instance, it was essential as the vending machine for balls and putters was not in service. After popping back to our car, we were ready to take on this 6 hole course.

Rating

Par – Most of these holes were already familiar foes as we had seen the greens and obstacles available for purchase from Adventure Golf & Sports. A few of these basic shoot-thru elements were recently added to the nearby Como Park mini golf course and the greens are similar to those on the Beaver Run course in Breckenridge. Two of the six holes are straightforward and basic putting surfaces. Of the holes that had obstacles, most aren’t very intriguing. From a mini golf geek perspective, I appreciated the unique machine used to distribute the balls and putters but in some ways, it may have been the most interesting element of the whole setup. We’ve been told this is in several indoor malls in Minnesota including Southdale Mall as well. The configuration and setup is similar and/or near-identical. If you’re looking for a little putting practice space where you can escape the elements, this is an affordable and ok option.

First time seeing a self-service club distribution system

Hole #1 has a simple up and down yellow plinko ramp

This frustrating purple apparatus will kick the ball right back to you if the ball goes down the wrong path

Pass under the lighthouse to make it to the cop on hole 5

Bright orange weather vane ramp can swing scores wildly

Simple and straight forward finish and you can grab your ball back to play another round

If you’re looking to mix things up, play one-handed for round 2.

Malligans Website

Pros

Creative system to allow you to play the course without a human attendant
Lighthouse and weather vane holes look and play fairly well

Cons

Putting surfaces are plain
Hard to play the ball off the walls
Short and fairly uninspiring for repeat play

Nerdy Notes

6 Holes, No Par
$5 to play Two Rounds. Works on the honor system.
Putters and balls are self-service and return is on the honor system
No scorecard
Installed August 2019.
Malligans is the company that manages these courses but the structures are commonly available for sale. They are based in Minnesota and appear to be offering and managing their courses in a variety of indoor malls across the state.