Summerland Mini Golf (Bears Course) – St. Cloud, MN

Played September 26, 2020

Reviewed by Mr. Tee

Previous “Drive By” from Pink Putter

As I mentioned in my review of The Lakes course at Summerland, I was inspired to give this course a full round of putting after seeing videos of others playing a few of the holes. The design and variety of play were sufficiently different enough from the adjacent Lakes-themed course that I felt like a separate review of the Bear Kountry course was worthwhile.

Rating

Similar to the Lakes course at Summerland, I was thoroughly impressed. Minnesota has few mini golf destinations that have multiple courses on-site and unlike most courses we see out in the world, there are distinct differences between the duo of putting options. The North Woods / Bear theme on this course was well executed with some folksy features and a few other critters. Not sure if the cat-like animals on two of the holes exactly fit in with the theme but those felines ultimately look cool and add to the vibe. A few smart obstacles, clever cup placements, sloping greens, and smartly placed rocks combine to make an above-average collection of holes. While I haven’t been eager to go to the St. Cloud area since the Java Joint closed in the early 00s, this course does stand out to me as an excuse to head west for an hour to play quality mini golf.

Solid putting challenge and while the leaves would be better removed, the fall colors look nice

Dig this design and curious where people would putt off from. The center is ok, right?

Panther protecting the cup from my trusty blue Chromax

Splash of colored turf for style and a well placed rock for substance

Summerland Website

1050- 28th Ave NE, Sauk Rapids, MN 56379 (St. Cloud, Minnesota • Highway 23 East)

Pros

Variety of hole designs
Love the educational theme & didactics
Great use of characters to tie in the theme
Solid mix of longer and shorter holes
Well-considered game play

Cons

Seasonal debris could have been better cleaned off the course

Nerdy Notes

18 holes, Par 45. The other full 18-hole course on site is “The Lakes” Mini Golf
“The Lakes” Adventure Golf – $7.50, Bear Kountry Mini Golf – $6.50, Both courses combined $11
Seasonal course open noon-8pm
Formal address in google lists Sauk Rapids but their own website says St. Cloud
Go-Karts, batting cages, waterslide, bumper boats, and more on-site
Package deals available including a 10 Round punch card for Mini Golf for either course that never expires for $60
Most of the holes on this half of this course are semi-ADA/wheelchair accessible. Unlike the other course, there are no stairs but the area surrounding the cup doesn’t have a lower curbing or access via wheelchair.