Pixar Putt – Battery Park, NYC

Played on 8/24/21

Reviewed by the Pink Putter

Mr. Tee and I had been following Pixar Putt since its early days touring Australia. We had seen fun photos and video of this unique, Pixar movie themed pop-up course and were intrigued. In early August, we learned that Pixar Putt was setup in Battery Park in NYC and would be open the same time we’d be out east for our family vacation. We immediately booked tickets for ourselves and my Brooklyn-based friend since high school, Vanessa.

Rating

While we were really hoping this unique and eye-popping course would live up to a hole-in-one rating, for many reasons it fell short. Let’s start with the price. At $35 a person in addition to the $25 parking ramp fee, this is the single most expensive game of mini golf we’ve played to date. Now, we had no problem paying a little extra this for a one-off mini golf experience, however, at that price tag, we expect the best of the best. To its credit, every single hole on this course looked amazing. Immersive theming effectively told the story of different Pixar movies through color, obstacles and decor. Each hole also had a unique game play mechanism that was directly integrated into the theme. But unfortunately, many of these were poorly designed and/or executed, making for a frustrating and inconsistent experience. This course was so difficult, and not in a good or intentional way. It was hard to play because of poor material choices in putting areas, low walls that the ball would constantly bounce out of, difficult slopes or angles and faulty mechanisms that just didn’t work. The course was also very crowded, both in how close the holes were put next to each other as well as with how many people were playing alongside of us. We were also out there at the start of Hurricane Henri, and luckily just barely beat the huge storm rolling in. As soon as we left, the course closed up for the night due to weather.

All in all, we’d do it again in a heartbeat, but for all the money, planning and effort that went into constructing this traveling, pop-up course, it seems like many simple things that could have tremendously improved the overall experience were sadly overlooked.

Hole 1 inspired by Luca. The Italian city streets served as a giant plinko.

A wider view of Vanessa putting at Hole 1

Mr. Tee at the Incredibles inspired Hole 4

Hole 5, the Ventriloquist dummy from Toy Story 4. This one was a timing obstacle, as you had to putt into his mouth at just the right moment.

Detail from Hole 6, a fishing pier inspired by Nemo. The smooth surface combined with the spacing between the wood planks made it hard to have any control over your ball.

A bullseye skeeball inspired by Brave at Hole 7. The center target was way too small & hard to make. Betting less than 1 in 1000 make that super touchy jump putt.

Vanessa drops her ball into the Inside Out themed plinko on Hole 8

Putt down the strings of the Coco guitar at Hole 9. There were no shortcuts on this hole.

Detail of the Onward bus at Hole 11. The hole on the ramp up the van was another near impossible-to-make opening that was only slightly larger in diameter than the ball.

Hole 12, The Claw! You drop your ball into the black pipe and can use the handle to swing which direction it will fall out.

Hole 13, an interactive keyboard from Soul.

A Cars themed Hole 14. While the “95” is designed as a unique loop obstacle, the easiest and fastest way to play this is to the right of the “95” and off the wall.

Immersed in clovers at Hole 15, themed after A Bug’s Life. Where are the bugs?

A Ratatouille inspired Hole 16. I loved the giant food!

A giant paw print inspired by The Good Dinosaur at Hole 17. The pop-up obstacles on the putting area could be controlled by the players with foot pedals, but they were not fully functional.

Mr. Tee putts his ball into the house from “Up” at Hole 18

The house is then cranked up to the top of the waterfall, where the balls drop out onto the putting area below although in most cases, many of the balls bounced out of bounds when they exited.

Vanessa kicks our butts and takes home the cake!

And check out this fun video made by our friends Aaron and Evan over at O-Street Mini Golf!

Pixar Putt website

Pros
Every single hole on this course looks amazing
Immersive theming to the max that effectively told the story of different Pixar movies through color, obstacles and decor
Each hole also has a unique game play mechanism that was directly integrated into the theme

Cons
Poorly designed and/or executed hole designs making for a frustrating and inconsistent experience
Course was very crowded, both in how close the holes were put next to each other as well as with how many people were playing
At $35 a person in addition to the $25 parking ramp fee, this is the single most expensive game of mini golf we’ve played

Nerdy Notes

18 holes, Pars listed on the signs
Rubber covered putters
different themed flags in each cup
$35/per person
In Battery Park, August 1st – October 31st
Open 7 days/week with After Dark (adult only) tickets available
Following its run in New York City, Pixar Putt will continue touring nationally, slated to be presented in San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Chicago (with more locations to be announced).