Kendahl Mini Golf – Cloquet, MN

Played on August 29, 2020

Reviewed by Mr. Tee

We regularly catch glimpses of courses on social media and get recommendations from fellow putting enthusiasts in regards to interesting mini golf places both old and new. We love hearing about the spots people grew up playing and think we’ll enjoy. The name Kendahl Mini Golf had popped up in our searches but we had not seen any visuals until the end of their season in 2019. A few Minnesota-based mini golf aficionados had additionally recommended checking out this course if we had not played it already and shared a few glimpses of what looked like a classic mechanical obstacle that was in great shape. I had been encouraged by an earlier summer 2020 road trip that landed me at a noteworthy course in Lacrosse, Wisconsin called Walsh Golf so I thought it was worth heading out in our car to visit another potential classic. Kendahl is located just outside of Duluth, Minnesota and we prioritized making our first visit during a pandemic road trip north of the Twin Cities up to the land known for Bob Dylan, Low, and the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Rating

This 56-year-old course represents all that we love in the mid-twentieth century classic mini golf courses. Spinning windmills, colorful obstacles to shoot through, lighthouses, loops, and loads of personality. To top it off, the owner Bill Erickson confirmed that he indeed lives in the house adjacent to the course. Backyard mini golf goals! It’s quite easy to be charmed by this little spot that shares a parking lot with a vintage diner. The simple handbuilt course features basic wooden walled in putting areas that have a variety of styles of plays and a few solid challenges. The true test of one’s skills comes halfway through the course on #10 when you’re faced with a larger moving red, white, and blue waterwheel. It took us a putt or two to get the timing right which made the experience of watching the ball dump out near the cup even more satisfying. The greater Duluth area has only a handful of mini golf options and this is definitely the top of our list to play there. For good reason, we added this to the recent list of Our 10 Favorite Traditional Courses.

Taking those bumps to the cup to start the course

Keep your aim true or end up in the hazard or out of bounds

Never get tired of those bright yellow loops

Heart-shaped hole with the owner’s house in the background

Putt-putt style hole where you take a loop underneath to get to the 2nd tier

Don’t think our scores made the leaderboard this time around

This pup was ready to join us for a 2nd round!

Frank Lloyd Wright designed gas station just across the bridge in the main part of town

Kendahl Miniature Golf on Facebook

Pros

Fully functioning mechanical shoot throughs
Classic mid-century and well maintained styled obstacles
Variety of putting challenges
Charming layout and location

Cons

Turf is a little worn and probably close to being replaced.

Nerdy Notes