Words by Mr. Tee on New Year’s Day 2022
Usually, folks do their annual recap before the year closes but given my unfortunate and extended holiday illness, I’ll start the year fresh by looking back at what was an especially active and fun 2021.
New adventures and endeavors in mini golf with friends across the US encapsulate the spirit of the year. We found ourselves at over 80 different courses for the first time. On top of it, we revisited another 30 courses and played over 200 rounds each. All new records for the two of us in a single year. Whew!
There are our 7 favorite courses and quite a few we quite enjoyed that be found listed at the bottom of this post. We’d recommend checking them all out and wanted to do our best to give you a variety of options across the US. We had hoped to get more of those course reviews up but we couldn’t keep up. Expect you’ll see loads of our adventures in 2021 throughout all of 2022.
Time to take a look back!
An audio version of my recap of 2021 with my podcast co-host, Pat Sheridan of the Putting Penguin
2021 WAS BUSY!
Mr. Tee (aka Tom) started a 2021 with a podcast, Puttcast, with Pat from The Putting Penguin. 32 episodes and going!
Celebrated National Mini Golf Day with Koo Koo Kanga Roo
Traveled out east to see family and friends as well as compete in the O-Street $1000 Tournament
Got Aaron from O-Street out to the Chicago area to compete with Mr. Tee in Mick Cullen’s M.C. Mini Masters
Closed the local season of putting in Minnesota in our 2nd annual Miniest Mini Golf Open. So many new and old friends took part and we can’t wait to do it again in 2022!
Mr. Tee competed in his first Masters of Mini Golf! Fun was had with putting pals from across the US
We did a list of our seven favorite courses of 2021 but I felt like there were quite a few other courses that either I played solo or we played together that were notable. In a year where we got to over 80 courses, I wanted to highlight a few really fun courses worth going out of your way to play across the US. We’ve only gotten to review a few of these but these are on the top of our list to knock out and share in 2022.
Newly Played Courses in 2021 Worth Mentioning
Putt Pub – San Marcos, Texas – Opened in late 2020, this fun and colorful course has a clever design that makes following the ball to the cup an absolute joy.
Swingtime Germantown – Milwaukee, Wisconsin – Thoughtful and well-designed mini golf throughout this family-owned and operated course. I had seen many photos of this course in advance of traveling there but it took playing and experiencing these 18 holes first-hand to truly appreciate what’s going on at Swingtime.
Seaport Village – Ocean City, New Jersey – The spectacle of the numerous larger-than-life sharks on this course are compelling as the many unique paths to the cups throughout this Jersey Shore course. Tipped off to this place by O-Street pals and had a blast here with them there after competing in the $1000 tournament.
Professor Hacker’s Mayday Golf – North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – After practicing for the Masters, it was fun to finally take in this spectacle of a course. Definitely one of the standout courses in Myrtle Beach. Played much better than I expected.
Skokie Sports Park – Skokie, Illinois – Friend and Holey Moley Champ, Mick Cullen, and his son Xavier took me to this lil gem expected I had not played it. They were right! Both the global themed 18-hole course and playground infused 9 hole course combine for a fun day of mini golf options in the northern Chicago suburbs.
Hartland Mini Golf – Long Beach Island, New Jersey – When driving by on Long Beach Island, Hartland just seems like your run-of-the-mill course Shore course but there is more to this course than the pastel-painted clubhouse and massive putter signage. All of the holes have clever and smartly designed gameplay. Lots of high risk/reward opportunities and chances for aces with a well-placed putt. Along with Flamingo Golf, this is a must-play when you’re in LBI.
Pixar Putt – New York City, New York – This traveling-themed course incorporates all of the color and playfulness of the animated movies. The attention to the visual details is impressive and why we went out of the way to visit it. If the gameplay was more thoughtfully considered and the price tag wasn’t so high, this would easily be one of our all-time faves.
Putt Putt Fun Center – Clifton Heights, Pennslyvania – One of the few northern Putt-Putt locations still open and it has 4 full courses. The carpet is in fantastic shape and it is clear that the owner of this course takes good care to keep this place looking great.
Island Golf – Long Beach Island, New Jersey – Simple but fun design in this tropical adventure-themed course. I am a sucker for any course with ample opportunities for hole-in-one shots and this course has many.
Big Mini Putt Club – Chicago, Illinois – One of many 9-hole bar courses with a fun vibe and good putting.
Libertee Grounds – Philadelphia, Pennslyvania – On top of what I believe to be the best food I’ve had a mini golf course, the 9 holes in this fresh new course provide a good mix of challenge and fun.
Rainbow Falls Mini Golf – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – Visited here back in 2019 and vowed to come back to play the next time I was in MB. The massive classic roadside characters combined with some challenging play made for a great experience on a night off from the Masters competition with friends.
In The Game – Hollywood Park, Illinois – I have a huge soft spot for the courses designed and built by the Castle Golf company. The combination of oversized shoot-through obstacles and fun-themed environments add to the solid gameplay.
