Played on May 20th and 21st, 2022

Reviewed by The Pink Putter

Cranbrook on the Green is a brand new 10-hole, artist-designed mini golf course on the lawn of the Cranbrook Art Museum just outside of Detroit, MI. And just to be clear, this review is going to be biased, because the “artist” in “artist-designed” is us! We’re proud to say that we collaborated with the Cranbrook staff on concepts and designed all ten holes of this course. Fabrication was done by Bluewater Studio. The course will be open to the public May 25-September 25, 2022. As written on the Cranbrook’s website:

“This summer, visitors to Cranbrook Art Museum can experience a “hole” new dimension of our historic campus with our new miniature golf course, inspired by the art and design of Cranbrook.”

Rating

As I already mentioned, this review is pretty biased because well, we designed the course. But let’s get into what makes this family-friendly course so special. Each of the holes are inspired by different campus landmarks or objects in the museum’s collection. The didactics reveal more information about what inspired each hole and its history, so this can actually be quite an education experience where you can learn a lot about famous and not-so-famous artists and architecture. We worked hard to design each hole with a different game play mechanism or putting experience, and to make the course as immersive and engaging as possible. There’s a good mix of easy and challenging putts as well as a good balance of skill and chance. There are also a lot of little details and hidden easter eggs to make this course both visually appealing and custom to the Cranbrook.

Cranbrook on the Green website where you can purchase tickets in advance

Pros
Unique designs inspired by the Cranbrook campus and collection
Immersive and interactive hole experiences
A mix of easy and challenging putts
Located on the beautiful art museum lawn within the scenic Cranbrook campus

Cons
Only 10 holes, we want more!

Nerdy Notes

• 10 holes, Par 31
• Rubber & urethane covered putters, custom Cranbrook balls available for sale
• No flag in cups
• Hours of Operation:
  Wednesday–Sunday: 11am–Sunset
  Monday–Tuesday: Course Closed
• Cost:
  $15 Adults
  $10 ArtMembers & Detroit Residents
  $8 Children Under 12
  Price includes gallery admission.