Ballybunion Mini Golf – Long Grove, IL

Played August 28, 2021

Reviewed by Mr. Tee

I was hoping to get by my all-time favorite course, Par-King, to play through the day before the 2021 M.C. Mini Masters. Unfortunately, the course closed early for the day and I had some time before I met up with Aaron from O-Street who was coming into town. I had done some advance searching for other courses I could potentially play in the area and found Ballybunion close by to where I was staying. Why not give it a whirl?

Rating

This tucked-away course next to a driving range looked charming from afar with a waterwheel house, bridges, and water features. Sadly, when I stepped onto the course, I found out why it was empty that day. The worn-down condition of the turf was immediately obvious. It’s a common thing we come across and when it is this worn down, the ball has a mind of its own. Even worse, many holes have massive gouges and tears throughout the turf. It’s clear they tried to do some damage control with some different grades of turf but not only did it look bad but it didn’t play much better. Our mini golf fantastic from the area, Mick Cullen, went back a year after me because he had heard from someone that the course was in better shape. Sadly, Mick confirmed that the condition was comparable to what I saw. I hope the owners of the course consider replacing the turf and doing some maintenance. The guts of an above-average course are there but I couldn’t recommend playing this course in its current condition when Par-King is right down the road.

Always eager to play new courses and love a good road sign

and when you look even closer, it’s really bad

Turf is receding from the walls and it appears they made an attempt to repair it but failed

You can see the charming elements with the water feature and signs

Turf is just so threadbare and worn. Makes for unfun play for all

You can see deep stains in the turf from nearby trees

Despite the condition, some of these holes look like they could be fun and challenging

This massive waterwheel building is a substantial feature that still has a rustic charm

If you don’t look at the condition of the course, it looks like a really charming setting for mini golf

Those smooth walls would make for great play if the turf was replaced

The greenery and foliage do offer a nice vibe

Hope that this place gets some TLC and would gladly swing by to give it another shot

4200 IL-83, Long Grove, IL 60047

Ballybunion Website

Pros

ADA access
Smooth concrete walls
Charming theme

Cons

Turf is thin, worn, and barely playable
Massive tears, and damage to the turf
Condition of the course makes for frustrating casual and competitive play
Not a fan of those rubber tee off mats

Nerdy Notes