Salty Seagull Mini Golf – Sturgeon Bay, WI

Played August 7, 2022

Reviewed by Mr. Tee with guest appearances by Gary Hester, John Powell, Jeremy Inabinet and Tim Tally

On my first visit to Door County to play at the Red Putter Mini Golf Pro Tournament, I stayed in Sturgeon Bay for most of my visit. Last-minute lodging is challenging to come by in the northern towns of Door County during the popular summer months. The big positive of staying at the base of Sturgeon Bay was that I was right down the street from a newly opened mini golf course. I had heard of the Salty Seagull after catching word of pros Gary Hester and Rainey Statum traveling to the course to play in their first tournament in late June 2022. Gary narrowly won the tournament by 1 stroke over the current 3-time Red Putter champion Matt Kraus and 2 strokes over Rainey.

Rating

After finishing up at the Red Putter, I joined fellow competitors and Team USA mini golf members John Powell, Jeremy Inabinet, Tim Tally and Gary Hester for a trip to play the Salty Seagull. Gary was our guide to the course, showing all the best lines given he was the only one that had previously played the course. We had a friendly competition between our small group and it was a ton of fun. I was given the heads up in advance that it was indeed a newly built course by the Harris company that had bricks with smoother faces and solid gameplay, especially for competitive events. It was nice to be able to see and play a Harris course in pristine condition. There are holes where you can play through the water, a jump, and a volcano towards the cup. There are courses that have some wooden posts and rocks that serve as obstacles along with a variety of slopes and undulations. What I especially liked were the personal touches added by the course owner. The full-sized course mascot, signage, lighthouse, seating and clubhouse all gave the course a distinct personality to distinguish it from other similarly built and designed courses by Harris. I don’t know if it was the company, the personal additions by the course owner, or the fact that it was new, but this was easily my best experience on a Harris course to date. Definitely recommend playing this if you visit Door County and if you want to face off on the course in a tournament for $2000, check out the AMA schedule for the event on October 7, 2023.

Gary Hester (middle) showing Jeremy Inabinet (right) and John Powell (left) the line to the cup on #2

Reigning Salty Seagull champ Gary taking aim at the cup

Classic light house is a nice touch amongst the well landscaped layout

Jeremy debating on the taking the bridge or the water

I got the blue polo note! Trying to hold my own with some top putters

Tim Tally setting up to avoid the rock and land an ace

One of a few longer holes to test your speed and accuracy

Pipe on the first terrace is tempting but Gary shows us the better play on this one

Tim with an unlucky first putt that gets him stuck atop the split paths to the hole

A narrow path to the cup without necessarily playing off the bricks

The final hole tests your skill on this tricky uphill putt into a volcano

John finishing up with a solid 2. Aces are possible but there is risk of having the ball roll back past the tee box on the first putts or 2nd putts if you’re behind the cup.

Cute clubhouse with a wide variety of Salty Seagull goodies

Salty Seagull Website

630 Grant Ave, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

Pros

Well-built Harris course in pristine condition
Newer style bricking with a smoother and flat face compared to older Harris courses
Good variety of putting challenges
Fun and sharp-looking logo and mascot enhance this standard-designed course

Cons

Not a lot of shade from the elements on the course
No Seagull themed obstacles on the course

Nerdy Notes

18 holes. Par 41.
$9 – Adults | $8 Seniors (65+, service & military) | $3 Kids (under age 5)
Wide variety of merch including balls, apparel, toys, candles, sunglasses and wine cups!