Reviewed by Mr. Tee
Played January 25 & 27, 2022
Sometimes I find it hard to figure out where to start with a review of a course. In many cases, it is because the course was so overwhelmingly special that I want to make sure to capture the experience with the best words, photos, and videos I can muster. This review is challenging because it documents my family trying to find a moment of respite to cope with a deep loss.
On Wednesday, January 19th, my brothers and I received a call from my mother who was spending the winter with my father south of Tucson in Green Valley, Arizona. She told us that we should probably get on a plane from Minnesota first thing in the morning as my father was not doing well. My dad had turned 91 years old the previous month and while he had several significant health issues and scares over the years, he generally had been maintaining well physically and mentally. When we arrived on the 20th, we got a few moments with our father at the hospital before we needed to take him home to do in-home hospice. At best, he was expected to leave this world peacefully in 2 days. After a weekend with family and friends staying up nearly around the clock at the house with my father, my dad passed on the morning of Monday, January 25th. All of us had our chance to say goodbye and let him know that it was ok to let go but my father was stubborn even in the final days surpassing all of the doctors’ best expectations.
Physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted we all knew we needed to get out of the house after my dad passed. In one of the rare excursions from the house to get groceries, I noticed some batting cages and putting greens within a mile of the house where my parents were staying. I proposed we do something that we all enjoyed as a family together and we headed on down the road to play some mini golf.
Rating
When The Pink Putter arrived a few days later, we revisited the course with her so she would have a chance to check it out. It was not because the course played particularly well. My lasting memory of the course is that the turf was pretty threadbare and played lightning quick. This falls in the style of courses that attempt to be a miniature version of a conventional golf course. You have thinner turf on the fairways that lead to the cup and thicker turf on the sides to slow the ball’s progress. Landscaping consisted of a variety of rocks as well as real sand traps. Most of the holes were fairly long ranging from about 20-50 feet with lots of undulations and not a lot of direct looks at the cup from the tee box. It’s not my preferred style of course in general but when the turf is worn down and you have very dry temperatures, it feels like you’re putting on pavement. We eventually dialed in some of the shots and on the second visit, I was fortunate to land several aces to card the best score. I honestly have little recollection of playing but glad to look back at the photos of our family enjoying time together in the warm Arizona weather doing something that my dad would have enjoyed doing with all of us.
Not including captions below and just letting the photos tell the story.
1570 W Duval Mine Rd, Green Valley, AZ 85614
Pros
Challenging
Variety of hole designs
Cons
Turf needs to be replaced
Not much in the way of ambiance surrounding the course
Condition of the course makes it more frustrating than fun
Nerdy Notes
- 18 holes. The price was around $10 or less a round
- Amenities include food, drinks, and batting cages
- Fliers on the course and Facebook highlighted competitive cornhole/bags tournaments that happened at the facility
