Played October 14, 2022
Reviewed by Mr. Tee
Fellow Minnesota mini golf aficionados Matt Tellander and Brandon Nocerini had shared photos of an outdoor course in Minnesota we had not previously seen with a large tiki head and some decent-looking gameplay. I reached out to the guys of Bro Mediocre (formerly MinigolfUS) to figure out where I could find this course. Much to my surprise, it was at Edgewater Hotel and located just north of downtown Duluth, Minnesota. We were headed Up North in the fall of 2022 to check out the sights and I put Edgewater down as a quick stop. We landed at the hotel on a slightly chilly day that included a little bit of snow earlier. When we arrived, the hotel immediately looked familiar. At some time in either my childhood or teen years, I had visited this hotel. I grabbed my putter and walked down the steps to the outdoor course to give it a whirl.
Rating
The hotel and course are located just before the start of Highway 61 which heads to the North Shore and was namechecked in the title of a legendary Bob Dylan record. The coruse itself overlooks looks the serene Lake Superior. The tiki theme doesn’t necessary fit the Duluth area but it does match up with some of themes of the larger hotel. The large tiki head and tiki styled version of the Duluth lift bridge give the course some nice flare. The simple but moderately challenging hole design that incorporates red bricking, green turf, undulations, volcano hole and water hazards makes this course better than one would expect as an amenity at a hotel. We’ve played very few hotel mini golf courses that are anything more than a standard putting green and this course is in better condition and plays better than a lot of courses we stumbled upon in our travels. The lovely view of the lake and combined with all of the other amentities makes this feel like a great hotel option to stay at. It does seem like the hotel caters to kids and families so I imagine during busy weekends these facilities are bustling with lots of activities and kids. I’d definitely consider staying at the Edgewater and would most definitely play numerous rounds on this course.
Local pals MiniGolf US are the ones that tipped us off to this course
2400 London Rd, Duluth, MN 55812
Pros
Free (for guests of the hotel or waterpark)
Water hazards provide a good challenge
Large tiki head and other theming
Solid variety of holes
Cons
Less than 18 holes
Nerdy Notes
- 9 holes. No par listed.
- No scorecards provided outdoors but maybe indoors?
- Tee off mats and Mischief spinners at a number of the holes
- Hotel outdoor amenities include an outdoor pool, hot tub, marshmallow roasting and movies. The hotel has a large indoor waterpark.
