Pee Wee Golf (front 18) – Guerneville, CA

Played on July 3, 2022

Reviewed by the Pink Putter

Pee Wee Golf in Guerneville, CA was a course on our bucket list for quite some time, due to its historical significance in mini golf design. This 36-hole complex was designed and built by Bill Koplin, a name that might sound familiar to you if you’ve read some of our other reviews. Bill’s younger brother, Lee Koplin, came out to California to help Bill build the course and even managed it for three years before moving on to design and build the original Goofy Golf courses in Biloxi, Mississippi and Panama City Beach, Florida. Lee’s Goofy Golf designs went on to subsequently inspire the chain of Goony Golf courses that would become popular across the country. This course was the start of it all! Our friends over at roadsideamerica.com have a great article written on its history.

As written on the Pee Wee Golf website:

“Since the late 1800s, Guerneville has operated as a small and rustic resort town, taking advantage of its location in redwoods on the Russian River. Amusements for travelers have long been an important element of the town.

A welder named Bill Koplin built the Pee Wee Golf in Guerneville, opening it in 1948. There are several figures on the site that date back to the opening of the park. Some dinosaurs were added in 1968 along with other concrete figures.

New figures and attractions have been added over the years. The two 18 hole courses on the property blend the nostalgia of the past with current challenges.”

During the 4th of July holiday weekend back in 2022, we decided to visit my sister and her partner, Jonathan, out in San Francisco and requested a two-day excursion up to the Russian River to play Pee Wee Golf.

Rating

This historic course has stood the test of time and floods. One of the fist things you notice upon entering the premise is a tall piece of wood marked with a variety of dates at different heights, reaching up to the very top of the main building. We quickly learned that this denotes how high the property was flooded over the years. The course itself is very charming, adorned with whimsical and sometimes creepy concrete characters and creative putting challenges. Many of the concrete forms had either mildew growing on them, large holes/gashes in them or worn paint. Some of the putting greens had seemingly newer obstacles affixed to them including a tractor tire loop, a milk jug, a bird cage and a metal post office collection box. The turf was in decent condition, appearing to have been replaced in recent years. Scattered around the property, off to the side of the putting greens, were various tents, lawn chairs, children’s toys, old playground equipment and random signs from an assortment of celebratory events.

One of the highlights of the Pee Wee Golf was the course cat, Pumba. Pumba immediately greeted us upon our arrival and continued to follow along with us as we played the course, sometimes becoming his own living obstacle. He was highly entertaining and amusing.

As a mini golf design nerd, Pee Wee Golf was most exciting to me because I could really see the inspiration behind Goofy Golf and Goony Golf throughout the course. The new owner was a very kind host and is doing a good job maintaining this historically significant property.

Hole 2, with help from Pumba the course cat

Hole 4, the Pink Panther but not the Pink Putter

Pee Wee Golf website

Pros
Fun, quirky and creative concrete characters adorning the course
Lots of historical significance to mini golf design in the mid-century
Fun game play elements
Course cat named Pumba!

Cons
Older course that has seen a lot of flooding
Worn concrete in need of repair

Nerdy Notes