Reviewed by Mr. Tee
Played June 3, 2023
According to the organization’s website, “Swingers started in 2014 as a pop-up in Shoreditch, London, founded by Matt Grech-Smith and Jeremy Simmonds to test the concept of combining crazy golf with cocktails and street food”. After the success of their first mni golf endeavor, they opened the first permanent iteration of their crazy golf set up in the heart of London. We’re huge fans of the history and evolution of the game of mini golf and when we first planned to go to London, we had Swingers near the top of our list especially given how much the chain has expanded into the US over the past four years. We’ve also been keenly aware of how they have influenced the design, layout, and focus of many courses we have played in the past 5 years so wanted to take in the original. We met up with The Pink Putter’s fellow ISCA board member Tom on our 2nd jetlagged day in the UK to tackle the place where this influential chain began.
Rating
The Pink Putter has already played the NoMad location in New York so we were expecting a big price tag and were pleasantly surprised that the London location was a bit more affordable. My guess is that they are trying to stay competitive with the vast array of mini golf options across the city. Ok, on to the actual course and experience. The Swingers courses were exactly as expected with the classy look featuring unfinished wood, green turf, and faux wisteria. As The Pink Putter said in her past review, “Swingers had belle-epoch era/speakeasy vibes”. The Pink Putter felt the courses were a bit more simplistic as well as a little more run-down than the New York location. This makes sense given it is the first permanent location for Swingers and older. The design and layout across the venue including the scorecards give the experience a special and adult feel that feels perfect for an adult night out which is the focus of this chain. The holes were pretty simple and classic with windmills, loops, bridges, lighthouses, and a few moving obstacles. The group scores ranged from 19 to 29. I don’t think it took us more than 30 minutes to play in total but we were asked about getting more drinks from the staff numerous times. I could imagine this overly attentive service experience being even more aggressive and offputting in the US. We opted to only play the Lighthouse course given how many courses we were already playing in London but documented the Windmill course which has a similar design and feel. Definitely lived up to expectations. Classy and not your typical mini golf course but it comes with a pricetag.
8 Brown’s Buildings, City of London, London EC3A 8AL
Comments
Upscale and fun vibes with an adult focus
Consistent look and feel across both courses
Classic mini golf obstacles including windmills, loops and lighthouses
Solid variety of gameplay
Great place to bring a date or a group of friends wanting a night out on the town
Decent variety of food options
Price for 9-holes is on the higher end of prices
Servers eager and ready to get you another drink throughout the course
Nerdy Notes
- 2 9-hole courses. Par 21 for both courses.
- Prices vary on the time you plan to visit. We paid around £16 per person for 9-holes. Currentl prices range from £16-20 per round.
- You are given a tee time when you register online but you might wait up to an hour before you play
- The venue includes multiple bars and food vendors
- This is the first permanent Swingers location that opened 2016 after a 2014 successful pop-up
