Tree Top Golf Manchester – Manchester, UK

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Played October 8, 2024

Reviewed by Mr. Tee

After 3 years of playing the Masters in Myrtle Beach each October, I decided I needed a change of pace in the fall of 2024 and visited a city on my bucket list: Manchester, England. Why would you want to go to an industrial Northern England town in October? First off, there was a World Adventure Golf Tour tournament, and more importantly, this city is the home to a legendary chapter in music history and loads of artists I adore. After a flight into London, navigating the train system, checking into my hotel, and a bit of walking around the city to take in locations of note in music history, I finished my very long day with mini golf, which was also on my must-do list. I had been by a Junkyard Golf location earlier in the day, but was most interested in fully checking out the Tree Top Golf location in the city. Pals from the UK had spoken highly of the Tree Top locations on the competitive side of the game, and from all the photos and videos I had seen, the courses looked high-quality. Feeling half a person, I jumped in the street-level entrance,  hopped on the lift, and was on a mission for mini golf.

Rating

From the moment you enter the building, the immersive vibes are set with music and sounds matching the tropical theme. I could feel some Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room vibes before I even got in the elevator. This continued into the venue where the theming, music, and even scorecard were all in sync. The facility had a little restaurant and two courses. One course has an enchanted tropical forest theme with talking birds, frogs, and trees! The other 18-holes were inspired by adventure and exploration stories with ancient ruins, temples, and mysteries. The background sound effects matched each course theme, and on a few holes, you’d get feedback on your shot from the hole itself. It’s all very playful and engaging, and was much needed as I was operating on little sleep/jetlag. The individual holes were well-built and maintained, and offered a good variety of layouts. Nearly all of the holes weren’t incredibly long and gave you a chance at a hole-in-one. Some of them required a little luck, as you had to navigate through shoot-through environments, but most of the holes rewarded a good line and speed with an ace. Both courses ended on a skee-ball hole where you could win a free game, and had photo booths to help you mark the moment. Sure, the course themes are quite common in the world of mini golf, but the combo of the layouts, gameplay, and interactivity made this an exceptional experience in my bleary-eyed state. I liked this location enough that I played another Tree Top location later in the trip and will gladly play their other locations when given the opportunity. Top-notch stuff.

The surprise / 1000-mile stare look is due to jet lag. Minnesota to Manchester is not a short distance
In addition to the signs, audio matching the theme was pumped into the entrance and elevator
Lots of signs pointing me to the mini golf
Love a well themed clubhouse
Two distinctly themed courses with a shared 19th hole in the middle
Tropical trail has faux wooded concrete sidewalls
The light green is a depressed area below the cup that adds a good challenge
Love the way this tree was incorporated into the gameplay on multiple holes
Get it through the hole in the base of the happy tree and you’ll have a good ace opportunity
Fall short of the skill shot and you’ll still have a chance to get down near the hole
Lighting and faux plant life helped bring the theme to life
These birds might randomly chirp at you while you’re putting. Don’t worry, they are not real.
These frogs are ominous and kinda cute
Another look at the subtle challenges provided on the varied hole layouts
Two paths to the cup
This one was an ace for me
This was a challenging shoot-through to navigate that I remember not playing so well
As you can see below, I had some fun in the photo booth. How could I resist?
Shared 19th skee-ball hole gives you a shot at a free game
Ancient explorer has similar hole markers, rules and walls matching the theme
The enclosed walkways keep the theme intact between the holes
Love it when the thematic elements are incorporated into the game play
Subtle shifts in elevation in the light green areas help make the gameplay dynamic
Skill shot shoot-throughs where the aces aren’t consistent but get you closer to the cup on the right path
Straight-forward and accessible
One of several pipe holes
Love the look of all the shoot-through holes
The hole layouts are enhanced by the surrounding environmental aspects and lighting
Leaderboards

One of the videos I found of this location. Quality isn’t too bad.

Treetop Golf Manchester Website

FQM5+XW Manchester, United Kingdom

Comments

Lots of audio effects throughout both courses
One of the better-looking scorecards around
Lots of whimsy and fun elements matching each theme
Well-designed and varied gameplay
Fully immersive
One of the better indoor courses I’ve played

Nerdy Notes

  • 2 18-hole courses. No official par for either course.
  • According to signs in October 2024, the best scores ever are 29 (Tropical Trail) and 28 (Ancient Explorer)
  • £11 single round, £16 both courses in Oct. 2024. Numerous discounts, including a family rate available.
  • This location opened in 2018. Tree Top Golf, as a company, started in 2015. First location was in Cardiff (played that one later on the trip)
  • This is part of a larger entertainment complex called the Printworks located in the heart of the city in Manchester

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