World Tour
18 Mini Golf Courses You Should Go Out of Your Way to Play

This is a true gem tucked away on the shores of Minnesota’s Lake Minnetonka. Our first date and wedding were at this course, so we believe it holds a certain magic. The rustic, 14-hole course was built entirely by artist and owner Bruce Stillman and features mammoth obstacles made from tree trunks, carved rock, sculpted metal, and an antique ship hull.

While you’re there, also take time to explore the sculpture gardens and play a game of checkers overlooking the Big Stone pond. You can say hello to the resident goats—and be sure to watch out for chickens crossing the greens!

Three unique mini golf courses (two outdoor and one indoor) offer players the opportunity to physically take part in their putting journey through imaginative routes to the cup. At this facility in Wisconsin, you can slide, zipline or climb as you follow your ball through landscapes loosely themed around the states of Wisconsin and California, and the home city of Madison. Depending on which course you play, you may encounter a purple hippopotamus, towering giraffes, or a hot dog slide. You’re safe selecting any of these courses for a truly special experience.

When people ask us to recommend our favorite courses, this is always at the top of the list. It’s a colorful, kitschy, and delightfully classic mini golf course that features creative gameplay (think rocket ships and roller coasters), all set within the shadows of perfectly manicured hedges and a giant pink castle. This picturesque two-course establishment makes every list of “best mini golf” for a reason. We fell in love with Par-King on our first visit and returned years later, knowing it would be the quintessential backdrop to our engagement photos.

Located just north of Chicago, Par-King is surrounded by other mini golf options such as the charmingly ramshackle Novelty Golf and an infamous course in the basement of an active funeral home. But if you’re in the area, Par-King should undoubtedly be at the top of your list.

The highest concentration of mini golf in the world resides in the vacation hot spot of South Carolina’s Atlantic coast, Myrtle Beach. There are more than 50 courses in this mini golf haven, with volcanoes, tropical birds, pirate ships, and crashed airplanes in all sorts of inventive spaces.

Of the many options spread across town, Mt. Atlanticus is home to the most immersive, odd, and distinctive courses. Housed in a former grocery store, this course reportedly cost $3 million to build. Complete with a minotaur mythology and an assortment of visual references ranging from Elvis to aliens, this is easily one of the most inventive mini golf complexes you’ll ever visit.

This course, located in the heart of Franklin Square, features oversized obstacles themed around local landmarks including the Liberty Bell, the art museum steps, the LOVE sculpture, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and many more. Recreations of local buildings have been made with impeccable attention to detail and at a scale that makes players feel like they are fully immersed. Many courses theme around their surrounding communities and cities, but Philly Mini Golf is probably the most well-executed version. When you’re done putting, you can enjoy the nearby carousel, playground, eateries, and music in the park.

This scenic location is nestled in the Adirondack Mountains, on the banks of picturesque Lake George. Visitors have been putting their way Around the World and Around the U.S.A. for over 50 years through the property’s two wacky 18-hole courses. It was all inspired by the original owner Harry Horn’s travels and the souvenirs he brought back home with him to upstate New York. Travel across the planet through immersive (and sometimes moving) obstacles, including an oversized lobster and sombrero or miniature replicas of landmarks like Egypt's Great Pyramids and the Taj Mahal in India.

Given Iceland’s connections to Vikings, a pirate-themed adventure golf course feels like a perfect approach for one of the country's few permanent courses. Located just a few miles outside of Reykjavík, this 18-hole course is surrounded by beautiful views of the wild natural Icelandic landscape. It's just a short cab or car trip from downtown, and a perfect spot to visit in this charming country.

British seaside towns are not just a battleground of mods and rockers (see The Who’s 1979 film Quadrophenia). These tourist destinations are dotted with loads of classic putting places. Our friends Richard and Emily from across the pond have played nearly 1,000 mini golf courses, the bulk of which are located in the United Kingdom. One of the standouts is Hastings Adventure Golf. The home of the annual World Crazy Golf Championships has all the classic windmills, skulls, ships, and more. There are three full 18-hole courses to wet your feet in the Kingdom chock full of cheeky miniature golf.

What happens when trick art meets mini golf? Find out at one of the glow golf courses that are scattered throughout Germany. At each of these courses, the floors, walls and putting areas are so meticulously painted that you might start questioning what’s what. Skilled artisans have rendered faux rocks, coral reefs, and glowing comets with extreme detail, while keeping black light effects at the forefront. Add in ChromaDepth glasses for the ultimate 3D mini golf experience. The Cologne course makes our list for its aquatic sea life theme—we’re always excited about whales!

Located in Turda, Transylvania, this modern art theme park is nestled 400 feet underground, inside one of the oldest salt mines ever known. The innovative look of this gargantuan amusement park seems like something out of a science fiction movie. Despite the location, the park is brightly lit and contains attractions such as an amphitheater, an underground lake that can be explored with paddles and rowboats, a Ferris wheel, a bowling alley, table tennis, pool tables, and, most importantly, miniature golf. The historical home of Count Dracula is now on our bucket list due to this wild-looking cave.

A wild and oversized fairy tale mini golf course is not what you might expect to find as an amenity at a hotel. But from the looks of it, SO Wonderland Adventure Golf at the Sofitel Hua Hin has what may be the most intriguing hotel miniature golf course anywhere in the world. Located a few miles from Bangkok on the beach of the Gulf of Thailand, this course gives players a chance to encounter a series of impressive obstacles. Oversized sunflowers, a bunny den, and a giant spider are just a few of the whimsical sights you can expect on your putting journey.

For many, “Putt-Putt” is just another word for mini golf, but it is actually the name of a particular brand of courses that launched in the southern United States in the 1950s, where par is two on every hole and a hole-in-one is always possible. Putt-Putt had major tournaments featured on network television and managed to branch their business into Australia, with what is probably the most impressive course of the now-dwindling empire that once had several hundred franchisees.

Mermaid Beach has three adventure-filled 18-hole courses that take the traditional two-putt holes up a notch. Loops, castles, animals, and rainbows are added to the skilled putting off colorful rails and sloping felt surfaces.

Steampunk meets high-tech San Francisco in this Rube Goldberg–esque wonderland. From the locally inspired to the fantastical, Urban Putt infuses maker culture into mini golf, resulting in unique and immersive gameplay experiences unlike any other. Located in a former mortuary space in the heart of the Mission District, this is our favorite indoor mini golf course.

Owner Steve Fox had been building mini golf creations with friends for many years before sharing his passion for the game with the rest of the world. It’s evident from the moment you set foot on this course that it came from a brilliant creative mind. Other bar courses have a similar playful party vibe, such as Birdie’s East and Puttshack in the United Kingdom, or Holey Moley, which has locations in Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. But Urban Putt has put the most love and thoughtfulness into the experience. And if you’re in Colorado, make sure to check out Urban Putt’s new Denver location.

Golfers can boom or bust on this over-the-top 18-hole course, where California’s mining history collides with Silicon Valley. Prepare to be delighted and surprised as you navigate through a saloon, gold mines, a shipyard, and one-of-a-kind holes inspired by invention and the richly diverse cultures of the Bay Area. Interactive photo ops, immersive theming, high-tech obstacles, and creative paths to the cup make this course one of the best we’ve played.

This Southern California classic epitomizes the West Coast style of mini golf, which is defined by sunken concrete fairways decorated with giant putt-through castles, gingerbread houses, and windmills, and dotted with brightly colored plastic lights. With four whimsical 18-hole courses surrounded by well-manicured hedges and towering palms, Golf N’ Stuff Norwalk is not to be missed. You might recognize this location as the setting for Daniel and Ali’s first date in the classic 80s flick The Karate Kid.

This glow-in-the-dark shrine to all things KISS includes giant instruments, platform boots, and a final hole that challenges players to putt up Gene Simmons’s tongue. Add in the sound of KISS blaring over the soundsystem and never-before-seen KISS props, and this course is sure to be a hit for rockers of all ages. Sure, it’s a little corny and over the top, but isn’t that what you expect a mini golf course (and KISS)?

This historic gem has two 18-hole courses: the 1929 Course and the 1959 Course, making it the oldest operating miniature golf venue in the country. After the deaths of its original owners Harold and Maria Metzger, Cool Crest closed in 2007 and was left to decay. But in 2012, the Andry brothers stepped in to fully restore the course to its authentic glory, as well as add on the Metzger Biergarten.

Cool Crest’s sleek greens are designed around long fairways, simple shapes, and tiered play. It's not hard to see why thousands of locals and visitors alike hold a nostalgic place in their heart for the art deco elegance of Cool Crest.

You can find this magical holdover from the 1950s just south of the river in Texas’s capital city. Think classic mid-20th-century fairy tale–inspired kitsch with nods to local lore and tropes of the game. It certainly epitomizes the “Keep Austin Weird” mantra. Our first visit in 2013 included an interaction with an ATM with a dial-up modem fail sound. Peter Pan is a blast back in time with snow cones for sale and the option to bring your own drinks. In fact, this is the first BYOB course we’ve found. It’s a fantastical destination for hip kids, teens on dates, music makers, and families alike.

Some golf courses have a “19th Hole,” where the partying starts after the game ends, so we're including this bonus “course” to cover the special realm of pop-up mini golf around the world. New putting structures designed by artists, students, and hobbyists frequently pop up in museums, libraries, churches, funeral homes, dorm rooms, and backyards. Sometimes they are for fundraisers, other times just for fun.

Mini golf provides a near-limitless platform for creativity, science, technology, engineering, art, math, and play. In our own journeys, we’ve hit the extremes, creating pop-up holes in snow in -20 degrees Fahrenheit weather, playing in the sand of the Inland Sea in Qatar, and most recently in the middle of a safari in Tanzania. Mini golf is everywhere and for everyone!