It’s a fact that Tiger Woods has been putting golf balls almost since he took his first steps, so anyone thinking of steering the kids towards a sporting career could do worse than consider a spot of mini golf.
- Pittwater Golf Centre, Warriewood, NSW
- Wembley Golf Course, Wembley Downs, Western Australia
- Curlewis Golf Club, Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria
- KDV Sport, Gold Coast, Queensland
- Aspect Tamar Valley Resort, Tasmania
In fact the shrunken version of the game is experiencing something of a renaissance with new courses opening everywhere. It’s fun, it’s an excuse for a drive, and here are some of our favourite courses.
Pittwater Golf Centre, Warriewood, NSW
No doubt about it, this is classic putt-putt golf aimed directly at kids thanks to its unashamed theme based on pirates, many of whom were known to practice their swings while marooned on desert islands. Pittwater has two 18-hole courses called the Caves and Shipwreck and there’s a special price to play all 36 holes. Check out the video on how to ace the lot, or maybe think about driving up to Sydney’s northern beaches for your next piratical mini-golf birthday.
Wembley Golf Course, Wembley Downs, Western Australia
If you’re looking for fancy pirate ship or Ferris wheel obstacles at Wembley mini golf then forget about it. What you will get though is a faithful and fantastic reproduction of the full-scale 18 holes located just next door, right down to the sand traps, water features and even tee and pin placement. Real golfers will profit from a few practice rounds while awaiting tee-off, but the kids will absolutely love it too. As an added bonus: this course is close to Perth’s City Beach.
Curlewis Golf Club, Bellarine Peninsula, Victoria
Here’s another mini-golf course located smack-bang next to a maxi version. Curlewis is on the increasingly popular Bellarine Peninsula within easy striking distance from Geelong and a nice drive from Melbourne. So while, let’s say, Mum or Dad are going the tonk at the real thing, the littlies can navigate rocks, water and tunnels on this two-tiered mini golf course while choosing between ‘challenging’ or ‘extreme’ difficulty levels – and probably beat the old folks a few years down the track.
KDV Sport, Gold Coast, Queensland
KDV is a high-tech sports facility at Carrara with tennis courts, a golf course, driving range and … wait for it … a fabulous mini golf course for the kids. There’s 18 holes set among native plants and flowing streams and can be either challenging or a bit easier, depending on the little ’uns age or coordination levels, plus it’s floodlit for day and night mini golfing. Great to visit if you’re on or near the Gold Coast, not least because there’s also the swish Akademya Restaurant on site acting as a 19th hole.
Aspect Tamar Valley Resort, Tasmania
As if a Swiss-chalet style resort located in Tasmania’s beautiful Tamar Valley (about as distant from Interlaken as possible) isn’t weird enough, then how about a Swiss-village themed mini-golf course? That’s what you’ll get at Putt-It 18-hole mini course at Grindelwald – but don’t let the cutesy, village atmosphere put you off your game. The rocks, humps, stand traps, water features and, possibly, the odd yodelling mountain goat make this one a big challenge.
Keyword: Top five Mini-Golf courses worth a drive