These days, miniature golf doesn’t have to mean windmills or clown’s mouths or kitschy pirate ships. There’s a new category of putt-putt, one that replicates the look—and challenge—of full-size golf courses… with green speeds to match. Just take a look at the growth of Popstroke. Since 2019, the company has opened 17 facilities across the country, the latest in West Palm Beach, Fla.
With the backing of Tiger Woods as a partner and co-owner, the company is proving that entertainment-focused putting facilities can succeed while delivering challenging courses that require shots that more closely replicate the putts golfers encounter on full-scale courses. With that in mind, we sought out other examples of miniature golf facilities that emphasize realism over fantasy. Here, we spotlight five of the best.
Whitewater Putting Course at Horseshoe Bay Resort—Horseshoe Bay, Texas
In 1985, Horseshoe Bay Resort in southcentral Texas made headlines for being the only golf resort with three championship courses designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. About a decade later, the resort reaffirmed its frontrunner status with the grand opening of the Whitewater Putting Course, a sprawling layout that covers five acres and presents a challenging mix of holes, all planted with real grass.
More recently, the Whitewater Putting Course benefited from a comprehensive renovation, one that saw bunker sand replaced with crushed marble and holes reseeded with smooth-rolling Zoysia. “Serious golfers will love that the playing conditions are the same as our championship golf courses’ greens,” says Anthony Holder, the resort’s director of golf operations. Night putting is also more fun thanks to new LED uplighting that features a full spectrum of colors and can be programmed to reflect specific themes.
Even though this putting course is an amenity that, first and foremost, is aimed at entertainment, it’s also intended to offer a notable challenge for experienced golfers. Hole lengths vary from 60 feet to more than 130, and the bunkers—not to mention occasional water hazards and doglegs—demand careful course management and prudent strategies. The course’s new fleet of Callaway putters also ensures avid golfers can experience the course with proper equipment in hand.
Putting Island at Bucks Run Golf Club—Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Before you question the legitimacy of the Putting Island course at Bucks Run Golf Club, you should know that the course has been digitally mapped and included in software bundles for GS Pro golf simulators. In other words, the course is so memorable that golfers now have the opportunity to play it virtually. That’s quite a testament, especially knowing that putting is typically the least enjoyable aspect of simulator play for most golfers.
If you’re intent on experiencing the course in the flesh, here’s what you should know. Literally set on an island, the course is positioned between Bucks Run’s clubhouse and the third green of the club’s 6,900-yard par-72 course. And speaking of that full-length course, the Putting Island—one of only three natural grass miniature golf courses in the state—is cut and rolled to the same standards, which means players can expect a stout challenge. After all, the holes can stretch well beyond 100 feet in length, making two-putts a notable achievement.
Chili Dippers Golf Club—Broken Bow, Okla.
For anyone who’s been traumatized by a bad case of the shanks, visiting a facility called Chili Dippers is a surefire way to have a swing coach’s mobile number on speed dial. Fortunately, at this southeastern Oklahoma miniature golf course, hosel rockets are hard to come by. Three- or four-putts, on the other hand, are common.
The club describes its offering as “serious golf on a small scale,” and a quick glance at the expansive, synthetic putting course offers immediate confirmation of that. Fairways trundle over notably pitched hills, with plenty of side slopes, centerline sand traps, and sprawling Augusta National-like fairway bunkers along the edges. For its part, the club does its best to prepare the uninitiated, with signage informing first-timers that “there are no bumpers or obstacles; only green fairways, lush rough, and beautiful, but intimidating sand traps, which are all made of artificial turf.”
After finishing their rounds, some have described this collection of 18 holes as a “black diamond of mini golf courses,” while others have pointed out the obvious: “Casual players won’t be so lucky with normal bumper bounces.” If ever there was an avid golfer’s miniature golf course, Chili Dippers would be it.
Little Eagle 18 at Skamania Lodge—Stevenson, Wash.
A few years ago, Skamania Lodge in southern Washington took a bulldozer to its driving range, converting the former practice area into a more dynamic golf entertainment space complete with a 9-hole synthetic-turf short course and an artificial-turf putting course, the Little Eagle, which meanders across two and a half acres. The renovation may have thrown a curveball to golfers looking for a place to loosen up with every club in their bag, but it did give them a dynamic venue where they can sharpen their skills with the flat stick.
According to Brian Costello, a partner with the JMP Golf Design (the firm responsible for the course’s design and construction), the Little Eagle “features real-course strategy with creative and fun contouring such as elevated plateaus, ridges, collection hollows, deflection mounds, and bumpers amongst rock outcrop obstacles and rough.” He’s quick to add that each hole on the course also exists in its own little vacuum, with evergreens towering above each side of the property. It’s a quality that further injects this miniature golf course with real golf feel.
Valley Golf Center Putting Course—Avondale, Ariz.
Whether they live in the greater Phoenix area or they’re simply visiting, discerning golfers who are dedicated to the sometimes-arduous task of progress are likely to end up at Valley Golf Center. After all, the double-decker driving range features real grass and synthetic turf hitting bays, not to mention Trackman Range technology.
Either before or after those full-swing practice sessions, it’s likely that at least a handful of those golfers will venture over Valley Golf Center’s 12,000-square-foot putting course designed and built by PuttTek. At the entrance to the 9-hole course, players will encounter not only a replica Rolex pedestal clock, but a sign that says “Welcome to the back 9 of Augusta at Valley Golf Center. Inspired by the most famous back 9 in golf.” That’s right, golfers can putt their way around Amen Corner, even passing a replica of the Masters leaderboard.
While not as realistic as the other courses on this list (the water hazards are just blue-painted turf that golfers can and—in some cases—have to putt over), the course is worthy of a callout for the unique experience of playing recognizable golf holes. Where else can you maneuver your way around and over Rae’s Creek with only a putter in hand?
There is a cool one in Indio, California at the Del Webb development.
The first one of this type of miniature golf course I ever saw was in Leavenworth, WA several years ago. I had never seen or heard of such a course, 18 holes planted with grass, but it wasn’t a par 3, it was a miniature golf course. To demonstrate the potential appeal of such a course, I was there with my son. He’s 50 years old and has never liked golf and never played it, but he couldn’t get enough of that course! And, for the first time ever, he and I had some serious competition on a golf course. I hope I eventually get to play some of the ones in this article.