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| - We've been on the prowl for great outdoor mini-golf and we tried this 27-hole monster after a dinner at Pittsburgh BBQ Co. This course is a 30-minute drive from the city, but if you're looking for "mini-golf" as you might imagine it in your wildest, small-town PA dreams, it's worth a trip. And if you imagine that Caddy Shack's Chevy Chase moved to PA to die, but started a miniature golf course on the grounds of his house in the meantime, you wouldn't be far of the mark in imagining the look and feel of this place. They also have a laid back driving range--if you want to work on your swing in secret--but we're strictly pitch-and-putt.
Here's what we liked most: Classic holes have low-tech special effects like water cannons, rocket smoke, disappearing balls, flowing water hazards. Thematic holes like Batman (plays TV song and has vid clips), Super Mario (plays song), and Pirates (tells skeleton-related jokes). Somewhat crowded with small-town kids and upbeat old ladies early in our visit, the place thinned out at 8 but is open until 10 p.m., so great for after dinner date. We saw deer skirting the edges of the driving range. That was pleasant. Free game for hole-in-one on last hole. And they sell ice cream (it's Blue Bunny, but who cares in this context). $6 for unlimited play. And it's quiet out there, save for the Mario statue.
Here's what we liked least: The holes are packed together, which means if it's busy there's a lot of action around you. Once or twice we convinced teen couples on first dates to play past us and return to our hole when done. Try for an 8 o'clock arrival. Check-in, rental and bathroom are located in an old house adjacent to range. So using restroom feels like sneaking into someone's house to pee. Lastly, we felt that $6 for unlimited play ought to include a bit more maintenance on some of the simpler holes.
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