Some refer to it as goofy, wacky or even crazy. Those adjectives describe miniature golf’s appeal for children who could not care less about a score as well as for competition junkies who scream over a missed shot through the green dinosaur’s legs.
Those in the sport-and it can be called a sport because there are professional tournaments throughout the country-do not fear being called strange. Instead of having several miles of sloping hills and expansive sand traps that take hours to traverse, miniature golf courses are designed to explore the surreal.
Spinning pirates, rotating Ferris wheels and 360-degree loops are par for the course.
But challenge also is necessary for those who want to show off for a date or prove to themselves that a par score is for the kiddies.
Lake County offers an assortment of courses to suit the needs of almost every miniature golf junkie. This ratings guide will provide a glimpse of the miniature golf landscape in the county. Each course has been rated on its crucial elements: surroundings, difficulty, course theme, upkeep and, of course, overall goofiness.
Here is the ratings key:
(STAR) A back yard would do just as well
(STAR)(STAR) Sporadic wackiness
(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Challenging, fun and attractive
(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) Bring on Arnold Palmer
Lambs Farm, Illinois Highway 176 and Interstate Highway 94, Libertyville
(STAR)(STAR)
Within earshot of the crowing roosters and strutting peacocks, the Lambs Farm miniature golf course is a somewhat difficult par 41 that displays a nice fake barn theme throughout. The centerpiece is a framework barn that holds holes 10-12. All of the fake animals are on the course, adding to the difficulty.
Players must wind through the maze of wooden ducks and geese on hole 2. On hole 16, the golfer enters a pasture of two dozen white sheep and one black one. Stroke the ball too hard and you may end up in the field of wooden corn.
A light touch is a must on this thin, fast turf. Any strong shots will land in the corners. There are few holes with double greens, so holes can be played quickly and without much difficulty.
While the barn theme fits into the Lambs Farm motif well, there are no benches on the course for resting or waiting for slower players to finish. Also, a lack of shade trees or misting waterfalls makes for some hot playing time, so bring sunscreen and grab an ice cream at the soda shop after the round.
The golf course is just one of several attractions at Lambs Farm. Golf costs $3.50 for adults and $3 for children.
Phone 708-362-4636.
Golf-A-Rama, 38153 N. Sheridan Rd., Beach Park
(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
As one of only two places that offer two full courses, Golf-A-Rama does “goofy” well: Gloria the cow jumping over a fence, a green dinosaur, a lion, a giant pinball machine and even a bad Snoopy replica.
The thick, lush turf appears new and gives the ball a slower, more even roll.
One of the greatest pluses of this course seems like such a small thing. Each scoring pedestal has a pencil attached, so you don’t have to carry one around and get graphite marks all over your clothes. This seemingly small convenience makes life much easier and allows golfers to stay focused.
Although there is no main theme, the west course hole No. 8 is an Asian garden with water running softly down a waterfall, two Buddhas meditating on your shot and a small bamboo gazebo covering the green. The straight fairway up to the gazebo is an easy putt, but the landscaping is worth the $2 admission ($1.75 weedays until 6 p.m.).
The east course, which is not always open, has a western theme in its middle holes, with a small ranch building along the side wall. There are no difficult double greens, so a score near the par of 46 is not too difficult.
The 18th hole does not offer a free game, but there are several benches for midround resting. The go-carts next door flood the greens with noise , but the pine trees on the course make for nice scenery.
Phone 708-662-8958.
Lighthouse Miniature Golf, 2126 N. Lewis Ave., Waukegan
(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2
For the golfer who wants the relaxed feel of real golf terrain in a condensed version, this most scenic course in the county is the place to tee off.
The waterfalls can be heard faintly from the main building over the video games, but upon entering the course, the cascading water envelops the golfer. From the first hole to the last, a rainbow variety of flowers and shrubs covers the course.
The course has few models, but they are well done. A waterwheel house at the third hole is a fine reproduction. The best shot (an option of two or three interim holes, with only one being the best shot) in the middle of the house takes you to the second green for a fairly easy par.
The other models, which are similar double-green shots, are a 20-foot-high lighthouse and an old-fashioned boardinghouse.
There are no official water hazards, but a sharp shot around the pond will send you back to the main building for a replacement ball.
The final hole, a fish house, offers a free game for a hole in one, but for the most part there are few interactive holes and not much difficulty making the par of 50. A round is $3.50 for adults and $2.50 for children and senior citizens.
Phone 708-623-9009.
Fun Harbour Family Amusement Center, 651 Lakehurst Rd., Waukegan
(STAR)
This center houses a lot of everything, but its course has little in the way of imagination or interest.
Fun Harbour, an entertainment complex, has video games, Skee-ball, go-carts and several other great attractions, but the par-47 course meets the barest requirements for wacky fun or challenging putts.
A harbor theme is present occasionally, with a small bait house and a couple of boats, but most holes consist of downhill putts across greens with several rips and seams. The downhill putt requires little skill, as most balls automatically plummet to the corners of the slanted greens.
An interesting choice of turf color has been used to replicate sand (white turf) and rough (dark green), but the lack of continuity (occasional gray turf) makes the holes appear like patchwork ’70s shag.
There is only one “best shot” hole, an amusing par 4 at hole 7 with a difficult best-shot hole in the middle of three hills that takes the ball in or near the hole on the second green.
The only interactive hole is the 14th, a par 3. The gimmick is not electric but rather a large log hanging directly over the hole that participants must continually swing back and forth until everyone has made the shot.
The 18th offers a free game possibility if your ball can climb the mast of the boat.
But it’s doubtful you will want to repeat this. A round is $3.50 for adults and $2.50 for kids.
Phone 708-578-5400.
Manor Park, Central Avenue and Beverly Place, Highland Park
(STAR)(STAR) 1/2
What appears at first to be a crude, cramped course laid out on blacktop is actually a somewhat intriguing design of angles and geometric shapes. Built with concrete borders, steel barriers and a thin putting surface, this course is designed for heavy traffic from young feet. There are few crazy characters that need maintenance or painting. Instead, the holes allow for a choice between two fairways, one a closer but more difficult shot to the hole, the other a longer but safer putt. Although the par 46 is relatively easy, the angles make for fun choices. A little more wackiness would break up the monotony.
The biggest problem with the course comes from the abundance of trees that drop leaves and other debris on the greens and make for disturbed putts. Also, the lack of benches will make it difficult for tired children or parents to wait while others play. Fees are $3 for adults and $2.50 for children. Phone 708-433-3422.
Kristof’s Entertainment Center and World of Fun, 421 W. Rollins Rd., Round Lake Beach
(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
This is another catch-all entertainment center for children and, with bar and pool table, for adults too. The course’s scenery is created by several fountains erupting blue water (do not drink it) and turning several fairways into bridges over the neon fluid.
Though there are few interactive gadgets, Kristof’s also has used geometry to add to the fun by placing red metal triangles on almost every green or fairway for players to make bumper-pool-style bounces.
A misguided bounce off the barriers can add to score trouble, but steady putts usually will put someone near the par of 44. The prettiest hole is the fairy castle on 7, with a best shot in the middle. Be careful-several of the greens are slanted toward the corners, so a soft putt is best. The most interesting hole, 16, a par 3, has a choice between curved fairways to the right and left with triangle barriers blocking the path, and a tough shot over a hill in the center.
The ambience is somehwat disturbed by the traffic off Rollins and the engines from the nearby go-carts.
The 18th hole, a Skee-ball-type target shoot, rings up a free game for a hole in the middle. Rates are $4 for adults and $3 for children.
Phone 708-546-2512.
Tropical Greens Miniature Golf and Krazy Karts, U.S. Highway 12, Lake Zurich
(STAR)(STAR)(STAR)
It’s golf, Hawaiian style. After a walk on the graveled pathway by the birthday pavilion and past the pond and weeping willows, the islands await-sort of.
At each hole, there is a Hawaiian word or phrase, with phonetic pronunciation and the translation, beginning with “aloha.”
Most of the Hawaiian words are brought to life by the course. The Hawaiian word for water is shown in hole 4, with a waterfall and two water traps on either side of the narrow fairway.
Hole 11, the most interesting, is translated as trouble. To reach the green, players must putt up a steep hill surrounded by red rocks. The top of the hill, slanted to the left, pushes the ball down like molten lava, where chance places it into one of three pathways that lead to the green.
Each hole, while not too difficult, has some interesting landscape or interactive gadget (though bouncing bowling pins seem to have little to do with Hawaii) to play around or through.
The par, a high 51, is quite generous and makes a decent score possible for most.
The 18th, another target shot, does not win a free game for a hole in one. After a round, the bumper Krazy Kars are a fun way to take out some aggression, should one’s opponent somehow win. A round is $4 for adults and $3 for children.
Phone 708-438-8088.
Fon-Tan-Blu Mini Country Club, 300 N. Lake St., Mundelein
(STAR)(STAR) 1/2
This family-run operation is a cozy course with a difficult par of 42.
From the outdoor deck where jugs of sun tea are brewing, the course looks deceptively simple. But difficult hole placement and tricky interactive gadgets make the par 2 holes easy to bogey. Hole 7, a ramp in front of several rotating barrels, is the most difficult because the hole is placed directly in front of the water trap. A penalty shot seems almost mandatory.
Few of the holes have unusual gadgetry, but several fairways are steep inclines, and a firm shot is necessary to reach the green.
The standard target shot is on No. 18, and a hole in one wins a free game. Though there are only a few benches, there are several places to relax afterward on the porch or inside, where yogurt, pizza and other food is served. Rates are $3 for everybody on evenings and weekends, $2.50 before 6 p.m. on weekdays.
Phone 708-566-1717.
Par-King Skill Golf, Milwaukee Avenue at Aptakisic Road, Prairie View
(STAR)(STAR)(STAR) 1/2
Truly the king of goofy for Lake County, Par King has spent the money in the right places: large, fascinating interactive gadgets at almost every hole on both courses.
Each hole’s theme is imaginative. The black course, which runs along the outside, contains the roller coaster. The par 3 hole begins with a ramp heading toward a “golf ball elevator.” If the shot is straight, the elevator will grab the ball, lift it 5 feet and deposit it on a twisting, diving track that wooshes the ball near the hole.
Both courses contain several water traps (though they lack water) and best shots at almost every green and carefully detailed items such as a 10-foot-long guitar, a maniacal jack o’ lantern and even Mt. Rushmore. Most of the gadgets are in prime condition, but the greens could stand a face-lift.
The par 47 is easy enough, unless the 18th hole, a roulette wheel, turns unlucky. The wheel is fun to watch, but no skill is required, and after 17 holes of fun and challenge, it is a shame to decide a score on luck. But luck often is a key to good golf, and if you are lucky, the 18th does have a slot that rings up a free game.
The course costs $5 for a weekend afternoon, but prices vary depending on time and day.
Phone 708-634-0333.
