Mini golf can be your date night family outing or relaxing way to hit the links
If you’re looking for something to do that’s active and fun for the whole family and gets you out of the house this summer, it’s hard to go wrong with mini golf.
“You don’t have to be a certain age, you don’t have to be in shape, none of that,” said Michael Accomando, owner of Mel’s Funway Park in Litchfield. “Husbands, wives, kids, parents, boyfriends, girlfriends — anyone can go out and play mini golf and enjoy it.”
Mel’s features two 18-hole mini golf courses, an easy one geared toward families and young children, and one that is a bit more competitive.
“You don’t want to put the little ones out on a super challenging course, because you want them to have fun,” Accomando said, “but then you have the high school kids and the date nights and the families [without young children], and they want something that is challenging so they can get bragging rights after they beat someone.”
LaBelle Winery, which is headquartered in Amherst, purchased the property that was formerly Brookstone Event Center in Derry in December. In addition to its event spaces, a restaurant facility and a nine-hole executive golf course, the grounds included a mini golf course.
“It’s a great activity to get the kids away from their screens and to get outside in the fresh air and the sunshine,” said LaBelle Winery owner Amy LaBelle.
The course, called Mini Links, was designed by COST of Wisconsin, the same designers who do work for Disney World. It features 18 multi-level holes with sand traps, rock formations and a waterfall.
“It’s not like a get-the-ball-in-the-clown-mouth kind of mini golf,” LaBelle said. “It’s a beautiful, landscaped, upscale mini golf course.”
The holes vary in difficulty, making the course suitable for players of all ages.
“There are definitely easy holes that are totally geared toward a beginner, and then there are a couple others that are more challenging that even I find difficult,” LaBelle said, “so it’s a good mix. There’s a little bit of something for everybody.”
Over the last two years, Mel’s has been making big improvements to its mini golf courses, like installing new carpeting throughout and redesigning or expanding more than half of the holes.
“For some, we made the green different, or we added some new rock formations and more things in the middle for you to putt around,” Accomando said.
On the trickiest hole at Mel’s, known as “the granite hole,” players must putt the ball into a hole that is drilled into the middle of a slab of granite. It has gotten the park many repeat and regular visitors, Accomando said, who are determined to master the hole.
“The ball moves a heck of a lot differently on granite than it does on the outdoor carpet, so you really have to think about how you want to do it,” he said, adding that, even for him, it usually takes five tries or so to get the ball in the hole. “People love to come back to that one.”
It comes as no surprise that the new Mini Links course has been popular with families, LaBelle said, but a unique feature of the course has made it also very popular with grown-ups:
“You can have a glass of wine on the mini golf course, so you see a lot of adults finding their way over there, too,” she said, adding that Mini Links will start hosting adult mini golf tournaments in August, with prizes including wine prizes.
For Mel’s, Accomando said, being open late (until 10 p.m. on weekdays, 11 p.m. on weekends) has been a big draw for adults as a date night or after-dinner activity.
“We always get a rush right around 9 or 9:30 [p.m.],” he said. “People love it, because you can work all day, go home, have dinner, and still have time to go out and play a round of mini golf and enjoy yourself.”
Another reason mini golf is so universally appealing, Accomando said, is that it can be as infrequent and casual or as structured and competitive as a player wants to make it. Most people do it as a one-time or occasional outing with family or friends; others play for fun on a weekly or monthly basis; but about 20 percent of the players Accomando sees at Mel’s take the game “extremely seriously,” he said.
“It’s amazing how much some people really get into it,” he said. “There are even people who come and ask for a certain color ball because they say it brings them luck.”
Atmosphere is just as important to the mini golf experience as the activity itself, Accomando said. The courses at Mel’s are filled with rock formations, bridges, caves, fountains and a large waterfall, measuring around 20 feet tall and 10 feet wide, that sends water cascading throughout the park.
“It’s everything together — the sights, the sounds, the colors, the water rushing all around you — that makes it a whole experience,” he said. “It’s an escape for people to get away from some of the reality of their work day and what is going on in their lives.”
Check out this list of family fun parks and country clubs for your next round of miniature golf. All outdoor times are weather permitting — be sure to contact each park directly for the most up-to-date information.
Chuckster’s Family Fun Park
9 Bailey Road, Chichester, 798-3555; 53 Hackett Hill Road, Hooksett, 210-1415; chucksters.com
Hours: Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 9 p.m.
Cost: Chichester rates are $9 per round of mini golf and $5 for ages 5 and under. Hooksett rates are $9.50 per round on one of the two courses and $6 for ages 5 and under. You can also play the second course on the same day for an additional $6.50.
What makes it unique: Each Chuckster’s park claims to have the “world’s longest mini-golf hole,” as one of the featured holes, at just over 200 feet long. Both parks are also completely different from each other, with not a single hole duplicated.
Funspot
579 Endicott St. N., Laconia, 366-4377, funspotnh.com
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Cost: $5 per person
What makes it unique: This self-service indoor mini golf course features refurbished ornaments of New Hampshire landmarks.
Legends Golf & Family Recreation
18 Legends Drive, Hooksett, 627-0099, legendsgolfnh.com
Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $8 for adults, $6 for kids ages 12 and under, and $3 for replays
What makes it unique: With natural rock ledges, running streams and a waterfall, Legends is known for having among the more challenging mini golf courses in the area.
Mammoth Green Driving Range & Mini Golf
135 Nashua Road, Londonderry, 432-4653, mammothgreendrivingrange.business.site
Hours: Daily, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost: $7 per person and free for kids ages 3 and under
What makes it unique: Holes are of varying difficulty, with a driving range also directly adjacent to the course if you want to further test your skills.
Mel’s Funway Park
454 Charles Bancroft Hwy., Litchfield, 424-2292, melsfunwaypark.com
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Cost: $10.50 for adults, $8.50 for kids ages 4 to 12 and free for kids ages 3 and under
What makes it unique: Mel’s features two separate 18-hole mini golf courses to choose from, each with features like waterfalls and bridges. The property also has other attractions like go-carts, batting cages, bumper boats, laser tag and an arcade.
Mini Links at LaBelle Winery
14 Route 111, Derry, 672-9898, labellewinery.com
Hours: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 6:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Cost: $8 per person
What makes it unique: Southern New Hampshire’s newest miniature golf course, the Mini Links at LaBelle Winery in Derry opened in May. There are opportunities for birthday parties and other personalized outings at the course, as well as Junior Golf Camp for players ages 8 to 14 that is underway.
Ponemah Green Family Golf Center
55 Ponemah Road, Amherst, 673-9908, playamherst.com
Hours: Daily, 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Cost: $9 for adults and $6 for kids ages 8 and under
What makes it unique: This newly renovated mini golf course has plenty of obstacles, as well as opportunities for birthday parties and other gatherings.
Featured photo: Chucksters. Courtesy photo.
