Go ahead and leave the drivers and irons at home this summer, because as a family fun alternative to full-length golf, miniature golf is a quintessential summer past time. If you happen to be in Iowa this mini golfing season, whether you find yourself near the Iowa Great Lakes to the west or the Mississippi River to the east, or anywhere in-between, you are not far from a great miniature golf course in Iowa. Featuring fantastic water features, real-life sand traps that might cost you a stroke, and as always, a great time for the whole family, to get those putters swinging and golf balls heading in the right direction, it’s well worth your time to check out these 10 best mini golf courses in Iowa.
For a real adventurous time on your next mini-golf outing, be sure to check out the adventure mini golf offered by the Lost Island Waterpark in Waterloo. Featuring two 18-hole courses all with a tropical theme, visitors to the Lost Island Adventure Golf course can expect to navigate their golf balls through volcano fields, native vegetation and even a few scattered dinosaur bones here and there. For a real fun time, pair the adventure mini golf with any number of waterslide attractions found at the Lost Island, and you’ll be sure to have a great time mini golfing no matter your score.
Pirate’s Pointe Mini Golf provides 18 holes of swashbuckling adventure. Featuring a shipwreck and waterfalls, the 18 holes at Pirate’s Point can challenge every skill level of putter that visits, and caters towards every age with its nautical themed surroundings. Even if you don’t get your hole-in-one at Pirate’s Point, between all there is to see and enjoy at this elaborate mini-golf course, everyone leaves feeling like a winner.
Featuring a driving range, par 3 golf course and batting cages, there is plenty to do for a fun afternoon at the Derby Grange Golf and Recreation Center in Dubuque. No visit is complete however without visiting the well-manicured and intricately designed mini-golf course within the facilities. Featuring 18 holes and green fees as low as $5.50 per round, the landscaping and beautiful surroundings of the Derby Grange mini-golf course make it one of the best in the state. Not just for the young ones in life, the Derby Grange mini-golf course can provide valuable putting practice and experience.
Within the same facilities as the A.H. Blank Golf Course, besides it’s obvious shorter length, the Blank Mini-Golf Course mirrors much of what the larger public golf course has to offer. Real sand traps, water hazards and great landscaping, the mini-golf course can provide a challenge to putters young and old. Unique to the mini-golf course, a 15-foot waterfall defines much of the surroundings on the 18-hole course, and provides a decent place to wash your golf balls after putting out of the bunker.
A fun addition to any Clear Lake experience, the Pla-mor Miniature Golf Course is a straightforward 18 holes of classic mini golf waiting to be explored. Featuring obstacles, full loops and plenty of angles, the Pla-mor miniature golf also has lights, meaning you can play in the cooler evening hours of summer. Open seasonally with no set hours, it’s never a bad idea to call before you decide to check out the family-orientated Pla-mor miniature golf course.
It’s a real Cinderella story out of Algona, where the Caddyshack Miniature Golf Course has sprung to life. Inspired by perhaps the greatest sports movie of all time, the Caddyshack Miniature Golf Course is a family friendly 18 holes where you never know when a groundhog might pop out to say hello. Featuring a classic mini-golf course design, including banked shots, a red brick outline and some fast moving AstroTurf, whether you are part of the Professional Miniature Golf Association, or it’s your first time swinging a putter, you’ll be sure to find something fun to enjoy at the Caddyshack Miniature Golf Course.
Operated by the Vinton Parks and Recreation department, the Vinton Mini Golf Course not only provides 18 holes of creatively constructed mini golf, but alongside each putting green is plentiful examples of native Iowa scenery. Whether you visit the Vinton Mini Golf Course to get the best score, or to enjoy some native Iowa plant species, you’ll be sure to enjoy all 18 holes of the incredibly engineered mini-golf course, plus the natural environment that surrounds it.
Featuring a full-length driving range to go alongside the mini-golf, you can practice all aspects of your game at West Grand Golf. The 18 holes at West Grand mini-golf course are some of the best kept in the state of Iowa, and between the real sand traps and crystal-clear water hazards, you’ll find few better turfs to sink a putt. While hole-in-one’s are a little trickier to get on West Grand Golf’s challenging 18 holes, the fun surroundings are enough to enhance your scorecard, and a few extra strokes here and there just mean you can spend more time exploring the scenic course.
The Field of Green Mini Links of the Toad Valley Golf Course provides the most real-world application of putting techniques than any other miniature golf course in Iowa. That’s because the Field of Green Mini Links follows the contour of the land throughout the course, mimicking the long-distance putts you might find on the adjacent full-length golf course. Featuring real sand traps and evident water hazards, including a gorgeous babbling waterfall and running water, the Field of Green Mini Links is worthy of a postcard, and can be the perfect practice or alternative to a full day of full-length golfing.
For a true championship-level miniature golf course in Iowa, look no further than the Lil Mississippi Mini-Golf Course in Davenport. This par-43 miniature golf destination features plenty of hazards to sink your ball in, including its own mini-Mississippi River that winds through the course, and a 15-foot waterfall that stand prominently over the whole facility. Every child who sinks a hole-in-one at the Lil Miss Mini Golf earns a prize, and for the adults who ace the 18th hole, their next round is one the house. Check it out yourself to find some of the best mini golf in the state of Iowa.