Moose Mountain, Mall of America, Minnesota

The mini-golf at the Mall of America is indoor and is on the 3rd floor, 376 North Garden.
DATE - June 7, 2009
WHO was in our group - 2 adults, 2 children
COST - We got a family/group deal - $25.96, general admission is $8.95 per adult, $6.95 ages 4-12, under 4 is free, $7.95 over 65.
HOURS - open during Mall shopping hours, 10-9 most days
LENGTH - 18 holes, average par is 2, a few 3s
FAMILY Friendly Rating - 5 out of 5 stars, we saw many families with children playing at all levels
HANDICAPPED - Yes, the Mall prides itself on the course being handicapped accessible for wheelchairs.
LANDSCAPING - The course is attempting an old mining and up-north feel. The walls are rock and there is no live landscaping, as in a mine. Not the pretty courses you might find outdoors. There are a few cute aspects like "trees" in the middle of the course, and a mining shaft that takes your ball to one of three tubes, but it didn't appeal to the teen or student.


STAFF - seemed very busy taking money and handing out clubs. We are all tall and had to use the medium size putters. They are also rounded on the bottom so two of us had a lot of trouble and whiffed over the ball. We tried to go back to wait for the correct size club but it was too busy. It was a rainy Sunday afternoon and unfortunately the people behind and ahead of us didn't watch their children. We were overrun with their balls and extra little feet on our course. We also felt pressured to move along.
Most of the course used a very slow turf which was also difficult to get used to. There were three types of turf used on some of the holes, as you can see above. Noise was also a factor because it was in and near the theme park. Not a great place for casual conversation. This course overlooks the current theme park and has excellent birdseye views of the roller coasters of the park. It was very clean.

EXTRAS - Food and beverages of all kinds may be purchased across the short hall at the food court. 20 oz Coke - $3.25. The last hole wins a free game with a hole-in-one, which one of us won.
FUN FACTOR - The overall grade for this course is 3 out of 5. It was cold in landscaping, there was nothing outstanding about the holes, and busy. We believe we can do better for an indoor course.

The Links at Dred Scott, Bloomington Minnesota

LOCATION - Bloomington Ferry Road and Old Shakopee Rd., Bloomington, Minnesota, 952-941-2444
DATE - July 18, 2008
WHO was in the group - 3 adults and one teen
COST - Adults $6.00, Children 12 and under and seniors, $5.00
HOURS - Spring to Fall 3-9 p.m., 10-10 Summers and weekends
FAMILY Friendly Rating - 4 out of 5 stars. We saw many kids there. There was not much else to do in the area, and the only concession was a Pepsi machine. Many colors of golf balls and different sizes of clubs. It was next to baseball fields, and there was a strip mall across the street with an ice cream shop and a pub. The ice cream there is terrific and reasonably priced. It was a perfect combination on an eighty degree day.
HANDICAP - NOT accessible
LANDSCAPING - Mostly astro-turf and cement. There were many steams and ponds to avoid. There was a little bit of shade, but the benches were hot from the sun. The bushes were blooming and the wave petunias were colorful.
CHEESE Factor - There were many water hazards and some good hills. But there wasn’t any creativity in names, or fun obstacles like a windmill. It was nice, but it wasn’t spectacular.
STAFF - One adolescent was available
LENGTH - One 18 hole course. One hour for our group of four to finish. Par is 48.
EXTRAS - None right on the property. However, Burger King, Subway, an ice cream shop, and a gas station are all a block away. There is one porta-potty at the bottom of the hill.
FOOD/REFRESHMENTS - a Pepsi vending machine
Fun Factor: We gave this an overall B-, 3 out of 5 stars. It was well designed, took some skill, wasn’t flat, and lots of the locals played at it often.
Details - Sarah got a crazy hole in one on the second hole, when she shot it off the course, on to the grass, bounced on the sidewalk, rolled back onto the course, and into the hole. It looked like cartoons.

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