By Paula Green
"The worst day of mini golf beats the best day of work."
- David Martin
Miniature golf is a fun activity that the whole family can partake in and enjoy. Putt Putt Golf Fun Center was founded in 1954 in Fayetteville, N.C. This particular golf facility has no overriding "theme" and is an introductory mini course. Putt Putt used to be located on McKnight Road in the North Hills and on Northern Pike in Monroeville. All of the Putt Putt Golf Courses in the region have closed their doors; the only one that remains in Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia.
In December 2019, Wildwood Highlands Entertainment Complex in Hampton shuttered its doors and the closure its miniature golf course closed with it. The facility now houses a large sports complex; so that’s one less place to putter around in the North Hills.
Even though these miniature greens ended their drives, there are plenty of other facilities that are up to par. Kniess’ Miniature Golf located on Babcock Boulevard in Ross Township has been a staple in the North Hills community for the past 91 years. Kniess’ opened for business in 1930, which makes it one of the oldest miniature golf courses in the country. The yearly changes and updates keep folks coming back year after year for more.
If you’re into fairy tales, then visit North Park Mini Golf on Ingomar Road. Patrons are greeted with a giant Humpty Dumpty; the course swings its way around with plenty of excitement. Pine Creek Putt Putt on Duncan Avenue in Allison Park double dips, as this facility offers miniature golf and also has an ice cream shop. Another miniature golf place that is out of this world is Mars-Bethel Golf. This place showcases hand-painted animal mascots and challenging obstacles on the course.
Heading south, Carnegie has a popular place to tee-off called Forsythe Miniature Golf. Sunset Mini Golf on Brownsville Road in South Park has 27 holes on their challenging course. Cool Springs in Bethel Park has an awesome blue lagoon at their facility. Some other greens to check out include – Bill’s Golf Land in Belle Vernon, Family Fun Scape in Elizabeth, and in Was
hington County, there’s Interstate Golf and Tower Golf.
You can visit Glen's Frozen Custard's Mini Golf with two locations in Lower Burrell and Springdale when you travel east. In Fox Chapel, there is Willow Miniature Golf; Monroeville has Par 2 Golf, or check out Kerber’s Mini Golf in North Huntington. Greensburg has Willowbrook Golf & Driving Range and Statler’s Fun Center.
When you venture west, you will find RMU (Robert Morris University) Rapids Outdoor Miniature Golf, and Scally’s Golf Center in Moon Township sports lots of incredible safari animals. There’s also Crafton Mini Golf for some relaxing tee-time. Rochester has Frontier Falls Mini Golf with a fabulous Wild West motif.
Well, if you have the drive to try out these links, you’ll see they are up to par! Make sure you mark your calendars for July 11 – it is National Miniature Golf Day.
Sources: https://puttputt.com/, https://madeinpgh.com/pittsburgh-arts-culture/mini-golf-courses-in-pittsburgh/ https://madeinpgh.com/pittsburgh-arts-culture/mini-golf-courses-in-pittsburgh/