A Summer Series
By Sarah Fertsch and Steffen Klenk
It started with a big dream. What if we played every mini golf course on the boardwalk so families can make informed decisions on where to spend their afternoon/evening? Event coordinator, photographer and journalist Steffen Klenk and I (Sarah Fertsch) set out on a journey we will never forget.
The two of us decided to play two courses every week for the rest of summer. We met on the boardwalk this past Wednesday to play Congo Falls and Goofy Golf, which we realized were two very different courses.
Congo Falls is a South Jersey staple, with over four different courses in Margate and Ocean City. The OC boardwalk location houses three courses: Solomon’s Mine, Lost City, and Congo Queen. The golf attendant informed us that Lost City is a completely indoor course, Solomon’s Mine is the most popular course, and Congo Queen is the most challenging.
Steffen and I chose to play Congo Queen. The course was clean and modern, with holes ranging from easy to expert. There weren’t many obstacles, but the ones we encountered were nautical in theme (pier poles, ship equipment, and wooden planks).
Congo Queen, like all of the courses within Congo Falls, had a portion of the course indoors. The cavern, consisting of about seven holes, was humid and hot. A singing monkey in a cage surrounded by wildcat pelts entertained the players. This element was the only Congo-themed decor on the entire course.
The holes were fairly simple. Each hole was unique but didn’t excite us as we advanced through the course. Congo Falls is priced at $9 per golfer in the evenings, with a chance to win a free game at the end of each round. Overall, we rated Congo Falls Congo Queen seven out of ten.
Our next adventure was Goofy Golf, located between Castaway Cove and the Music Pier. The course, as we entered, was bright and colorful. Families competed to shoot basketball hoops, pitch a fastball and throw touchdowns. The mini golf course was priced at $5 per player, which was the lowest price on the entire boardwalk.
You definitely get what you pay for. There is no doubt that Goofy Golf has aged significantly, and it’s unclear whether engineers were consulted in the construction of each hole. On several occasions, our golf balls would get stuck in various obstacles, needing a little push to continue down the green.
Whomever designed Goofy Golf was certainly creative. Each hole was delightfully different, ranging from putting into a basketball hoop, skeeball game, hockey rink and chicken coop. Almost every hole was guarded by a giant, colorful animal, some being cute (like the pink hippo eating a hoagie) or the massive python, constricting a person desperately reaching out for help.
Because the holes weren’t perfectly level, or functional, families spent longer on each hole than expected. Long lines behind certain holes led to a lull in excitement, with some kids anxiously leaping and playing around the course. Finishing 18 holes took over an hour.
Overall, Goofy Golf earned an eight out of ten in our books for the opposite reasons we positively rated Congo Queen. Goofy Golf offered something creative and different and a little weird at a cheap price. The course was bold and unlike every other course in Ocean City. Although Goofy Golf wasn’t exactly perfect, it wasn’t boring by any means.
Next week, Steffen and I will hit the boards once again to play two courses of the following mini golf spots: Haunted Golf, Seaport Village Golf, Tee Time Golf, the other two courses within Congo Falls, OC Adventure Golf, Medieval Fantasy Golf, and Pirates of the Golden Galleon Golf.
In this series, expect detailed accounts of our fun competition, descriptions of each course, tips for advancing your putting skills, and etiquette rules for playing on the greens. What’s your favorite mini golf course? Email shorelocalnews@gmail.com to voice your opinions on our mini golf quest.
