Recently, I wrote about a pair of miniature golf aficionados from the Twin Cities who recommended a course in Chicago as their favorite for road trips. My recent drive took us through Chicago, and that course was not far off our usual path, so I figured out a way to fit it in.
The Par-King course in the northern suburbns was just as they had described it.
It starts out with a mid-century-modern facade and some neon signage.
As promised, there's a pink castle at the back of the dual courses. There's also a Super Looper on one of the courses.
The courses have a lot of classic mini golf structures like a mill...
...a windmill...
...and a shoe home.
There are contraptions like this awesome roller coaster, which has an elevator that takes your ball up to the top if you are good enough (or lucky enough) to put your shot into the right spot.
There's a version of the Sears Tower, appropriately.
There are original ideas like this yellow whistle.
One thing I liked about this course was that it wasn't difficult for difficulty's sake: it was just fun. This hole with the biplane was probably the hardest, but even then there was a way around it.
Another thing I appreciated about the course is that it had good shade available most of the time, which is unusual. It was pretty hot out that day, but we were almost comfortable.
As the Twin Cities reviewers said, the place was pristine and the plants were well-kept (though of course I found a couple of weeds).
My only negative comment is that they have maintained a number of hole decorations that exotify The Other or glorify Manifest Destiny — another long-time miniature golf tradition that I don't appreciate.
I'd rather see more creative replacements, like the Sears Tower, instead of tiki heads, totem poles, and the other holes I have not shown here.
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