The Loon’s Nest Return
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Island Lake Golf Course & Training Center
1000 Red Fox Rd.
Shoreview, MN 55126
(651) 371-7956
Price: $13 Other
Activities: Driving range, golf
course
Par: 54
Difficulty: 7
Creativity: 6
Atmosphere: 7
We had the chance to visit here
for the 1st Looniest Open in 2023 hosted by a Couple of Putts. The course is
a great representation of a traditional adventure style course
and it will put some of your minigolf skills to the test. The holes are long and
require some thought as to tee shot placement.
The long brick edging means you won’t worry about many cracks but the angles sometimes betray your initial thought
on how to play the hole. Many are aceable but the bigger concern is making sure you leave
yourself good leaves if you miss the ace, as the aces are not consistent or
frequent. Once you get past about a foot
or two from the cup, many of these holes have tricky breaks to them. Some are readable from the green while others
are tough even for the most experienced putters. When the course is fast it adds to the difficulty but we played on more damp
greens and overcast days so it seemed to help keep the ball from going too far
past the cup if you missed. There’s a wide variety in hole design but you will
see some similar type tee shots as you go through the
course.
The carpet is in good condition as
it is not too old but there are a couple of areas where it looks like the seams
weren’t handled in the best way. It
didn’t come into play too much except for hole 13 with the more volcano style
placement of the cup. There’s plenty of space on the course and between holes
but there is very little shade so it could be tough on a hot summer day. It may
not be the most interesting course for kids and families to play but it is definitely appealing to a golfer type or someone who likes
to have some competitive minigolf.
Compared to some of the other
courses in the area it might not have the curb appeal
but its worth a play if you are a minigolf enthusiast.
Reviewed by Pat and Putt
Reviewed in 2023
Course Pictures (click to enlarge)
See our complete
album of pictures from this course on Flickr.
Map