*Closed – Last Update 9/2/17*

 

Prehistoric Golf                                                         Return to Connecticut Page

 

680 Portland Cobalt Rd.  (RT 66)
Portland, CT 06480

(860) 342-3517

 

Cost: $5

Par: Unknown, probably about 40                             Other activities: Ice Cream

 

Difficulty: 2

Creativity: 1

Atmosphere: 3

 

On a hill off Route 66 lies a dinosaur themed miniature golf course.  While the brightly painted reptiles are an eye-catcher, bringing to mind the potential greatness of a Jurassic Park-like course, the course ends up being one of the least maintained courses around.  There is trash along the course, the mats are worn, and there are plenty of places for the ball to get stuck between where the carpet ends and the border begins.  There is also little space between holes to wait if there is a crowd.

 

Unfortunately the theme of the course is not used as part of the actual holes.  The layout of the holes were the same as many courses such as having one or two rocks or curves as obstacles.  The par is also unknown as the scorecards are generic and there are no par marks on the course.  Some aspects that could be appealing are the ice cream shop and the giant blow-up dinosaur bounce.  If passing by, this course could be ok if there were nothing else to do on an afternoon.  Certainly don’t go out of your way to play it.

 

As a final note, it took us four times in a span of three years before we could actually play this course.  Our first attempt was foiled because they closed due to “excessive heat” (we weren’t aware heat exhaustion was a risk while playing minigolf)  The second time it was closed because the course didn’t open until after Memorial Day (although the weather is definitely warm enough by mid-April to open, which most New England courses do).  The third time was after a rainstorm earlier in the day and the course was “completely underwater” (although it is on the side of a hill), which just a signal of bad drainage.

 

Reviewed by Pat, Mandy and Putt

Reviewed in 2004

 

Visitor Review #1

Visitor Review #2

Visitor Review #3

Visitor Review #4

Visitor Review #5

 

REVIEW IT

 

Course Pictures (click to enlarge)

 

Description: Putt testing his courage with the T-Rex                Description: Putt trying not to become an appetizer                                                   

Putt testing his courage with the T-Rex                    Putt thinks this is a good idea, especially since he’d make a good appetizer

 

Description: Prehistoric Minigolf                Description: Putt playing with the dinosaurs again                Description: Prehistoric Minigolf

                                                                                Putt playing with the dinosaurs again

 

Map

 


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Visitor Review #5 (2012)

 

Cost: $6

Par: Unknown, probably about 40                             Other activities: Ice Cream

 

Difficulty: 7

Creativity: 5

Atmosphere: 1

 

DON'T GO TO THIS MINIGOLF!!!!!!!!  It is in horrible condition and even unplayable on many holes, due to the curled up turf and threadbare spots.  Not kidding, it is b.a.d.

 

Reviewed by Anonymous

Reviewed in 2012

 

 

Visitor Review #4 (2010)

 

Cost: $5

Par: Unknown, probably about 40                             Other activities: Ice Cream

 

Difficulty: 1

Creativity: 1

Atmosphere: 1

 

I read someone’s rating from 2004 that said there is trash along the course, the mats are worn, and there are plenty of places for the ball to get stuck between where the carpet ends and the border begins.  There is also little space between holes to wait if there is a crowd.  Unfortunately nothing has changed in 6 years. I went with my kids. They thought it was very cheesy, they normally don’t get disappointed when it comes to small mini golf courses.

When I mention to the attendant about how dirty the greens are she said it was due to the storm that passed thru last week. I would have thought that if they knew the course was messy and dirty they would have at least made an effort to clean it up. But after reviewing the comments of someone from 2004, they just don’t keep the course clean.

I find it disappointing that there are places like this that would rip people off when the consumer would not recommend this place after such a bad experience. It just goes to show that customer service is a thing of the past and no one truly cares about the consumer any more, its all about how much can I get you to spend.

 

Reviewed by Anonymous

Reviewed in 2010

 

 

Visitor Review #3 (2009)

 

Cost: $5

Par: Unknown, probably about 40                             Other activities: Ice Cream

 

Difficulty: 1

Creativity: 1

Atmosphere: 1

 

The course is such a mess! The greens don't reach the walls, there are missing walls and the challenges tend to be more "extras" on the course due to disrepair. But, we won a free game on the last hole, so it's all good. We missed out on the ice cream due to a peanut allergy fear - so no idea if it's any good!

 

Reviewed by Anonymous

Reviewed in 2009

 

 

Visitor Review #2 (2009)

 

Cost: $5

Par: Unknown, probably about 40                 Other activities: Ice Cream

 

Difficulty: 6

Creativity: 1

Atmosphere: 1

 

This course is still as bad at it was when reviewed in 2004.  The course is still horribly maintained.  In some cases the green ends
2-3 inches before the boundaries and most of the difficulty is based on the poor maintenance of this course.

 

Reviewed by Anonymous

Reviewed in 2009

 

 

Visitor Review #1 (2006)

 

Cost: $5

Par: Unknown, probably about 40                 Other activities: Ice Cream

 

Difficulty: 5

Creativity: 6

Atmosphere: 1

 

The reason this course got high difficulty is due to the tread bare carpet you'll encounter in many areas. It is such a shame this course is not well maintained. The dinosaur statues were fun for my wife and son to try to name as we went around from hole to hole, but the grade of the course could be challenging for some kids that aren't too stable on their feet. That said, the grade is part of the fun, but is greatly reduced by the shabby upkeep of all aspects of this course (my putter had a

nice bend in the shaft that made even simple putting difficult). They did have a moon bounce outside that the kids could use (for an additional fee...) which made it more tolerable. Overall, not a great place to play.

 

Reviewed by Clay, Crystal and Colby

Reviewed in 2006