Saybrook Point Miniature Golf Return to Connecticut Page

RT 154 (by Dock & Dine)

Old Saybrook, CT
(860) 388-2407

Par: 45

Cost: $5 weekend/$4 weekday

2002 Ratings 2008 Update

Difficulty: 4 Difficulty: 3

Creativity: 4 Creativity: 3

Atmosphere: 6 Atmosphere: 6

Don’t let the seemingly low scores fool you; this is really a decent course worth playing if you happen to be on the Connecticut shore. What you will find here is a classic shoreline boardwalk miniature golf. When we say shoreline, we mean shoreline. As in, the only thing that stands between this course and Long Island Sound is about 10 feet of sidewalk, a metal railing and a 15 foot drop to the water. It provides a very nice atmosphere to the course, with the sea breeze helping to cool a hot day and the boats cruising the water making the whole scene quite active. (Note: you probably don’t want to play this course on a damp, dreary day. Chances are you’d catch pneumonia somewhere around the 10^th hole.) What really makes this a classic boardwalk mini-golf is not so much the location, but the type of mini-golf. It is an obstacle course, complete with time-honored classics such as the windmill, lighthouse and covered bridge. The whole course screams “inexpensive, touristy way to pass an hour.” The obstacles all seemed to be in good condition, but the one thing we did notice is that it was fairly easy to putt around all the obstacles, making them somewhat worthless. Most depressing was the fact that you could putt around the loop-de-loop on one hole. The difficulty of the course dropped significantly due to the ease of avoiding the obstacles.

The course itself was well maintained for the harsh conditions it must endure during the year. They pumped in some good tunes to help you pass the time while waiting for the group ahead of you. The grounds were manicured and everything was freshly painted. Unfortunately, this is another course that insists on using thorn bushes as part of its landscaping and it isn’t cool when these bushes are overgrowing onto the walkway. Little kids won’t be very happy when they go to putt a ball and end up with a thorn or two in the leg. Adults probably won’t be that happy either if they caught one in the leg. That’s why it still amazes us every time we see a course that uses thorn bushes. The carpets also needed some overhaul. The seams between pieces stuck out and played a bit of havoc with the path of the ball. In some areas, there was a discernible dip where the two pieces of carpet came together. Although not nearly as bad as some courses we’ve seen, these imperfections do interfere with play a bit. They pale in comparison, though, to one of the biggest design flaws we’ve seen in a mini-golf course. While we’re not big fans of the starting mat (those ones that have three holes to place your ball in) to begin with, the ones at this course were especially bad. There were set behind the beginning of the hole, on the walkway leading up to the hole. Thus you had to putt off the mat and over the metal piece that marked the beginning of the hole before you got to the carpet. With multiple bumps like that, it’s very hard to hit a hole in one because you never know what direction the ball will take when it drops off the mat and hits the metal piece. In addition, this course also had the terrible metal cups in the holes, which are conducive to nothing but shots that bounce off the lip or rim around the lip. Although scoring multiple holes-in-one isn’t essential to having a fun time at the mini-golf, the thrill of sinking one isn’t something you want taken away by bad hole accessories.

Overall, the course has good general atmosphere, but lacks when it comes to the details. Creatively, it was nothing spectacular and there wasn’t anything overly difficult about most the holes. All told, it was an average course and about what you would expect from a boardwalk mini-golf.

(As an interesting side note, according to the scorecard, this course is actually under the management of the Old Saybrook Parks and Rec. Department. This is the first time we’ve seen a municipality run miniature golf.)

2008 Update

Well, it took us 6 years to get back, but we have re-reviewed Saybrook Point Miniature Golf. Not much has changed since we were last there. In fact, we feel pretty much the same about it. The mats are still worn and loose. The bushes are still in the way at times. The rubber mats are still there. Most of the tin cups are still there, and a couple have been replaced with plastic (evidence of some course maintenance).

On a positive note the course, in general, looks good. We’re big fans of locally inspired obstacles. We like the location along the CT River. Considering the price is so reasonable we recommend this course to anyone who’s in the area and looking for a way to spend an hour with the kids or to kill time while you’re waiting for a table at the Dock and Dine Restaurant next door.

Reviewed by Pat, Mandy and Putt

Reviewed in 2002 & 2008

User Review #1

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