Vitense
Golfland
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5501 Schroeder Rd
Madison, WI 53711
(608) 271-1411
Cost: $9
Par: ?
Difficulty: 8
Creativity: 10
Atmosphere: 10
I am an avid miniature golf fan and I sincerely appreciate the best of the best courses in the country. There was a lot of hype surrounding the Vitense Golfland, and the course certainly did not disappoint. The Vitense consisted of three miniature golf courses: two outdoor (a Wisconsin themed course and a Californian themed course) as well as an indoor Madison themed course. I played all three and the Californian course was by far my favorite. The Californian course had a lot of bells and whistles, and lots of water; but overall had a more fun, and upbeat atmosphere. The Wisconsin course was just overall difficult, and wasn't as fun as the Californian. Of course, it had all of the playground essentials, but only one hole really stood out which was the Miller Park hole (hole #13) which was all baseball themed, accompanied with Bernie (the mascot of the Brewers)'s golden slide. The Lambeau Field hole (hole #10) was pretty disappointing and kinda lame (just an oval with two lame goal posts as obstructions). The Madison indoor course was alright. Sure, it had the playground essentials, but the hills on the course were atrocious and extremely unforgiving. Also, two of the holes (holes #7 and #8) were glow-in-the- dark holes and were very hard to see (to even see your putter) and thus my game was significantly affected. I played very poorly on the Madison course, so I may be biased in my overly negative comments. So overall, I had most fun on the Californian course, but if you're looking for a sincere challenge, the Wisconsin or Madison course is up your alley. The Vitense brought out my inner child faster than a doctor who would pump out a stomach of a child who ate a dollar in pennies on a dare. Not only was the miniature golf here devilishly complicated (the holes were lengthy, multi-obstacle adventures through a complex plastic zoo of brightly colored animals and foliage), but the course was wildly interactive. On many of the two-story-high holes, you didn't have to walk down the stairs - you could use a slide! That's one of the coolest things you can do with your butt! As a venue, the Vitense Golfland truly was the unholy hybrid of an elementary school playground and a miniature golf course. There were tunnels to crawl through, climbing walls to scale and all sorts of other playground essentials crammed into this 3-course venue. Plus, the river that flowed through the center of the venue was one of the riskiest water hazards I've ever seen (especially on the Californian course). And yes, the course was a little scuffed. And yes, there was some water damage. And yes, at times the course layout felt more cramped and crowded than the classrooms of an underfunded public school. Other complaints were that the type of putting surfaces changed frequently on the courses (old/new, darker/lighter, etc) and the holes had to be played slightly different. Also, good miniature golf courses should have a practice putting green (for miniature golf, there was an actual grass practice putting for the real golf at the Vitense Golfland) for the player can get acclimated with the speeds of the greens. But it was one of the most unique, interactive, and joyfully giddy courses I've ever visited. If miniature golf is supposed to make you feel like a child, the Vitense Golfland went one step further and just, literally, turned you into a child. It was great. The best course in Wisconsin. Easily the best miniature golf course I've been to.
Reviewed by: Andrew
Reviewed in: 2019
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