When you think of mini golf what comes to mind? A childhood memory maybe of Dad pulling over on a long car ride to take the family to play? Your ball rolling over the edge on a course only to land in the water causing everyone to try to fish it out with their clubs? Yes on both of these for me, but also the plants, waterfalls, bridges and caves. The Pirate’s Cove Adventure Golf in Old Orchard Beach had all of these things. It was exactly what a mini golf course should be.
The landscaping was stunning at this course. The older I get, the more and more I appreciate the greenery and the flowers. And once I started gardening on my own, I realized just how much time and effort goes into gardening. It must take a crew of landscapers to keep all the greenery here looking so beautiful.
We stumbled upon this park while wandering around downtown Old Orchard and seeing the pirate face on a sign sticking up above the buildings. We all wanted to play and opted to do so as soon as it opened so it would hopefully be not so busy. (Find details here on the rates and hours).
Before paying you are asked if you want to play the easier course or the more advanced. One is known as the Captain’s Course and the other was Blackbeard’s Challenge. We were unsure of the real difference but knew we were no mini golf pros so opted for the easier course. But to think that in this small area there were actually two separate 18 hole golf courses was pretty amazing. The two courses weaved around each other, but never were we confused at which way to go.
One of the more challenging holes was near us at the end while we were waiting so a few of us decided to try that hole out (shown below). Given the incline, most of us had to chase our balls much further than the green and into the water. Perhaps we should stick to the easy course!
Of course with a name like Pirate’s Cove, this golf course was pirate themed. Near each hole was historical trivia to read about pirates, such as Captain Kidd and Calico Jack, as well as statues and paintings throughout. It was a good way to pass the time in waiting for our turn to putt given how busy it actually was. We all had a good time reading these signs and discussing what we read. We did think it’d be cool to have a hole that you putt into a pirate’s mouth, but maybe another golf course.
All in all – the course was great. A couple hole in ones for our family. The scenery was great. It was a fun time had by all. Take your family here – you won’t regret it.
