Should you want to partake in this test par excellence (geddit?) of putting accuracy, Dunedin offers two minigolf options. There’s a slightly fatigued, mini-minigolf course (featuring just 12 holes) located indoors at Laserforce (on the Anzac Avenue/Frederick Street corner). Sure, the astroturf might have seen better days, and the course might be a bit squished together in a minigolf-in-a-small-indoor-warehouse sort of way, but it can still be a fun time – especially if you combine your visit with some Laserforce action too.
And then there is the Get-Out-of-the-Ghetto-endorsed superlative option: Wal’s Plant Land minigolf course. Situated in the unlikely location of Mosgiel, it would be easy to complete an entire degree at Otago and miss out on this hidden minigolf gem.
As the name suggests, Wal’s Plant Land sells plants. It also sells fruit and vegetables (it’s Mosgiel’s answer to Veggie Boys), has the aforementioned above-par outdoor minigolf course, a mini train that loops around the complex, and a surprisingly excellent café. In short, there is something at Wal’s for everyone.
The minigolf course itself is no walk in the park (although, with its charming park-like settings, you could be forgiven for thinking so). Each of the 18 holes references a local, if lesser-known, Dunedin landmark, such as Scroggs Hill, the Wingatui racetrack and Outram Glen. Many holes have challenging contours and niggly tricks to test even the most avid minigolf aficionado. You will bless the person who decided on a nine-shot maximum score for each hole, believe me. There’s a water feature or two, a fair amount of tussock, and even a bathtub. It ain’t quite as fancy as, say, Caddyshack Queenstown with its fully-articulated model gondola, but it’s rather picturesque. And at $6 a round, this is bargain fun, and much more affordable than real golf.
On a beautiful crisp Dunedin day, there is no better place to pass a few hours than at Wal’s, playing minigolf with friends on the sunny Taieri plains. It’s open every day from 9am until 5pm. Enjoy.
Get there: by car.
Do: rug up, and go when the weather is nice – the course is outdoors.
Don’t: get too competitive – it’s just minigolf.
Eat: at the café, which has excellent cabinet offerings.