I love me some mini-golf. It is, shall we say, my “sport.” I love being outside in nice weather, socializing, maybe even casually competing. But I don’t love things like running or using any kind of muscle strength – things that could involve me getting injured or sweaty. So mini-golf is great, but I have been playing the hell out of the one nearby course, Dynamite Falls (see Ali’s review), and getting tired of it. I was psyched to see a new one open up, just a few minutes down Rt. 46*.

Willowbrook Golf Center has been around for a while, but it was recently taken over by new management. Said management was savvy enough to add miniature golf to the boring old driving range and putting course (which look lovely, if you’re into that sort of thing). When I visited on a recent warm Saturday night, the place was crawling with families and couples. At $9 a head for adults, they must’ve been raking it in. Cha-ching!

There are two courses to explore at the golf center, and while neither has any old-school accouterments like windmills or pirate treasure chests, they both offer tricky hills and valleys, faux sand traps, and a putt through a giant cave. There are also the classic mini-golf course waterfalls and streams, dyed a disturbing blue that makes me think someone dumped a whole bunch of pixie stix dust in there.

Since the place was so crowded when I went, my group and I had a fair amount of interaction with the people in front of and behind us as we made our way along the course. We bonded with one family over the retrieval of a waterlogged ball, and by the time we got to the 18th hole, we were all cheering each other along in the game. Everyone got a kick out of the family’s three-year-old, who would “putt” by carefully placing her ball four inches from the hole and knocking it in. Hooray, hole-in-one!

While no one in my group managed an actual hole-in-one, we all proudly boasted scores only a few strokes above par (a generous par-3 per hole). And although I had sucked royally in the first half of the game, I made a stunning come-back on the back nine, and triumphantly won second place.

Willowbrook Golf Center
366 Route 46 Service Road East
Wayne
(973) 256-6922
http://www.willowbrookgolfcenter.com/

*If you want to check the place out, just be sure you take the 46 East service road right after Willowbrook Mall. Otherwise, if you stay on regular 46 East, you will sail right past it, wondering how the hell you get over there.

— by Nicole Little
Nicole, GoOutJersey's associate editor, is a Nutley native and recent Weehawken transplant. She loves dining out and imposing her opinions on others, which makes her a well-qualified reviewer.

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