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Golfland
Rating Details »
Categories: Golf, Amusement Parks, Arcades, Mini Golf [Edit]
855 E. El Camino RealSunnyvale, CA 94087
(408) 245-1322
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Fri. 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
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"HOLY FREAKING COW!!!!! Awesome. Just totally awesome. I went with a couple girlfriends to the trampoline aerobics class tonight. Kid you…" read more »
81 reviews for Golfland
I love this place!
So, my friends and I decided to come by here for an afternoon of fun because we missed out on the last ride for horseback riding in Half Moon Bay. Yes, I know, mini golf and horseback riding aren't really anywhere in the same vicinity of activity, but they are both fun!
And luckily for me, I'll definitely be back... I got my ball in the 19th hole!
I like mini golf. Hence 3 stars.
This place isn't a great place at night... too many uneducated punk teens who drink and smoke trying to act all thug. During the day is more kid friendly, but they really need to remodel the place.
The arcade place smells like sweat. It's quite gross. The are 2 courses, but each course needs to be remodeled. There are cracks in the retaining walls, faded paint, worn out clubs..... You can tell the place was built in the 80s and hasn't been remodeled.
Pros
1. Clean family fun during the day
2. 2 mini golf courses to choose from
Cons
1. Weekend nights has punk kids
2. Arcade is dirty and smelly
3. Outdated facility
This place is fun when you want to get away and just be a kid. I can't say much about the mini golf since I only went to the arcade area. They have a decent amount of old and current arcade games here and they have the latest two versions of Time Crisis, too. In my opinion, this place is not very crowded which is a good thing. The parking is medium sized and you should have no problems finding a spot. I was also looking at their tiny food booth inside the arcade and everything on the menu (mostly fried foods such as onion rings and chicken strips) was extremely cheap.
It's not too shabby however it does not compare at all to the Golfland in Milpitas.
When you were in 7th grade and you were on a date, did you think, "What do grown ups do on dates?"
Well, hanky-pank aside, to many Golfland is still a nostalgic and likely choice for dates...be warned: they haven't improved their score much since their prepubescent aspiring Tiger Woods on the mini-course days.
8.99 for 18 holes after 5, and then like 14.99 or something for the brutally honest straight-edge samaritans who actually pay to play both courses. I went with a friend for fun (ie make some wagers, hustle some fools, and kick some ass) and it proved to be a really fun way to pass the time still.
I imagine kids come in the day, but as far as annoying teens go there really weren't too many out there, and this was a relatively wait-less pair of games. The holes are pretty much in the same condition I remember as a kid, so its not like some Scooby Doo mystery scene where it looks like everything is run down and decrepit...This place could use a face lift as far as updating some of their holes because they haven't revamped the course ever in 500million years. Examples: There are like 4 of those "target" holes with the ramp, 3-4 windmill-like holes with the open/closing doors, and at least 3 of those really steep pyramids with the hole in the top that usually takes 8 strokes to make...
The arcade is changing though--actually updating the games and is worth checking out if you get an fever and the only perscription is more air hockey (I know. Bad example when I'm talking about cutting edge games, but what can I say...I got a fever). All and all I give this place 3 stars because it is still a fun place to go for activities and is relatively rodent (I mean child) free after sundown.
Hats off to you, Golfland. You haven't changed in 20 years, and I wouldn't have you any other way.
Ahh, the memories. I spent plenty of hours and quarters at this establishment. It's mostly the same, when we went we even got half off on some sort of discount day. They changed one of the sides a bit, but the old course on the El Camino side is still the same. I'm glad it has survived all these years. It was an enjoyable place as a kid and is still an enjoyable place to get away as an adult.
This is my favorite Golfland in the area. It's never too crowded and I love the arcade. Instead of having tokens they have cards that you can use cash or credit to fill. Its a great place to take someone on a first date! :]
Omigod. Cute, fun Golfland donated $35,000 towards Prop 8?? And here I was happily planning another trip to finish out the second mini-golf course. I don't know if I can ethically support a business whose profits are funneled into bigotry and inequality.
As for the mini-golf itself... I admit it was great fun. I thought the design of the courses were above-average, and I was impressed by the detail in the little mini-golf buildings. They were really charming, well-built little structures that really added to the ambiance. The courses were clever and just the right combination of difficult and easy, in my opinion. I would've given it more stars, but inherent bigotry is a HUGE turnoff.
That shit is IMPOSSIBLE!!!
ill own you next time hole #14. or #12 i cant remember.
... nonetheless i had a great time haha. Id consider going again if they lowered their prices. I went here a couple years ago and the only thing that's changed is the arcade.
The arcade at SVGL is probably the best in the Bay Area at the moment. They have all the popular fighting, racing, and music/bemani games. My main complaint is that they don't service/replace the controls on the older cabinets and I had to get on their case for them to even look at a problem with the controls on newer games. There are often arcade tournaments for various games at SVGL, and many top players from the Bay Area come here to play regularly.
I came here with my dad a few weeks ago to play a round of mini golf. We played the harder course. For some reason, i can never get my ball through that loop. I had a fun time. After we finnished our round of golf, we went into the arcade and it was packed! even all of the pinball machines were being used! And whenever i go into an acracde, that is the only game that i want to play. i will come here again to play mini golf, but if i want to play in the arcade, i will definately to to the one across the street from oakridge.
Lots of fun I went here with my mom, dad and Darby my daughter. We played the hard course and were I was feeling like Hobo Woods, Tigers broke step brother. I shot a 54, dad shot a 57, mom a 60 and Darby a 98. The place was packed, the sun was out and the course was very forgiving. The group in front of us was having problems so the marshall put them on the clock and they let us play through. Lots of fun for all.
I cannot stress this enough, EAT BEFORE YOU GO TO GOLFLAND! We seem to forget this each time we visit and once the kids switch into starving mode, we're relegated to choosing between the worst microwave pizza you've ever encountered or overpriced chicken strips with a measly portion of fries on the side. I'm certain Golfland is in need of at least a new microwave in their pathetic excuse for a kitchen because even after I waited far too long for my sad little pizza, it was cold when I tried to eat it. There are simply NO good options for eating at this place.
Also, if you plan on taking kids here, please use the opportunity to provide them with a few simple rules about ettiquette. Before you judge me on that comment, I had three kids with me, one 4-year-old and two 7-year-olds. On five different ocassions during our 18-hole play, other kids tried to play into our game completely oblivous to the fact that our party of 5 was already playing the hole and one instance, a child brushed my son's ball out of the way to play his own. This not an activity for children seemingly unaware of the concept of taking turns. Oh and if you have a birthday party here, you have not rented the entire establisment so, don't think you can abandon your game for cake then cut back in to hole you left off on and elbow out the party already there!
The game room was fun. My kids enjoyed themselves for the most part. I still maintain that Golfland is good clean fun, this visit was a lesson in overcoming challenging people. We'll be back again.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/25/2008
My 6-year-old gives this place two thumbs up! She begs us to take her mini golfing. From the… Read more »
The mini-golf here is rather fun. But you'll find that the following review is about 1/5th mini-golf and snack bar, and 4/5th holy geek sanctuary. Let's start with that first fifth of the review -- ahem.
The mini-golf here is rather fun. Both courses are actually quite challenging, despite the fact that, if I recall correctly, they were marked as "easy" and "hard" - shut up, Golfland, they're both hard and whenever my friends and I play there's this gravitational force that keeps my ball away from the hole indefinitely and especially on those 'volcano' holes. Hole-in-ones just don't quite happen...except on the skill holes, like tossing your ball into the Golfland mascot dragons' mouths (I'm actually surprised they haven't stopped pooping out hole-in-ones after all the rapidfire, full-power shooting those cute little kids do). If you want a bit of casual fun, I suggest the Lip Rule: if it touches the outer rim of the hole on the second-or-more-stroke, it's in.
Their snack bar isn't the best. The neat thing about their pricing is that you can take their prices and round them up to the nearest quarter (or two) and that'll be your actual price. Other than that, the food's okay, and their drink selection ain't bad.
Now, onto the arcade. After two years of going there once every three months and two years of going there at least like twice a week, I can't help but give it a five, probably because I'm a music game snob and they've got it all, and unlocked to boot (I think we're the only arcade in the United States that has an unlocked GuitarFreaks&DrumMania V5 setup).
They've also a good selection of fighters. As recently as, I dunno, three months ago, they filled in their void of Arc System Works games with BlazBlue, which sees a good turnout of people pretty much every day. Across from it is Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion; both games are on new and shiny HD Japanese "candy" cabinets (but, of course, being a bit tight on space, it's two players to one cabinet in the classic AMERICAN WAY).
Down the fighter lane are a handful of classics: Capcom vs. SNK 2 (not to be mistaken for SNK vs. Capcom/SVC Chaos!), Street Fighter III: 3rd Strike, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, King of Fighters XI, and Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star), which I presume is there just for kicks.
Across from the fighting games, techno pulses out of the four-player Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 DX setup; Initial D Arcade Stage 4 is also present, but doesn't see as much business compared to MaxTune.
Further down that same racing-and-fighting-game aisle, they've got three pinball tables - about half of the time, I've seen them down for maintenance - and Star Wars Trilogy.
There're also a handful of redemption games for the more casual crowd. There's a healthy amount of both coin action games, skill games, and, uh, the questionable skill games ('sup, Flamin' Finger!...you *butt*).
The last aisle is where you'll find a handful of miscellaneous games - like the always-venerable NFL Blitz/NBA Showtime setup, Area 51, Big Buck Hunter, and the obligatory Ultracade cabinet. This is also where you'll find the wonderful music game setups, and this is where I've come full circle: DDR SuperNOVA 2, beatmaniaIIDX16 EMPRESS, GuitarFreaks&DrumMania V5 Rock to Infinity, and pop'n music 16 PARTY, all there, all very nicely maintained (well, except for DDR, because no one plays DDR!), and all unlocked, and I say this with full and complete compassion for the fact that they actually have it and it suddenly sounds like I'm giving a biased review...so I'll stop while I'm ahead.
But, if anything, this is one of the Last Great American Arcades for a reason. Visit for the golf. Stay for the games, and the community that spawns from them. It's a wonderful experience.
Thanks to Kristine D's review, I took my niece and nephews to McDonald's before going here so food was not an issue.
But there were some other issues I had. I took thtm on what is supposedly the easier of the two courses and I still thought it was prety tough for little kids (2, 5, and 7). This might not have been so bad were it not a holiday weekend and PACKED. People were mostly pretty nice about it but there were a couple of really rude groups there trying to push through (despite the fact that there were people waiting at every hole) and playing while we were still on the green.
Overall, the place is kept up pretty well and the staff was friendly - especially in the arcade where my nephews took a long time deciding what they wanted to purchase with their game tickets. It was clean - even in the bathrooms - which I really appreciate.
I think that this might be a good place to go with older kids and not on a holiday weekend.
back in the day when i was young i'm not a kid anymore but somedays i sit and wish i was a kid again back in the day when i was young i'm not a kid anymore but somedays i sit and wish i was a kid again back in the day when i was young i'm not a kid anymore but somedays i sit and wish i was a kid again...
man i spent way too much time here my junior year of high school... and i didn't even spend like 1/3 as much time as some of my friends all because of the the sweet ambrosia that was Initial D versions 1, 2, and 3. Summer nights making the trek down to play one game every half hour for a buck, maybe some ddr watching thrown in there.
in reality there's nothing really good about golfland but it does what it's supposed to do well enough, provide a place for arcade rats to have a scene and play their games.
back in the day when i was young i'm not a kid anymore but somedays i sit and wish i was a kid again...
I used to go play mini golf here frequently with my aunt and uncle when I was under 10 years old. Therefore my review will be written from that perspective:
I love mini golf. They have a little putter that's just like my aunt and uncle's, only smaller!!! I have a brightly colored ball and I'm pretty good at hitting it through all the holes- even the windmill! Sometimes I lose my ball in the water or over the fence, but that's okay because I can always find someone else's lost ball in the bushes and finish my game with that one. One day when I'm older I'll be able to finish both 18 hole golf courses one after the other. Right now I feel okay after getting through the first one until I get to that last hole. I hate that square pyramid! My uncle gets his in on the first try and I'm always stuck there knocking the ball around and by the time it does go in, I'm so frustrated, all I want to do is go home!
My 10 year old self would have given Golfland 5 stars if they weren't Prop 8 supporters.....
Your average mini golf place. My son loves it so I take him there every so often and we have a nice time there (he enjoys it more than me). The course is not too challenging for an 8 year old. It can get crowded there so you have to wait for the group in front of you to finish their turn so best to go on a slow afternoon. I've had to deal with some rude people there or obnoxious kids who are there without parents and will try to cut in front of you so it can be a bit annoying. I would not set foot into that arcade if you paid me - loud, chaotic, kids running around.
There are surprisingly few minigolf places in the Bay Area, so I guess there are some kudos to be had by that fact. Have passed by this place for years and finally went tonight. If you're going to go, don't go during the day as the place is teeming with kids. Go later at night when most of the really young kids have to go home.
We played a round here and it was a struggle. The ball dispenser via barcode didn't work but fortunately I found two balls. The course was filled with people. We were behind this family of 9 were it seemed like the entire range of people unable to play golf were trying to do so, from hyperfrenetic children who thought this was soccer to the old grandmother who struggled hitting it more than 11 feet.
Behind us was a negligent family whose kids were crazy. They were literally insane. They couldn't have been more than 6 and 9 respectively and they were cutting in line, starting a hole before you finished, and shooting their ball all over the place. They really need someone scouting around for unruly people.
After the first 6 holes, we grew cold and tired of waiting. With some deft maneuvering, we played hopskotch between holes 8 thru 16 and were able to eventually pass about 3 other groups that were before us. Just in time too as it was getting dark and we had dinner plans.
Again, this would probably have been better later at night without the crowds.
J and I had a sat. afternoon free and after bugging him all morning to take me somewhere, he surprised me to mini golf.... I hadnt played miniature golf since pre-teen yrs so i was a little skeptical but also very curious ..... there are two courses and when purchasing your tickets, you have to decide whether to play just one or both....umm, j paid for one but we def played both...lol... dont judge us!!
the course was oh so much fun. i def loved both courses....its a great date place for any age (coming from a skeptic) and I even lost on both courses and still say that. (damn my bf is competitive....jerkface!)lol
quick tip...if you encounter a big group ahead of you just go around them and come back to it afterwards when they've moved on.
Yayyyy to fun....
Some things about mini-golf haven't changed. It's still a date place for high school kids. I, myself, have been on a few of those at similar courses. But I never expected to come back nearly a decade later and still find it as much fun, if not more so.
Golfland has two 18-hole courses. Everything was well-maintained and the holes had interesting themes and set ups. There were also enough variation so things don't feel repetitive or boring. At night, which is the time of day that I prefer to go, all the lights lit up actually makes for a great mini-golfing experience.
Of all the dates that the bf takes me too--and he takes me to quite a few, i think this is by far one of my top 3 favorites. It helped that he gave me great pointers, but even without them, I know I still would have had a ton of fun. I really cannot wait to go back!!
Whatever reputation mini-golf may have in your mind, you need to take a huge swing and hit it into the water.
Golfland is a hole-in-one.
This place has not changed ever since i was in middle school that was like what... almost 10 years ago. You get two different courses to play and the last hole is the hole that counts if you get a free game again or not. If i remember the prices right its about 7 dollars per player.
On the inside its pretty small about the same deep in the back is where you can buy there over priced food. I remember playing beat mania all day in that arcade and DDR... I'd be C walking on that throwing up "Westside" to some Japanese pop music.
Since technology is advancing so is the games Tekken6 anyone LCD monitor the game is right next to the door. People are usually waiting to play that game but these damn Asian are always taking it up.
other than that I'll come back to relive my child hood memories.
Review for the arcade
I usually go to Golfland for the arcade, and every time I come here, they have the same machines most of the time. They added more machines for Maximum Tune since Initial D is becoming less popular. The fighting games have increased, which is cool since it is VERY packed on weekend nights. The only problem with this place is that it is small compared to other Golflands. Overall, the atmosphere in the arcade is great.
This is a great place to go for some classic mini golf! We had a blast and many of the obstacles are pretty difficult and unique. The place is clean, well kept, and felt good.
Just to set this up, this is a review of their arcade, not their mini golf, which may be better than 2 stars. However, my friend dragged me down here to play djmax technika at the arcade and i was pretty disappointed so i felt compelled to write a review.
First of all, unlike milpitas golfland which has unlimited games all day on thursday for 10 dollars, this place's deal is from 9am - 12am...which is pretty worthless.
The game selection here is not very good. the only ddr they have is supernova 2 (also no ITG), and not much else is very interesting (except maybe initial D v4 for you people without real automobiles). They do have beatmania, guitar freaks, drummania etc...but the rest is pretty much junk.
By the end of the day i was so bored with the arcade that I had spent most of my $10 trying to win that block stacking game. Go to Milpitas if you want a good arcade, cuz this one is lame.
One word: Aggravating!!
Really people...really? Does it REALLY take you 7 trys to hit the effen ball into the windmill?...really?
Find me down the street at sunken gardens.
As far as mini golf goes, this is a pretty darn good example of the genre.
If you like mini golf, with all of it's oddities, then this is a good place to go. I've brought small children here, as well as dates (when I was younger).
Again, this review is solely based on the arcade. They change the layout on the arcade floor, which makes the place looking fresh.
When entering upon the arcade, on the right they lined up the racing games that are card-based. There's the 2 Initial D 4 cabinets. They recently upgraded their 4 Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 3 machines to DX. (improved maps, 3 new cars at the moment, and a new course-Nagoya speedway ring). On the opposite of those games, there are the fighters.
In the middle, you have the redemption games, whoptie doo! At least they have to appeal to the general customer.
I'm surprised that they upgraded their Tekken 6 cabinet to Tekken 6: Bloodline Rebellion. I wasn't aware that there was such an update!
On the right of the arcade, there are the Bemani games:
-It used to be the testing site for a music simulation game: DJ MAX Technica (not made from Konami). I believe it was there for 2 months now it's no longer there. Pop'n Music PARTY! now stands at it's place.
-They upgraded their beatmania IIDX game to the latest version: EMPRESS (16th style). The game has a pink motif user interface. I believe Konami made this style a pink theme because it wanted to appeal to a broader audience, mostly females. As mentioned before, this game is VERY hard to find in America and this is the only arcade in the Bay Area to play this rare gem.
-SVGL has updated their Guitar Freaks and Drummania cabinetes to V5: Rock to Infinity. Both of them are not next to each other and to the contrary, they can be linked together to start a session. I believe they connect wirelessly.
-Of course, SVGL's sole DDR game, SuperNOVA2 (SN2) is next to Drummania. Beware, if someone is playing DM, it's volume is turned up way too high to the point that it kills the volume of DDR. I guess none of the regulars don't play DDR so it doesn't warrant to have a decent volume level.
Thank god they got rid of that roller coaster simulation ride. It Took too much space and it was an eyesore.
Overall, this Golfland keeps their games in good shape (especially their Maximum Tune 3 games). Unlike the one in Milpitas. This location always have the newest arcade games first before the other Golflands do.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/15/2008
I NEVER come here for the mini golf. The primary reason I come down to Sunnyvale Golfland (SVGL) is… Read more »
ahhh mini golf. Not many places in the bay to mini golf any more. Gosh i really should keep my putter in the trunk for future mini golfing stuff. I hate their stupid putters. I like my metal putter so much more than the stupid rubber ones they have you use. course is pretty good and it's really well kept. Malibu's golf course is very poor and totally not worth it. They even have hops that hope over some water too! Over all it's great fun even for a bunch of adults goofing around. I'm no tiger woods but on a nice course like this one, you can imagine you were when you get a hole in 1!!
Video games are kind of weak here. Got some good stuff like that DJ game and a druming game like Rock band. Other than that, selection is pretty crappy.
I'd give it a 4 star but the video games selection is what took it to only 3. Still worth going for the golf.
(Arcade review only, haven't played golf here)
Great place to go, and SO much better then San Jose Golfland. The selection of games is great and the machines are almost always in great shape. Lots of great imported music games from Japan; Beatmania, Pop'N Music, Guitar Freaks/Drum Mania (think "Rock Band" or "Guitar Hero" but much more difficult!)
I have only gone in the mornings during the week, where the "crowd" was virtually nonexistent. I can imagine this place gets pretty packed on the weekends/nights. The parking lot is tiny, so if you expect to go during a crowded time, get ready to park elsewhere. Just don't park in the nursery next door, there are signs all over the place that say you will get your car towed if you do.
This is to review the having a "Birthday-Party" part of Golfland. We had a really positive experience with it. All the attendants at Golfland were very helpful, but the standout was the girl who was our party helper,Fatima. She explained the Golf/Cake/Arcade agenda. She took our Pizza-drink orders, brought out the Clubs & Balls. The pizza was right on time & was pretty darn good-(we weren't really expecting great food there.) It was clean & the kids really had a fun time. (ten 9 year old boys)I would highly recommend it!
Wow, so many five star ratings? Are you serious?
I've been here a few times over the past few years, so I come with a few perspectives. For one, the place has improved recently, with nicer astroturf and a nifty (albeit hard to use) scanner that will automatically release golf balls for you to use. With that said, I'm still thoroughly unimpressed with the course itself.
As someone who has played minigolf across the country, from California to Colorado, and Missouri to Maine, Golfland is a nice little joint with two courses to suit your needs. There are some creative holes, including a complete 360 loops and a few multi-level holes. But, there's little replay value on the course, where the style of holes remains essentially the same throughout. The windmill where you throw the ball is often broken and while the water traps are cool, having to fish your ball out of the disgusting stream is less than satisfying. There's also your typical arcade games here as well, so I can see how wee ones can love this place.
I've often had a fun time whenever i come here. If you come in a big group; it'll be better to split up because you'll have to wait till forever for your turn and most likely by this point, there's a nice little crowd waiting behind you too.
The arcade is also a fun place especially when your friend is on the DDR.
Can't wait for the "3rd Annual Putting Tournament!"
Last year Putting Tournament (held at Sunnyvale-Golfland) was really fun and exciting, and I really couldn't believe that I won that tournament. There were about "70" of us Putters left on the final tournament, and each of us has to play two rounds (18 holes each round). After my 1st round, I was only able to score 42 which is not really good, coz some Putters they scored less than 40, and one person even scored 33. So after the 1st round (I think I was on the top 30), I was really far behind from grabbing the 6th place at least.
Then the 2nd round comes, when all hope seems to fade away, then suddenly, luck turns into my side. I was able to sunk 7 holes-in-one, hitting the daunting volcano with just one stroke, and then I end up scoring only "31" on this round.
I was speechless for a while after finishing my 2nd round. My 31 score spread quickly to some Putters, and I could hear them from a distance saying, "Are you sure he scored 31?" My friends (also joined the tournament) couldn't believe it and neither do I.
After receiving the award and talking to the other 5 winners, I realized that what really helped me grabbed the 1st place was when I luckily perfected the two daunting volcanoes (one volcano on each round - East & West) by sinking only 1 stroke on each. They said they also have bunch of hole-in-one, but the daunting volcano is what really messed up their scores.
1st Annual Putting Tournament which was held at Milpitas-Golfland two years ago was also fun and exciting. Well on my part, I played really bad on this tournament. I scored about 50 on my 1st round, and then about 50 again on my 2nd round, and on the final standing, I think I was about #40. What's really remarkable about this tournament is that there were bunch of intermediate and professional golfers joined this tourney (about 30-60 years old), and the surprising was, it was a "13 yr. old kid" who grabbed the 1st place. Yes, a 13 yr. old kid whoop us all!
I really like and enjoy putting, and I really look forward to this upcoming 3rd Annual Putting Tournament. Hope to see you all there!!!
p.s. Below link-site is the "news article" about the Golfland's 2nd Tourney:
http://rey2.web.office...
.
I think better for little kids :)
3-1-2-1-3-2-2-3-4-2-3-2-1-3-4-2-1-2
No, that's not a numeric pattern to find out who the Anti Christ is. That's a typical round of miniature golf for yours truly ;0)
This is where I learned to be Tiger Woods before Tiger Woods became Tiger Woods. That's right! They use to call it the J.J. fist pump. You knew it was I, strollin' with my black rubber putter, knocking my blue balls around the course.
We use to treat Golfland like a movie theatre... Pay for one ticket then watch three shows. Their courses are long, challenging, fun and takes time to complete. If you get bored, head on in to the arcade, purchase a cherry slushy and watch the teenagers battle it out on the Dance Machine Revolution! "Smokin" ;0)
Location right off the freeway, plenty of parking, and the best Golfland in the Bay!
I will always have a soft spot for Golfland because this is where I won my Mini-Golf Masters title back in 1992. It's a fun place, a decent arcade and a two solid courses. I prefer the East because it travels more, has one or two holes that are just jerktastic and it's easier to con your friends into a hole-in-one contest and win. The other side has the icons (the Dragons, the Pagoda, the Fort, the Mineshaft) but is kinda lazy and will cost you a stroke or two.
The Arcade is noisy, full of games that are either pretty old or the DDR-variety. The food here is what you'd expect from a Mini-Golf place.
This place is great for birthdays, as I've taken kids from 5 to 19 here and they've all had a blast celebrating, and it's good for High School kids on dates.
Saturday morning before 12pm, pay a flat fee and get to play all the arcade games you want (till 12pm). I finally beat time crisis.
Duh no brainer 5 stars!
A whole in one AND four dollars to boot??
Yeah, now that's what I'm talkin 'bout!
The hubba and I like going here for double dates every once in a while - you know, keep the romance alive and all that ... and also for some good cheap n' clean competition. The two courses are great, and just challenging enough. I love the silly windmills with swinging doors, and the fun holes that go over water. Just make sure that you have your date fish your golf ball out of the water.
So with a coupon in hand it cost $8 for the two of us, but I found $4 on the ground outside the arcade (sucks for the poor kid who lost it) ... so the entire night cost us $4! You can't beat that!
Cheap dates can be great dates.
All high tech geeks and nerds were in college at one time and for those guys who went to high school or started college in 1991 must have played (or slave traded their cousins and grand relatives) in order to play and beat people at Street Fighter 2. Once word got out that Sunnyvale Golfland was the testing grounds for beta versions of the latest Capcom rendition of Street Fighter 2, it sucked away the weekends (even weeknights) and lives of many a pubescent young male (some of which might never even have completed puberty as a result of this discovery), while Capcom USA laughed their asses off with money coming out of their cornholes at the same time. The dot com boom may have been 7 years ago, but the dawn of that was preceeded by many budding "Street Fightas" (aka vidiots with coinage).
Suddenly everyone wanted to be King Shit Champion, and people would hold tournaments (remember those?). The video game company would put out authorized guides and they would consult with these "champions" on what moves they would use. I wonder how many of them got some action in the sack (if they had girlfriends at all, I'd be surprised), or they kept slagging away on their joysticks on their own (or with a fellow Fighta) and stayed single despite the homo-erotic tension buildup on who executed some killer combo and blew someone...away.
OK OK, I admit, I got caught up in all that at some point. But I knew my limits and when to walk away. I had a life outside of this fascination, but sadly a lot of those people did not.
I dropped in today to kill some time. Wow this place brings back some memories. There's a little bit more variety here, but I still see some older games. The layout for the arcade game section has not changed at all. Dark, loud, and filthy looking. -1 star. No cutting edge new games, -1 star. Capcom still has 3 machines here but mostly older stuff. Budding Street Fightas of the past have moved on, hopefully found something called jobs or careers, and or became fathas. I'd hate to see 40+ yr olds in here (unless they're with their kids playing mini golf outside which is a much more rewarding experience).
Actually the most fun game I played today was a Guitar Freaks or Heroes kinda sim game. I suck terribly at this, but it was the most enjoyable one. The entire machine was shipped in from Japan! The songs were entirely in Japanese, I even recognized Mr. Children's Innocent World! Great song to "jam" to. Last time I played this, they had Smoke in the Water, Highway Star (to jam to).
When my time was up, I had enough of memory lane. It was time to move on and fast foward to live, with my life. After spending time inside that darker environment, it was nice smelling fresh air and the seeing sunlight.
I don't know too many miniature golf places around my area, but I enjoy this place to get a little bit of some practice with my golf stance, or hang out with a friend or two for some fun. Back in the days when I was in high school, my friends and I would skip class to hang out at the mall, eat somewhere, watch movies, etc. If we got tired of doing any of those things, we end up here. They have a small course with cute decor and a cool arcade area. I always got so pissed each time my golf ball wouldn't go through the hole. I would get myself into trouble if an employee sees me throwing the club on the ground after giving up a couple of tries. No fair.
The staff are pretty friendly and it's a lot better to come here during the evening when it isn't so crowded. This is a great date spot if you feel like doing something a bit more low-key compared to going to a party of some sort. Prices are fair and they have specials on certain nights. I personally don't like it though that you have to pay $3.50 for another round.
