Peter Pan Mini-Golf
Categories: Amusement Parks, Golf [Edit]
Neighborhood: 78704 (South Austin)1207 Barton Springs Rd
Austin, TX 78704 (512) 472-1033
- Good for Kids: Yes
29 Reviews for Peter Pan Mini-Golf
So much fun fun FUN! but not too much fun to go to if it's the high 90s with 98% humidity at midnight and you're trying to get your drink on while playing some mini-golf. I liked to pass out!
I like how as you near the end of the course the benches increase. That's good planning and a sign that Peter Pan has been in Austin since the dawn of time.
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When my Man-friend says "date night?" I almost always think "Peter Pan!"
It's cheap*, right around the corner, & byob. Few things are better than showing off your competitive side with a beer in hand.
The cement creatures are old and beat to hell (totally charming), you will find everything from Peter himself, to the giant white Rabbit who has a hole in his ass - looks to have been created by someone's putter.
What you won't find? TinkerBell. Wheelchair ramps. Food.
Not being a breeder, I like this place because we can go here for a date and not have kids swarming around us for 18 holes. If you go at the right time you will be able to drink, putt, & curse without having to censor yourself.
*18 holes $5 & 36 holes $7
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Any golf course where the caddies carry more beer than clubs is tops in my book. Granted, at Peter Pan you are your own caddy, but still, I find golf more fun when carting around intoxicating liquid refreshment as opposed to woods and irons.
Peter Pan has two 18-hole courses, simply called "east" and "west". Both courses are populated with semi-disturbing cement characters in various poses. Some of these characters even come with backstories, as my group discovered when we played the whale hole on the east course. A friend shot her ball into the whale's mouth, where it disappeared. We went around to the green behind the whale, but there was no sign of her ball. Right then, a member of another party who was an apparent Peter Pan veteran informed us that the ball was lodged in whale's posterior, and that she would have to stuff the handle of her club up the whale's backside to dislodge it. So she sprawled on the green and violated the whale with her club until the ball popped loose. This is why a camera is as essential as beer when going to Peter Pan.
Tips for a good night at Peter Pan:
1. Bring beer.
2. Don't use dark-colored balls if you can avoid it.
3. Don't bring kids after 8pm on a Saturday night unless you want to expose them to booze-addled adults using colorful language.
4. Bring your own food, if so inclined.
We played both courses for only $5 a person. They didn't even charge us for the ball we lost. It was a great deal for a couple of rounds of mini golf with a marine proctology lesson thrown in.
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Some the best mini-golf that I ever did has happened at this place. Great set up and prices a good as well. I think the best thing about this place is the the BYOB after 9.
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I've always had a crush on Peter Pan. Ever since I was a wee one, I loved going to Peter Pan Mini-Golf. I always looked over at him as we would drive by. I always secretly wanted my name on the marquee.
With incredibly warm weather on a Sunday in February, several of us headed over to Peter Pan to hit a few balls around. The bad puns flew, the laughter was thick, the competition was fierce.
It's simple enough for kids, or kids at heart (or kids in their thinking). It's fun enough for adults--you can cart around your own beer. Um, hello?! What could be better than drinking with a huge rabbit, a big skull, a dinosaur, a pirate and Peter Pan by your side?
Like the others have said--part of the charm is that absolutely nothing has changed in the past several years, except maybe a few dabs of spackle here and there.
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BYOB!
I dig it. Love this place.
It's mini golf. Not much more to say. I mean, its mini-golf, you know? Just do what Sara G. said and go for the 36 holes.
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I've had a long relationship with Peter Pan Mini-Golf. I remember this place from a vacation to Austin as a small child. Who knew, two decades later I'd be living here and still playing the mini golf. I've had dates here, brought groups of out-of-town-friends here, wasted time here on gorgeous afternoons with nothing to do and nowhere to go. It's old, poorly maintained, and a little creepy. And I always wonder if the ever-changing birthday wish on the sign out front has made-up names--some of them are odd. But it is Austin. And Peter Pan is an Austin icon.
Writing about it makes me want to go play now!
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My grandpa took me here when I was a kid and it's every bit as fun now as it was then! The main difference for me is that now I can drink beer while I putt putt, doesn't beer just make everything better?
Oh and it's cheap too. Why don't we have more mini golf in Austin? One just isn't enough.
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My boy had his 9th birthday party here recently and we had the best time! There were kids and adults of all ages.
The guy that was working the desk gave us bug spray to use (while my dad went to the closest CVS to buy plenty), stored our cake behind the counter, doted on the kiddos, was polite, helpful and oh so sweet.
The whole party was just a load of fun and everyone had a great time.
I think the adults had just as much fun as the kids with us posing with all sorts of animals and such for funny pics.
What matters most, though - is my son said he had an awesome time and liked it just as much as his Main Event party last year.
Kudos to that!
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No frat party tonight, and your fake ID keeps getting rejected? Then have I got the activity for you! There's nothing like shotgunning beers in front of a 8-foot-tall concrete rabbit while your brah tries to sink his putt. Just think of it as good practice for future weekends at the country club green.
The best part, other than the Nazi Pirate (see photo)? The story I overheard some drunken college dude telling his friend about the time he was on a real golf course with his friend and, "It was awesome--a crawdad crawled out of the water and he just slammed it with his club. It totally exploded and half of it went flying!" Pretty sweet, eh?
I think that this is probably the worst mini-golf course I've ever been to, including the super-crappy one in Beaverton, OR, and the one I built in my family's backyard when I was like, 10.*
*Which later led to my brother accidentally hitting one of my sisters square in the eye with a golf ball. She only had to wear an eyepatch for about a week, don't worry.
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this place gets 5 stars for having a huge-ass creepy peter pan on the front staring down at you like it was gon' eat ya.
True true, this place is falling apart and looks soooo freaking old. It's cheap though. that's all i can really say. it's cheap and it opens late! fun place to go to if you are bored etc and need a place to hang or cry.
jeebus that peter pan freaks me out.
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Peter Pan is the best miniature golf course you will ever visit. One of the reasons it's such a great place is because it hasn't been updated since the day it was built. The ceramic animals arms are falling off, the paint is faded, and the greens could use some help. But if they were to repair or update the park it would lose all of its charm. If you live in Austin then you must visit Peter Pan, its as "Austin" as the Congress Bridge Bats.....
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We stopped out here tonite after dinner so we could enjoy the sunshine just a little bit longer. We decided to play 18 holes, which was a mistake, we should have gone for 36. It's only $2 more but it makes the fun last twice as long. Although it didnt take long to get through the course, we had a good time while we were out there. I'll definitely go back, next time for 36 holes and with a few beers in hand.
The only reason I'm not giving it more stars is because the guy behind the counter was on HIS phone the whole time we were at the window, and because the course was traveled so quickly. For $5 i was hoping to get a whole hour of fun, ah well.
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BYOB, need I say more? Or that is at least what my friends told me when we went over there to play some mini-golf.
We had a pretty good time, the course is not all that well kept or anything, but again it doesn't matter when it is byob.
I imagine you could have fun there sober and what not, so check it out.
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Peter Pan Putt Putt! I love that it has survived and gone through almost no changes throughout the years. You can see that giant orange dinosaur for blocks away. If you ever need to take a group of kids or just hang out with some beers and friends, this is the place to go. Although I usually have the worst score, I still have tons of fun. Also, its at the corner of Lamar and Barton Springs, so you can walk to the snow cone place and have cold sweet treat.
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Mini golf.
Golf for losers.
Or people that don't really like golf and just wanna hang. ( that's me.)
God, I have made an ass o' myself here soooo many times. I'm not particularly good at golf. I'm the one putting it aroooound and aroooound until someone gives up , takes the ball and physically puts it in the hole. Nice.
Although, I didn't know you could bring beer here! Thanks for the tip Larry M.
For mini golf on the south side (yes, Barton Springs IS south side to me!) It cant be beat.
Parking sucks, but then again I park illegally at the biking place across the street after they close. But lets just keep that on the DL ,shall we.
I'm groovin for golf!
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I lovvvvvvvvvvvve mini golf. i'm not super good at it, but i love it. if there was a nationwide tour to get to the LPMGA, I would so be there. But I digress...
Even if I didn't like (okay, love) mini golf, I think I would still appreciate (and love) the kitsch factor of peter pan mini golf. How old is this place? It's like old time Americana! A place you would see off some old US highway in the middle of nowhere. But it's right here! In the middle of Austin!! Major points for being the EASIEST mini golf to get to (that I know of). Who doesn't like driving down Barton Springs and seeing the giant plaster dinosaur?? You can't miss it!
I subtract one star because what would make it perfect would be a hole with moving parts -- like getting it thru a windmill without getting hit by the blades or something cool. But since it's possible this was built before electricity existed, that may be modernizing a bit too much.
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Ok what were they smoking when they designed this place, and where can I get some?
SUCH a find, and I have no urge to just tee off with constant disregard since they folks who worked here were so cool.
You can bring beer, is cheap as balls, they were blasting Dixie Chicks (just like Schlitterbahn...hmmmmm) and despite (or in spite of) the abandoned/ deteriorating amusement park feel, easy to get into the zone.
We need to do a yelp thang here. Seriously.
Would love to see our presence planted on that blinking yellow light arrow outside.
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Imagine, if you will, a place where you can goof around, drink beer, and play mini golf. Even if you haven't ever seen it in your life, you are currently imagining Peter Pan Mini-Golf. This place is awesome. They have two 18 hole courses, and you can play both. Go with friends. Go for an excuse to get out of the house, away from the usual bar scene, and have a few while playing an old-school mini golf course. Most people are very sociable and are there for exactly the same reason as you: The 25 foot statues of the T-Rex.
If you go with a big group, and by this I mean more than 5 people, it is probably a good idea to split into two smaller groups. You'll take a little less time getting though the courses, and since the 18th holes don't steal your ball like newer mini golf courses, you can play as long as you want, or until they close. Parking can also be difficult, but that's no excuse not to go.
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Peter Pan Mini Golf rules. This place is so much fun, it should be outlawed. Up above south Lamar, where there are plenty of awesome places to get a drink or have a bite to eat, PeterPan sprawls out like an Oasis amongst the concrete. Most of the players at night tend to be a little older, the music selections are always just right on the bullhorn speakers above, and it's pretty darn cheap.
Parking can be tough if it's crowded, but on most nights it is not too terrible. Highly recommended.
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A group that I am affiliated with had a charity/raise money event at PeterPan last September (2005). Not only were they really easy to work with, but everyone had a blast. The kids loved it!
One BIG drawback: Parking. Parking can be a real pain.
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I love mini-golf and have very high mini-golf standards. You might call me a mini-golf snob.
The course is well-maintained and there are some interesting obstacles. The place has been around for more than fifty years (the attendant told us that they opened in either '42 or '48 and haven't looked back).
It started pouring when we were on the 11th hole and they were nice enough to give us a raincheck. In the literal sense of the word.
The only drawback is that the course isn't super challenging. But it was still fun fun fun.
I went here last night and had a blast. It was just at sunset and the statues are great. I almost gave it 4 stars because my son whipped my butt, but i guess that means I just need to go more often and work on my game. I did get a hole in one on my first shot but it all went downhill after that. Plenty of parking and a great place to be on a muggy Texas night. Oh, and did I mention they were playing Ozzie & Van Halen on the speakers and that you can bring beer.
So, I am not the best mini-golfer in the world. Actually, I am probably the worst and I usually have a horrible time because I am extremely competitive.
At least I felt that way until I went on a field trip at my old job with some kids. We had a blast! I seriously felt like I was in my single digits again and even though my golf club flew and pegged a kid in the leg, it was great.
The kids were entertained for hours, which is really hard to accomplish with 25 5-year-olds. This place is great for young families or even a date.
I didn't make a single shot by the way.
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I'm not very good at miniature golf. Sometimes I score into the double digits on one hole. I usually lose and I hate losing. I don't use the work hate much, but I'll use it with losing. I often don't have fun when I'm losing.
Peter Pan mini-golf takes that edge off a bit, and I still have a good time there even though I know that the 6 year old behind me is going to end up with a better score than I will. The obstacles, such as the giant dinosaur statue, are fun and interesting.
Plus I can always say, "I would have gotten a way from that hole with a lower score if it hadn't have been for that meddling Tyrannosaurus Rex!"
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Mini-golf as it ought to be - weird!
There are plenty of creepy looming characters that force you to picture macabre scenes while attempting to concentrate enough to sink that putt.
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Drinking + putt-putt = fantastic time.
I went here on a Friday night and found out you are allowed to bring in beer. Amazing. After the tenth hole, my game improved immensely. Plus, this establisment has a ms. pac-man arcade game. If you can't find a spot in its limited lot, park across the street in the abandoned parking lot. I've never been towed (knock on wood).
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The place is totally falling apart, and it's a dump, but that's what gives it its charm!
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old fashioned, clean "fun. fun. fun." sums it up quite well!
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