Putting for Greatness: Top 18 East End Mini Golf Holes

The Hamptons and North Fork are famous for some of the most scenic and challenging golf courses in the world, but some holes have ascended above even this formidable and splendorous reputation. Known for their beauty, fun or difficulty, the 18 mini golf holes listed below might just be the East End’s most legendary. Grab your favorite putter and brightly colored ball, and see if you have what it takes to make par.

With distance and a dogleg right, Hole 2 at Long Island Mini Golf Park at Calverton’s Long Island Sports Park is a tough putt. The ball must travel up and over a small bridge before rolling downhill and then back up to the pin. Perfect speed is crucial in order to make it up to the cup while not going down the hill beyond. Very few nail a hole in one, let alone score a birdie at this make-or-break hole. Par: 3 longislandminigolf.com

The Children’s Museum of the East End (CMEE) offers few opportunities for adults to play without bringing kids, but those who can get there will find some winning holes. Among the toy-and-game-inspired challenges, Hole 3 at CMEE has a pair of metal loop-de-loops straight from your childhood racetrack. Par: NA cmee.org

A newest mini golf operation out east, The Clubhouse in East Hampton has a beautifully manicured course free of wacky statuary, miniature buildings and the like. The Clubhouse Hole 14 asks players to putt over a slim bridge and continue with a slight dogleg left to the cup. Par: 3 ehitclubhouse.com

Set below a perfectly scaled-down version of East Hampton’s Old Hook Mill windmill, Hole 16 at Hamptons Mini Golf in Southampton is an intimidating prospect. Golfers must fire blind into the looping green and hope their ball makes it close enough to the cup for an easy two-putt. Par: 2 hamptonminigolf.com

Hole 9 at The Clubhouse starts with a jump over a stream water feature, which connects a pair of fountains on the left and right. If you don’t make it in one after the jump to the second green, it’s just a short and sweet tap to the pin. Par: 3

Another truly unique addition, Hole 9 at CMEE is definitely the course’s most iconic. Reminiscent of a pinball game, golfers must putt up an incline, shooting the ball past a barrier to the left, in order to send it back down the ramp through multiple bells and other obstacles toward the closely guarded hole. It’s no easy task. Par: NA

Set beneath 100-foot oaks on Shelter Island, Whale’s Tale Mini Golf’s Hole 5 is widely recognized as the course’s game changer. Putt up the volcano-shaped obstacle and try sinking one in its mouth, which serves as the cup. Rants and raves, and many strokes may be in your future. Par: 3 shelterislandwhalestale.com

Mirroring Greenport’s famous Little Red Schoolhouse, Hole 5 of Drossos Motel’s Tick Tock Miniature Golf features a diminutive version of the historic 1818 building on Front Street. To get through the door, however, players must first ascend a very skinny, yellow bridge. Those who fall off can expect to lose a stroke or two taking the long way around. Par: 2 drossosmotel.com/mini.html

Hole 18 at Hamptons Mini Golf stands out for its brilliant re-creation of its larger counterpart at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club—home to five U.S. Opens. Past the painstakingly crafted replica of the Shinnecock Hills sign, the hole takes a dogleg left, but less careful players can easily get caught in a dip to the right. Par: 2

Tick Tock Hole 17 looks like it should be one of the easiest on the course, but it has the highest handicap (at least, according to the owners). Hug the fairway’s left wall to avoid a left-to-right slope on this Y-shaped hole. Par: 2

Hole 8 at Long Island Mini Golf Park has more penalties tallied than any other hole in the course. A “safe or sorry” hole, players can hit up the left side, over the hill, around the curve and down to the cup for an easy par. Or, gamble for the hole-in-one or easy birdie by shooting through a narrow path between two sand traps, with little room for error on either side. Par: 3

A children’s favorite, Hole 14 at Whale’s Tale presents a choice: Try your luck uphill to a hole that drops into a tube and sends the ball directly into the cup, or head right and navigate around. For some extra fun, “spinners” placed throughout the course add new variables, such as switching cards with your opponent, adding or removing strokes and more. Par: 3

Few forget the legendarily tricky Hole 11 at Puff ‘n’ Putt Family Fun Center in Montauk. The “anthill,” as many call it, tests players’ mettle with a putt straight up its side and into the center cup. Few manage to pull it off in one try. Par: 3 puffnputt.com

Like most finales, Hole 18 at Slo Jack’s Drive-In in Hampton Bays is difficult, even for the most seasoned putters. Only a perfectly centered shot up the steep ramp and over a tiny bridge will land a hole-in-one—anything less sends the ball into the abyss below, never to be seen again. Those who do make the shot win a free round. Par: 1

Hole 11 at Tick Tock shows off their take on the classic windmill challenge, synonymous with mini golf the world over. Accurate golfers can putt through the small slot beneath the whimsical structure for a direct line to the cup, but a miss will set you back. Less-confident players can shoot left or right on the cross-shaped hole for a longer route to the pin. Par: 3

A rotating red and yellow water mill highlights Slo Jack’s Hole 12. It’s a straight shot from tee to cup, but the mill is a full block, so players must time putts to pass between the spaces of each board. Par: NA

Yet another final hole, Puff ‘n’ Putt Hole 18 also gives players a chance at winning an extra round. The long and cage-covered uphill ramp sits just below a sign featuring Popeye, which explains the rules. Get a hole in one to win a free round. Miss and lose your ball with a score of 2, so it’s a guaranteed par no matter how badly one plays. Par: 2

Featuring a choice of three paths, Long Island Mini Golf Park Hole 14 is fairly easy to par but difficult to complete in one stroke. All routes lead downhill to the cup, but each must be played differently for optimal score. Proper moderation of power and speed are paramount on each fairway, and a one-putt probably won’t happen without banking off the brick border. Par: 3

Tell us your favorite East End mini golf holes!