Guided Tour: Putting Edge Indoor Mini Golf St. Laurent

Here’s an activity to save for a sub-zero day: Glow-in-the-dark indoor mini golf. You know those days where it’s just too cold (or rainy) to brave sledding, skiing or skating? Mini golf at Putting Edge, which has two Montreal locations, offers a fluourescent refuge for families with children age 3.5 and up.

At Putting Edge St. Laurent, you walk through a small arcade-ish area with video games and air hockey tables to the golfing area. At around $40 for a family of four, it’s not a cheap outing, but the Kool-Aid colours on the course grab the kids right away, and parents get a brightly coloured break from winter blahs. Look for scenes of underwater life, jungle animals and knights in armour.

Each equipped with a fluourescent ball and wrist band, we started swinging. The course has a few fun tricks, traps and surprises along the way, making it fun even for a four-year-old who approaches the ball more like a hockey goon than a golfer. With young children, it’s best not to keep score, and to allow for lots of re-shoots.

Mini-golf also puts a few important lessons in sportsmanship into practise: Try again! Wait for your turn! Keep your eye on the ball! We were all cheering each other on, and a few holes-in-one were scored. By grownups, too!

The only damper on our game was an encroaching birthday party group. These kids started wandering onto our green, getting in our way and rushing us along, unchecked by their accompanying adults. By the 18th hole, they had gotten the better of us and we were ready to leave, finishing the course in under an hour. Had they been better sports, we probably would have gotten more out of our entrance fee and played another round.

Tips:

• Playing mini golf requires a level of technique and patience, making it best for at least age 3.5 and up.
• Offer lots of encouragement, and don’t expect a first-time player to make it through 18 holes.
• For those with children under age 5, it’s best to play indoor mini golf early in the day, when there aren’t big groups to contend with.
• Explain to children that if there are groups ahead, they will need to wait their turn, and not run onto the playing areas while others are still taking shots.
• If you don’t want to empty your wallet into the on-site video games, pre-emptively explain that you’re just there for the golf.
• There is no on-site restaurant, so bring your own water and snacks.

Putting Edge Glow in the dark indoor mini golf
Putting Edge St. Laurent: 3500 Côte Vertu Blvd., #140. 514-439-3310.
*The St. Laurent location is close to a strip mall with a Chez Cora, and a few other chain restaurants.
Putting Edge Laval, 105 Promenade du Centropolis. 450-681-3334.