Putt-Putt Plus: Washington’s Best Mini-Golf Courses

Mini-golf enthusiast McNeill thinks everyone should play Woody’s Perils once. Photograph by Andrew Propp.

On July 4, the National Building Museum (401 F
St., NW; 202-272-2448) unveiled an indoor mini-golf course, open through
Labor Day. The 12 holes are tributes to the world of design—one features a
labyrinth. It’s $5 a round, $3 with museum admission. There are other fun
and offbeat courses in the area, and Dwight McNeill, an
architect at Morris-Day (neither he nor his firm participated in the
Building Museum project), has played almost every one. He grew up in North
Carolina, and his aunt owned a course at Carolina Beach. A few years ago,
looking for a nostalgic way to celebrate his birthday, he got back into
mini-golf.

Classic Fun
Rocky Gorge 4 Seasons Golf Fairway

“This course, built in 1965, is so quirky,” McNeill says. “It’s
got a windmill, a Washington Monument, a man-eating Christmas tree—it
looks like that anyway.” (For the record, it’s a singing Christmas tree
but is broken.) “The course is a bit rundown, but the bones are intact and
it plays well. A 19th hole claims to be the longest mini-golf hole in the
US—all downhill.” Monday through Saturday before 6, unlimited play for
$4.50; evenings, Sundays, and holidays, $6.50 a game. 8445 Old Columbia
Rd., Laurel; 301-725-0888.

Made in the Shade

The Magic Putting Place

Not just one old-school course but two. The Windmill Course
features, naturally, a windmill; the Magic Castle course has a turreted
castle and shady trees that, says McNeill, “make this course, with a busy
intersection on two sides and a parking lot on another, feel like an urban
oasis.” General admission $4 to $5 depending on day and time. 8902 Mathis
Ave., Manassas; 703-257-7888.

Kitschiest Course

Woody’s Perils of the Lost Jungle

The area’s most unusual mini-golf, this course features a
gorilla crashing out of a bush, a venom-spitting snake, and monkeys
swinging in the trees. “It’s like putt-putt meets Disney,” McNeill says.
The line can be long, especially at night (it’s open until 10 in summer),
the pace can be slow, and most holes are easy par-twos. Still, McNeill
says, “It’s a course you’ve got to do one time at least.” Adults $10,
children ages 3 to 12 $9, seniors $9.50. 11801 Leesburg Pike, Herndon;
703-430-8337.

Best Surprise

Upton Hill Regional Park

This county course is one of McNeill’s favorites. “It’s a very
playable course, and it’s fun,” says McNeill, who especially loves the
waterfalls—when they’re working. “For the most part, it’s well maintained.
The most memorable hole is one that’s a long downhill—you can’t see where
your ball is going when you putt it. So you’re surprised.” Adults $6,
seniors and children ages 12 and under $5. 6060 Wilson Blvd., Arlington;
703-534-3437.

This article appears in the August 2012 issue of The Washingtonian.

Sherri Dalphonse

Editor in chief

Sherri Dalphonse joined Washingtonian in 1986 as an editorial intern, and worked her way to the top of the masthead when she was named editor-in-chief in 2022. She oversees the magazine’s editorial staff, and guides the magazine’s stories and direction. She lives in DC.