TDL Travels: Urban Putt
Details
Mission District in San Fransisco (22nd St)
$12 per person, per game (14 holes)
Okay, let us start off by saying that we are not usually into these kinds of little sports (or any sports), more because of lack of skill than lack of interest. Disclaimer: Sonali lost. Anika, though, won!
That being said, Urban Putt is literally the coolest, cutest minigolf course we've ever seen! It looks small when you get in, especially when the bar (yes, there's a bar, and according to the Yelp reviews, a pretty good one!) is packed, as it was toward the end of our game.
We went around 11:30 on Easter, so it was deserted when we first arrived, which, if you are acquainted with the slight agoraphobia characteristic of the Mehtas, you'll understand was just ideal for us. After picking our balls and our putters (they have a handy little guide for picking the appropriate putter by your height), we embarked on this magical mini-golf journey.
While each hole had its own special feature, like that a windmill, a moving replica of San Francisco's famous trolleys, or buildings that shake like they're in an earthquake, the absolute coolest holes were the ones where the number of strokes you got were mostly up to chance (this doesn't make sense now, but I'll explain below).
My two faves:
1. The Labrynth: It's one-on-one, and you stick your ball into this labrynth, which you then have to navigate around before your opponent. Your stroke number depends on who got their ball through the maze (avoiding the traps) and into the hole at the end first. It brought a superfun, competitive, LOUD edge to our otherwise awe-filled trip through this course.
2. The Rube-Goldberg Music Man: Getting the ball to where it's supposed to be is easy. But then you watch as your ball climbs up a spiral, travels along the ceiling, then drops and bounces off of a bass AND snare drum, and then falls along a wall of xylophones, piano keys, guitar strings, playing you a cacophonous but totally unique song until it lands somewhere near the hole.
Seriously, if you're ever in San Francisco and it's raining or chilly, or even if it's the nicest day ever, go to Urban Putt. Bonus points if you bring a cute guy you want to impress (or an old friend, a family member, a work buddy, anyone really) with you.
