Dreamland Return
to Texas page
2770 W Hwy 290
Dripping Springs, TX 78620
(512) 827-1279
Cost: $10 per 18/ $18 for both courses
Par: 51 (Challenge Red), 60 (Challenge Green),
69 (Challenge Black), 54 (Dream)
Challenge Red/Green Challenge Black Dream
Difficulty: 8 Difficulty: 10 Difficulty: 5
Creativity: 8 Creativity: 8 Creativity: 6
Atmosphere:
10 Atmosphere:
10 Atmosphere: 8
Our journey with this course was interesting in
2022 as we had planned on running an American Minigolf Alliance (AMA)
tournament here, which ultimately fell through.
So we made two trips to this location, one to scout it out and another
the week we were supposed to have the tournament. Prior to our visit we had
heard a lot about the courses from our friends over on both A Couple of Putts
and O-Street Mini Golf who made the journey out there before us. Despite all of
that prep we were still amazed by what this course presented, especially when
it came to the Challenge side. We had never really seen anything quite like it
in all of the courses we’ve played before including just the complex
itself. To start with, you can’t miss it
from the road given the huge American flag that flies but once you pull in you
are presented with the massive space that is both the outdoor and covered
pickleball courts along with the other aspects of the main complex including
the bar. It stays true to the “everything’s bigger in Texas” mentality.
The Challenge course has three different pin
positions so you can face a variety of difficulties each time you play through
the course. No matter what pin you play
the holes are all quite long, with challenging tee shots and very little chance
at aces, though there are a few holes where you can get one on the red and
sometimes green flags. The black flags can best be described as devilish, and
you really need your putting skill, patience and general green awareness to be
on if you are going to take on that challenge for all 18 holes. On the Dream
side, the holes are more reasonable and have more opportunities for aces, but
you’ll still find plenty of challenge among some of the holes. A seasoned minigolfer should come in well
under par on that side. While there’s great art and general Texas theming
throughout the complex, the Dream side is where you’ll see more theming and
design on the actual holes themselves. The holes on both courses are unique
with the Challenge course having several designs we hadn’t seen before in part
because of how they use the length of the holes.
The overall play of the courses is in general
good but there are some areas of improvement.
Being relatively new, the carpets are in good condition and the putts
roll true. However, a lot of the borders of the holes use this black piping
that almost looks like an afterthought on top of the natural berms that most
holes have. It doesn’t give much bounce and in some places seems a detriment to
using the berm in a more natural manner for the hole. The Challenge course in particular
also has a lot of random bricks placed on it which seem both to interrupt the
normal flow of the play and in some cases make it so your ball can get in
unhittable positions. Given the length of the holes even playing the red and
green you can end up in some positions where you really are going back and
forth on the holes so don’t expect a great pace of play on that course. The Dream course also felt like it had a few
obstacles or designs that didn’t work exactly the way they may have been
intended so there can be a minute or two of frustration when you don’t get a
similar outcome on a similar putt.
The course has a good mix of sun and shade,
which can be good for those summer days and expect plenty of walking given the
length of the holes and how they are spread out around the complex. You might want to play the course at night
because it is lit well and takes on a more interesting atmosphere through the
woods. There’s a lot of interesting art installations as you move through which
also make for some good photo opportunities. The owner of the course is also
quite progressive, so you’ll see a lot of support of various social causes,
emphasized by the “United Through Minigolf” slogan of the course.
Make sure to check their website and social media
for any adjustments on the minigolf play times as we know they have gone
through some periods where it will be closed for various reasons. They are deeply into pickleball at the
complex so there are also times where the focus is on that side of the house.
We encourage playing if they are open and you are in the area. The Dream course is nice but if you only have
time for one take a crack at the Challenge course. The cost per individual
course is reasonable these days given the scope of them and hard to beat under
$20 for 36 holes on this type of course.
Reviewed by Pat, Duffer & Putt
Reviewed in 2022
Course
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