Putt U Return
to Pennsylvania
page
5201 Route
309
Center
Valley, PA 18034
Cost: $6.95
(2nd round ½ price) Other
Activities: Ice cream/snack shack
Par: 57
(Blue Tees – both courses)/ 56 (White Tees – Both Courses)
Both Courses
Difficulty: 9 (Blue
Tees)/ 7 (White tees)
Creativity: 8
Atmosphere: 10
Putt U was home to the 2016 U.S. Open and holds the record
for the highest score by a U.S. Open winner in the tournaments history. That’s
the short way of saying the two courses here are tough, especially when playing
from the “pro” (blue) tees. The courses
shorten up and become easier if you are playing from the white tees and this
course also had a series of “kids” (red) tees to help the little putters
conquer the courses. Overall we felt the
courses were of equal difficulty but in different ways. The blue course is more consistently
difficult throughout the 18 holes with very few ace opportunities. The front 9 of the red course has several
reasonable shots at aces but the back 9 presents almost impossible ace challenges,
including what’s called the “hardest hole in Pennsylvania”. There are a couple
of holes on both courses were an ace is almost impossible and that’s really one
of the only drawbacks we’d point out on the course – we like having a
reasonable opportunity for an ace on every hole. Couple low volumes of aces with tough deuce
putts and you can see why scores in the low 40s are worthy of a U.S. Open
winner! The course record for both
courses (set during the tournament) is a 39.
The courses are both in excellent shape with new carpet and
good landscaping. Where there is water
there are either little bumpers to keep you out of the drink (but still out of
bounds) and/or scoopers to help you retrieve your ball easily. If all else fails there’s also “replacement”
balls on the course that you can use if yours is lost to the minigolf gods for
good. There is music on the course and
plenty of room between the holes, with a good scattering of benches
throughout. The hole markers provide a
lot of fun information, including the length of the hole (also on the
scorecard) and the first person to ace a particular hole. The price to play is extremely reasonable as
you can play both courses for just over $10, which is the cost of one round at
many high-end courses these days. To top
it all off, the course has ice cream available which is always a good way to
end a round or two.
Reviewed by: Pat, Putt and Mini Putt
Reviewed in: 2016
Course
Pictures (click to enlarge)
See our Flickr album
for a complete set of pictures from the course.
Map
Cost: $6.95 (2nd round ½ price)
Par: 57 (Blue
Tees – both courses)/ 56 (White Tees – Both Courses)
Difficulty:
8
Creativity:
8
Atmosphere:
10
Two very well
maintained 18 hole courses. More like actual golf as there are no contrived
contraptions to deal with. Courses have elevation changes, sand and water
hazards and "read the green" bumps and slopes. Challenging? Yes, but
young children have a good time as well as serious adults. The staff is great.
Reviewed by: Richard Morris
Reviewed in: 2013