Swingers West End Return to England page
15 John Prince’s St
London W1G OAB
020 3846 3222
Cost: £13.00 per 9 holes (peak),
£10 (off-peak)
Par: 21 (9 holes – each
course)
Big Wheel
Difficulty: 5
Creativity: 9
Atmosphere: 9
This
course is located right by Oxford Circus and is a short walk from most of
central London. Just be aware that this
is an 18+ venue so unfortunately (or fortunately) no kids are allowed
here. Similar to their original
location, they have two 9-hole courses here that are set in the back part
behind their various bars and selection of eateries. It’s a different feel than the speakeasy
style of the original course, but the signage is still pretty subtle on the
street. Here you head up stairs to the
bars and course after being able to check your coats on the first floor. With it being not underground we seemed to
have better reception (for the social medias of course) but they also provide
free wifi for those looking to share their experience
and for those looking to use their scorecard app so you can attempt to get to
the top of the leaderboard. When you
sign up to play you are given a window in which you will play and once you get
there you’ll be given the exact tee-time for your group (they can handle
walk-ins as well depending on the volume of pre-registrations)
This
time around we had a
couple drinks prior to heading out to the course and we ate after we
played. We didn’t try any of their
signature cocktails but the draft beer was good even if the selection was
limited. Everyone seemed pretty pleased
with the food again (we had 12 of us in this go so we sampled a wide variety)
and it’s the typical city cost for food and drink. You can bring your drink onto the course as
well and they will come out and serve you while you play. There’s plenty of places to put your drink
down while you putt as well.
Similar
to the original course, the hole construction was very sturdy but instead of
the unfinished wood look everything here had a clean light grey paint to it
giving it a modern feel. The creativity
was very high on this course as each hole had a different design of putting and
some included traditional obstacles with a twist – such as a giant loop or a
large Ferris wheel instead of a windmill. If you are really concentrating on
play you can probably make or break par on this course as it does have some ace
opportunities and most everything can be made in 2 with a good shot. However, for the casual player you’re more
likely to be in the mid-to-high-20s on your scores. For those who like to brag about their placement
at the end of the round the course also has a photo-podium where you can hop up
and get a small video you can share later on the socials.
Also
similar to the original course, there are a few minor drawbacks that kept us
from giving this course the highest marks.
We didn’t play while it was too busy but we can imagine it would be a
bit cramped if there were a lot of people on the course as space was at a
premium. They try to stagger it with 5 minute start
times but groups can get easily backed up on some of the harder holes. The cost
is a bit high but again factoring you aren’t paying for a child to play should
not deter you from a visit though we can see where multiple visits might be
tough to consider if you aren’t an avid golfer.
As much as we like that it is an 18+ experience, that does knock it down
just a bit on the overall minigolf scale given we
love that miniature golf is a sport that can played by all.
We
absolutely recommend playing this course and if we have a chance, we’ll be
going back to play the second one. In
fact, if you have the time while in London hit up both courses. While the atmosphere is fairly similar we
think there is enough variety between the course design and play that it will
keep you on your toes when it comes to putting.
Additional Notes: While our review of the
course is unbiased we do want to say we received excellent treatment when we
were there. We had been in touch with
the course prior to arriving and received a nice offer from them to come
play. Even the folks who didn’t know who
we were out on the course were very friendly and accommodating. We want to
thank the course for a great time and being a good part of the wider miniature
golf community.
Reviewed
by Pat & LEGO Penguin
Reviewed
in 2018
Course Pictures (click to enlarge)
Map