Upton Hill Regional Park Mini-Golf Return
to Virginia Page
(703) 534-3437
Price: $5
Par: 36 Other Activities: Batting
Cages, Swimming Pool
Difficulty: 6
Creativity: 9
Atmosphere: 9
We didn’t know what to expect coming into this course as we hadn’t played many that were run by park services. What we found is that a publicly run course can be just as good if not better than many private courses. The first thing we noticed is that it loves to use water in some creative ways, although much more so on the first half of the course and not the second. The course mixes a good blend of longer, tougher holes with ones that are short and good targets for holes-in-one. Between 50% and 75% of the holes showed some uniqueness. The course is very well maintained, partially because it uses thicker indoor/outdoor carpeting for the greens. This makes for a thicker, slower green. This course also features heavier than normal rubber putters. When combined with the carpeting, it takes a couple of holes to get used to the overall speed of the course. The par is also set a little low as everything is a par 2, when there clearly should be a few par 3’s.
Overall, we were impressed with this course. The course is also partially shaded which helps to protect against the marginally oppressive Virginia weather in the summer. It’s a definite play, especially if you’re already in the D.C. area as its very easy to find.
Reviewed by Pat, Mandy and Putt
Reviewed in 2003
Course Pictures (click to enlarge)
Map