Imagine my surprise when we veered away from the lake, and pulled up to Big Stone Mini Golf + Sculpture Park. First, before I even tell you about the wonder that lay inside, I gotta tell you how much I love a place that just lets you "do you". We brought in our own picnic and ate it on a picnic table with giant metal gloves and mittens attached to it (use your imagination). There were no rules posted (none of that "no outside food" nonsense). In the shed where you pay for golf, you could also purchase goat snacks, organic eggs to take home and baskets made from colorful melted eyeglass frames. I could live here. The staff encouraged you to explore the entire property: mini golf, sculpture park, farm and gathering spaces. Basically, they tell you that they are "open until 9:30, and go wherever you like". There is something about this freedom on someone else's magical property that almost seems too good to be true. We made a day of it.
So mini-golf, putt-putt, whatever you fancy to call it- I've been pretty disappointed with the trend in "landscaped courses" in the past 15 years. If I want to hang out with a bunch of over-manicured annuals, I can just sit outside of a mall next to their planters. Not the case here. These holes are mega-creative. To the point that a good putt-putter would probably be frustrated with the bumps and uneven playing surfaces. This isn't actually about golf. It's all about engaging with your golf-mates, getting lost in an enchanted garden and your own imagination. I am now curious if the latest putt-putt trend- the "artist-designed" mini golf- has gotten its inspiration here at Big Stone.
There is only one other putt-putt course I feel equally passionate about. It is a "canoe-up" mini-golf in Central Wisconsin where BYOB- basically Bring-Your-Own-Anything- is encouraged. **(Since it's Central Wisconsin, there could actually be hundreds of establishments like this one).** Several years ago, our friends Cham and Ben gave us a canoe tour of a chain of lakes where we paddled up to this joint and golfed in wet swimsuits on a hot July day.
The 7th hole at Big Stone was a walk-in museum. It was a gigantic overturned boat with stain-glass windows made of re-purposed plastic coils in the brightest Crayola colors.
The sculpture garden and farm were so integrated into the landscape you hardly knew where one began and the other ended. A friendly goat roamed throughout. We met a family who just came to feed the goats. Another young couple played checkers on a life-sized board and wandered the property. The penned horses ran up to greet us so excitedly, I thought they mistook my baby for their dinner.
Another highlight was a land-locked boat to climb inside and "captain". This vessel was better than any nautical museum I have ever been to. We probably could have spend the night in there without anyone knowing. Maybe next time we will try.
As much as I want to give Brendan credit for "discovering" this place, it's been around for ten years. Even the New York Times discovered this place before we did. And I love it. I need to be reminded that my city is more complex and unexpected than I give it credit for.
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