IF you’re looking for something that gets the kids away from the screens, brings out the competitive streak in Mum and Dad and has the whole family laughing along the way, Candy Cove Mini Putt Putt at Brookwater Golf Club is well worth a swing.
Colourful, quirky and challenging enough to keep everyone interested, Candy Cove takes the simple fun of mini golf and gives it a distinctly Brookwater twist.
And a big part of that is the setting.
Unlike traditional mini golf courses built on a flat patch of ground, Brookwater Mini Golf has been designed to work with the natural bushland landscape and existing terrain, rather than around it.
The course winds its way through retained gum trees and natural slopes, with sandstone elements, native planting and gently undulating holes that rise and fall with the land.
It’s putt putt reimagined – and it works.
Of course, appreciating the serenity lasts only until somebody sinks an unlikely putt and starts celebrating like they’ve just won the Masters.
That’s where Candy Cove really comes into its own.
You don’t need to know the difference between a birdie and a bogey, own a set of clubs or have ever stepped onto a golf course before – grab a putter, pick a ball and away you go.
For families with younger children, that simplicity is a winner. The kids can have a genuine crack without Mum or Dad needing to explain complicated rules, while older children and adults will quickly discover there’s just enough skill involved to make every missed putt hurt.
And nothing brings a family together quite like watching Dad carefully line up what he thinks is the perfect putt, only for the slope to have completely different ideas.
One minute the youngest member of the family is taking five shots to find the hole and the next they’re celebrating a fluke putt while everyone else wonders how on earth it went in.
That’s the charm of mini golf.
For parents, one of the biggest ticks is that this is something everyone can actually do together.
Brookwater is already synonymous with golf, but the mini putt putt course offers something completely different to the traditional experience associated with the club.
It’s casual, accessible and immersed in a natural setting that makes simply walking between the holes part of the experience.
And while the colourful Candy Cove theme only runs through until October 5, the best news for local families is that the mini putt putt itself is here to stay.
That means what might initially look like a school holiday attraction is actually a new family activity sitting right on our own doorstep – no need to trek into Brisbane or further afield looking for something to do.
