One thing that I love to play, but don’t often get to do is miniature golf. Also called putt putt golf, it’s a fun way of exploring theme in a physical way.

Staying in Downtown Portland, I discovered that there was a miniature golf course a short walk away from our hotel. Not having anything planned in the evening, we decided to check it out.

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Glowing Greens PDX is a 13 hole course on the basement level of downtown building. It’s a pirate themed course that uses blacklight to create other-worldly and sometimes creepy displays. Loving creepy and tiki, we played our way through all 13 holes.

Here are a few snapshots of what I saw:

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Loved this skeleton pirate riding a Great White Shark.

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Some crustacean near the entrance to the miniature golf course.

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There’s a lot of attention to detail in many of the decorative elements scattered across the 13 golf holes.

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Whoa! Where did you come from?

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At one point or another, you realize you’re just a visitor playing your way the depths of the sea.

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Well hey there! What a nice smile you have.

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Love the vibrant colors.

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Oooh, treasure!

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All that glitters is not gold here. Most of it is plastic, but it still looks great.

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My first thought from a scientific standpoint: why does this skeleton still have hair?

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Holes are delineated by colored brick, so it’s not too hard to figure out where one begins and where you need to aim.

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An alabaster lion finds its way to the depths of the ocean floor.

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Tiki man!

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This felt loosely out of place, but it kind of had to do with the hole.

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This reminded me of the swamp shack on the Pirates of the Carribean ride right aside the Blue Bayou restaurant.

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This hole was probably the most challenging without a clear path to success.

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Contrary to what it looks like, it’s not too difficult to see where your ball is and what you’re trying to aim for. Pretty quickly, your eyes get adjusted to the darkness and it becomes like most any other mini golf experience.

The holes were fun (and challenging at times). Since the course is indoors, everything is pretty level. Definitely what I liked most about the experience were the decorations and theming, Glowing Greens had everywhere.

If you’re in Downtown Portland and looking for something offbeat to do with the family, I would recommend dropping on by and getting your putter going.

Glowing Greens Miniature Golf