Hudson River Park’s newest pier — opening Friday and stretching 1,000 feet into the river — adds a West Coast flair to the Big Apple with competition-ready beach volleyball courts, skate park and kids’ climbing walls.
“It’s like a small part of Redondo Beach here in New York,” Connie Fishman, president of the Hudson River Park Trust, said of the newly rebuilt Pier 25.
Like Redondo Beach, with an ocean pier and a national reputation for beach volleyball, Pier 25 was designed for the active, outdoors set with futuristic kids’ playgrounds and climbing walls, miniature golf, basketball and volleyball.
– Tom Topousis, New York Post.
I suppose the climbing walls and volleyball courts are cool if you’re into that stuff, but I excerpt this Post piece here because of the mini-golf mention.
I am something of a mini-golf enthusiast, and though I no longer live in the city, I’m happy to hear Manhattanites will have access to miniature golf without having to leave the borough.
A little Internet research tells me there had previously been a mini-golf course on Pier 25, but since I never knew about it, as far as I’m concerned it never existed. Also, apparently there are nine holes at South Street Seaport.
This article makes the course at Governor’s Island sound pretty appealing, and though I didn’t get to play it while there for the Vendys, it did appear inviting. It just would have seemed strange, I think, for a lone man, stuffed to the point of delirium, to stroll up for a round of solo mini golf.
And I didn’t notice any moving obstacles anyway. Apparently there are some at the New York Hall of Science — I didn’t even know there was a mini-golf course there — but that’s only a nine-hole affair. Way too many area mini-golf courses are the terrain-based type, which I guess do a better job of simulating actual golf, but don’t feature big spinning wheels that knock your ball off the course or clowns that spit it back at you, Happy Gilmore style.
As far as I know, you pretty much have to go to Lake George to find a course with a bunch of moving, spinning things, and that’s terrible. Not that going to Lake George is terrible, because funnel cake and everything, but it’s just a long way to go to find decent moving-obstacle-based mini-golf. Get on it, local business.
Tedquarters 
I havent played mini golf in years, but it was a staple of my childhood on family vacations to whatever random touristy beach areas we went. Virginia Beach, Myrtle beach, Long beach Island, all were litered with mini golf.
I am actually going to lake george this weekend, but with temps topping out in the high 30s, and snow possible, I’mnot sure if mini golf will be an option.
If you have a job that requires some sort of professional dress and is located near a mini-golf course I strongly suggest gathering a few of your co-wokers who have a sense of humor, going to your local mini-golf course during your lunch break and discuss business as loudly as possible over a round of mini-golf. The looks on the faces of the parents and grandparents who are there with their kids is priceless. I did this a few months ago and it was easily the best lunch break of my young career.
Growing up I was a fairly successfuly junior/high school golfer so mini-golf always created a no-win situation. If I beat my friends I was supposed to win, if I lost because I picked the hole with the tube that shot my ball 50 feet in the wrong direction it was the modern day version of villanova-georgetown.
I used to work at the Citigroup building that is across West Street from Pier 25. I’m sure there will be some jokers that will be in professional attire on this new course.
Can we smoke cigars?
Nice, doing things dressed in professional attire where you look ridiculous in professional attire is always a good time.
2 that I can think of were going to a bowiling alley for lunch, bowling a few frames and eating Pizza in full business attire. Also took a couple lunch trips to the Rutgers Grease trucks, full suits, standing by our car eating Fat Bitches.
i played the governor’s island course a couple years ago and i think 2 or 3 of those holes are in the new course. definitely cool in principle though the pragmatics of gameplay not exactly up to par (sorry). the randalls island courses would be sweet if someone would take the time to maintain the holes. (http://www.randallsislandgolfcenter.com/miniature-golf.php)
This. It LOOKS cool, and it’s ostensibly free (suggested donation, etc), but some of the holes just don’t work. You can spend a long time chasing balls across the parking lot over there without even making too many terrible shots. Instead, spend more time playing with the giant inflatable cube or pounding on plastic barrels with pieces of rebar in the field next to the putt-putt course.
There must be some in NJ closer to here than Lake George.