If you think golf is slow, stuffy or boring, then you have not been to Las Vegas lately. What Americans call “mini golf” has always been known as “crazy golf” in the United Kingdom, and Vegas is taking it next level. No other place has so many unique and radically different twists on the once staid country club game. From family-friendly fun to club-wielding party alternatives to day and nightclubs for first timers and expert players alike, the city now offers many different ways to swing.
Golf as adults-only carnival ride
The most recent entrant is Swingers, a London-based chain that just opened its biggest location worldwide inside Mandalay Bay. Since its November 2024 debut, this 21+ adult only spot has been one of the hottest tickets in town, with long waits to get in, so if you want to experience it, make sure to book a slot in advance online. Swingers Las Vegas is a $50 million complex that spans 40,000 square feet over three levels, with four 9-hole mini-golf courses, Clocktower, Hot Air Balloon, Meteorite and Carousel, tied together with a detailed and whimsical “English countryside” theme. There is also an arcade area evoking a century-old carnival, with games like Skee ball, plus a DJ booth, huge mezzanine bar and full food and drink services, highlighted by the cult Detroit-style pizzas and award-winning burgers from New York’s Emmy Squared. With fast flowing cocktails and a buzzy vibe, Swingers is popular for groups, date nights and bachelor/bachelorette parties.
Tiger Woods returns
Tiger Woods won his very first professional victory on the PGA Tour here in the 1996 Las Vegas Invitational (now the Shriner’s Open), kickstarting a legendary career. Now he is back as part owner of national brand PopStroke, which opened a location in 2024 in the Town Square neighborhood with the slogan is “Eat.Putt.Drink.” A family-friendly alternative to Swingers, this is outdoor mini-golf without any windmills or volcanoes. The two 18-hole layouts mimic real golf with lots of bunkers and patches of rough, and one is more challenging than the other. You can sit down to eat and drink or order on the courses from the app. The menu skews sports bar with lots of ice cream and such for the kids. Pop Stroke does not take reservations, and sells reasonably priced day passes with unlimited golf, while food and drink are extra.
Everything’s bigger in Vegas
Vegas is home to the world’s largest Swingers as well as the biggest of more than 100 global Topgolf locations. This brand of “golf entertainment center” is a global phenomenon that changed golf, mixing in driving ranges, simulators and bowling alleys, with bays where guests hit real balls with real clubs that are tracked by computers. Every bay has full food and drink service, plus there are DJs, five bars, and this being Vegas, even a pool with VIP cabanas and a 900-person venue for live concerts. The enormous facility has 120 all-weather hitting bays where you can get golf lessons, do a professional Callaway custom club fitting session, or just chill and watch sports on a nearly 50-foot video wall. Topgolf Las Vegas opens early, stays up late and is attached to the MGM Grand at the southern end of the Strip. Bays can be reserved online in advance, and this is recommended. They offer weekday morning unlimited play specials and discounted room packages with MGM Grand.
Golf goes nuclear
Another giant high-tech facility straddling the line between “real golf” and wacky games, Atomic Golf is a newer direct Topgolf rival located at the opposite end of the Strip, near the STRAT Hotel. Four floors cover more than 100,000 square feet with over 100 digitally enhanced bays combining golf with original interactive videogames. There are six bars, each with unique menu and atmosphere; luxury golfing suites with VIP entrance and private bar; the Putting District with eight digital putting bays; and the Astrocade with wall-to-ceiling, high-definition displays for sports and entertainment viewing.
Glow-in-the-dark crazy golf
If putting with the lights out is your thing, two different Vegas casino resorts offer elaborate mini golf themes competing for your attention. You can even tie the knot after playing a round. The mid-Strip Horseshoe has Twilight Zone by Monster Mini-Golf, with two sci-fi/horror themed glow in the dark 18-hole courses, plus live DJ, arcade, bowling alley and Sci-Fi Wedding Chapel. The Rio is home to the 13,000 square foot KISS World Mini Golf, an 18-hole glow-in-the-dark layout themed on the famous rock band, decorated with KISS props and memorabilia. There’s also a KISS museum, live DJ, arcade and Rock n’ Roll Wedding Chapel. Advance tee times can be booked online at both venues.
Las Vegas’ “original” crazy golf
For more than 35 years Angel Park has offered golfers some of the most convenient access in the city with two full-sized Arnold Palmer-designed 18-hole courses near the Strip and airport. But what sets it apart is the unusual extra offerings, including Cloud 9, a 12-hole par-3 course with replicas of famous holes from around the world, such as the Island Green from TPC Sawgrass and the Postage Stamp from Scotland’s Royal Troon. It was one of the first lighted golf courses in the world, so you can play at night, and just like real golf, there’s an adult beverage cart on the course. Cloud 9 accepts online tee times and just about every major golf magazine had ranked this one of the country’s best short courses. There’s also the Divine Nine, a larger-than-life outdoor 9-hole mini-golf course with real grass fairways, plus water hazards, rock outcroppings, bunkers and doglegs, also lighted. This family -riendly layout may be the best buy in town: the highest price is five bucks and that includes putter, 2 balls and two rounds to total 18 holes.