Bud’s Mini Golf

Bud’s Mini Golf    9 Sisson Rd, Harwich Port, MA 02646

A new feature to the Cape, Bud’s Mini Golf opened in 2021 (built by Castle Golf, who also restored Skull Island on the Cape) and has quickly grown to be a real favorite among families. Bud’s has expanded to also feature go carts as well and has plans to add an additional 18-hole course in the future.

A nautical themed course is right at home in Harwich on the Lower Cape. Bud’s features a pristine waterfall, lighthouse, boats, and rivers throughout. The holes designs can be incredibly challenging, and we found ourselves taking a few 5s at points. We honestly felt like some of these holes though might be just weird; there were a few where the hole is sitting on the side of a hill, so if you don’t have a near perfect angle, you aren’t going to be able to get it in. The landscaping is well done, and the course could easily fit in on any Boardwalk. The greens were kept in very good condition, as were the other features surrounding the course.

However, we must point out that there is another nautical course less than 20 minutes away at Cape Escape in Orleans. One might think that might not be a big deal, but I have a hard time remembering which is which even for this review. We give Cape Escape the edge on this one because it has been around much longer, so that will cause a bit of a drop in creativity here. It will be interesting to see if Bud’s can use a second course to make itself stand out more.

Par for the course is 42, a little low in our estimation. The course does include a par 4, but its back 9 includes 8 par 2s. Another gripe we have is the high price on this one: $13/adult, $12/senior, and $11/child. $1 off coupons are available in almost every guide booklet around town, but $13/adult is one of the most expensive on the Cape.