Yesterday I had an opportunity to play a round of mini-put at Galaxy Golf. For those who aren’t familiar with its history, let me fill you in.
There used to be a building between the Comfort Inn Clifton Hill and Quality Inn Clifton Hill driveways. In the lower level was Niagara Marketplace, and in the upper level was Movieland Wax Museum of Stars. Along the side of the building (along the Comfort Inn Clifton Hill driveway) was a store called Fun Factory. Down Clifton Hill there was another store called Circus World. This land was owned by HOCO, but leased to the store. Just beyond that was Fantasy Fudge Factory. In the Fall of 2004 the lease for Circus World was up, and HOCO took over the building. Over the winter they renovated what was Fantasy Fudge Factory and Circus World (the locations down the Hill) and moved Movieland and Fun Factory there. In it’s place in the original building, HOCO put in Cosmic Golf, a glow-in-the-dark mini-putt. But then in the Fall of 2005, HOCO tore down that entire building and built a much larger building that now has Tim Hortons and Canada Trading Company at street level, and Galaxy Golf in the lower level.
In a way, Galaxy Golf is almost exactly the same as Cosmic Golf, yet it is also totally different. The entrance to the course is at street level, but now the course is in the lower level. The first thing I noticed was how far down you go. It almost seems like it is 2 stories deep. Since it is on the lower level, there is also no daylight getting in through cracks in the door or anywhere else. If you are unable to take the stairs, there is an elevator you can use.
The course has a lot of the same decorations as it used to have, but everything looks like it is supposed to be there. Last year you could tell it was a temporary setup, but now everything is sturdy and permanent. Even though it is called Galaxy Golf, it is not entirely space-themed. There are galaxy/space-themed holes, 60’s-themed holes, and aquarium themed holes. They glow beautifully and look phenomenal.
The course itself is rather easy. If you want a challenge, this probably isn’t the place to go. But of course people are going for the cool setup, not necessarily because they want to practice their putting skills. I shot a 41 when the par was in the 50s (I can’t remember exactly). Speaking of the scorecard, I did notice that the scorecard still said Cosmic Golf (they must have a supply of them from before). I also noticed that the pencils have Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf on them. Other than that, everything looks complete.
Currently the cost is $8.99 per adult and $5.99 per child. If your kids are going in and you just want to be with them (and not play), then it is $3.99 for the non-golfer. Entrance to either Galaxy Golf or Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf is included in the Fun Pass which is $24.95 per adult and $18.95 per child.
You can see lots of pictures of Galaxy Golf in the Galaxy Golf section of the Niagara Falls Image Gallery.