The Journal · 24 May 2026

Mini golf in Crescent Head — 18 holes

Crescent Head's new 18-hole mini golf course — built around a small lake with native plants. Walk from The Deck, kid-friendly, dog-friendly on lead.

Crescent Head mini golf course with bridges, lake, and native plants

Crescent Head recently got a proper mini golf course. Eighteen holes, built into the slope between the country club and the township, designed around a small ornamental lake with wooden bridges, native grasses, and basalt boulders. It’s a lot more serious-looking than the average town mini golf — and a lot more fun.

What you need to know

18 holes around a designed landscape — not a carpet-on-concrete operation
Open daily in school holidays; varied hours in shoulder season — check at the club next door
Family-friendly: under-12s, over-60s, multi-generational birthday parties — everyone plays
Dog-friendly on lead — you can take a quiet dog around without trouble
Walk from The Deck: 9 minutes downhill
Pair it with a beer at the country club next door (or a coffee at Sea Sea on the way)

The course itself

Holes range from straightforward putting greens to the kind of bank-shot ridiculousness that makes you question your life choices. There’s a covered rotunda halfway round — useful in summer. The whole circuit takes 40–60 minutes for a group of four.

The course was designed to fit the local landscape rather than imported themes — no windmills, no clown faces. Native plants, sandstone walls, the kind of crafted-but-relaxed design that fits the town.

When to play

Late afternoon is ideal — softer light, fewer crowds, you finish in time to walk to dinner at the country club bistro.
Mid-morning in school holidays — go before 11am to beat the rush.
Sunset round in summer is unbeatable. Bring sunglasses.

A perfect mini-golf afternoon

Walk down from The Deck around 3pm. Coffee at Cheetah Five. Eighteen holes of mini golf (45 minutes). Drink at the country club bar. Wander back up the hill to the deck for sunset.

Mini golf is one of the easiest wins with kids in tow — there’s more in our guide to things to do in Crescent Head, and the house itself suits a family summer holiday.

Playing it with young kids

The course is genuinely playable for small children, with two caveats worth knowing before you commit a four-year-old to eighteen holes.

It’s built on a slope. That’s what makes it interesting to look at, and it also means there’s a bit of up and down. Fine for most kids, harder with a pram.

Eighteen holes is a long time when you’re four. Nobody minds if you play nine and call it a day, and the covered rotunda halfway round is a natural place to stop, sit down and decide.

The lake is ornamental and part of the design, so it’s worth a word with smaller children about staying on the paths.

Playing it with the dog

Dog-friendly on lead is unusual for mini golf and it’s genuinely useful here, given how much of a Crescent Head holiday revolves around having the dog with you.

Keep them on a short lead — there are other groups playing and flying putters are a hazard — and bring water in summer, because the course is open and there’s not much shade beyond the rotunda. More dog-friendly options in our guide to walks and beaches.

If it’s raining

Light rain is honestly fine, and the course will be empty. Heavy rain isn’t — it’s outdoors, the slope gets slick, and there’s only the one covered spot.

If it’s properly wet, the country club next door is the obvious pivot: bistro, bar, and the bowling green under cover of a roof if the weather clears. See what to do when it rains.