Par-King Skill Golf — Attraction in Buffalo Grove

The atmosphere and charm of Par-King are reminiscent of how mini golf courses used to be. If you want to be transported to a time and place where you can match your skills against a moving target under a giant wooden toy soldier, this is a must place to come visit! This is only my second time to this course, because it takes me more than an hour or so just to get here from my home. It used to be on Dempster years ago. I remember going there as a young man, and have waited patiently for my own kids to be old enough and tall enough to enjoy this gem. I understand the disappointment of several of the reviews wanting to have their children play this course when they are younger, and I felt the same way when my kids were that size/age. But I saw first hand, this evening, why it is not a good idea. A younger girl had gotten away from her parent, after being allowed on the course, just to use the bathroom. The girl ran through several holes interfering with other players, and touching several of the moving obstacles with her hand. If she had put her hand in the wrong place, this could have resulted in an injury. There may be kids that are more mature than others at a certain age, but not all are that way. This is why we have an age for a driver's license, voting, and buying alcohol. Each has it's own reason for existing, just like the height requirement at an amusement park. It is there for a reason, like it or not. For those wanting to start younger kids on mini golf, there are several area courses with easier holes to get them used to the club and how to putt the greens. When they are older, and better at "the sport", they will appreciate Par-King a lot more and thank you for it. By the way, several of the old themed obstacles have been moved or recreated from the original location. My personal favorite from there, is the 12 foot long wooden roller coaster. You have to keep the ball going straight up a ramp and into an elevator. With some skill, and luck, you get to see your ball ride down the roller coaster. I actually got a hole in one on this one, when I was here a year or so ago. The staff are friendly and the manager really cares about the experience for all who visit their course. My wife and mother in law, we're unable to play for health reasons, but grandma enjoyed watching her grandsons play. The manager made sure they were comfortable and taken care of, even though they were not on the course. After finishing the round, I had a chance to talk to the manager, and thank him for such a wonderful time. You could tell by the way he explained about some of the mechanics of one of the obstacles, that he really had a pride in maintaining these special artifacts from a bygone era. There is a genuine feeling that the people that run Par-King really care and listen to your comments and reviews. Look down the list. Almost every review has a response comment or thank you by the owner. Not many reviews on Google, that I have seen or given, have gotten a response from anyone from the place reviewed. That is something special! Finally, if you are looking for something less cookie cutter and more unique in mini-golf, Par-King is for you. Go there while you still can. There aren't very many of these type of miniature golf courses...

Organized a group of 20 to play mini golf while we were in from out of town. Over half way through golfing with our families, we were confronted by the manager telling us that our son was not tall enough and must leave immediately. Embarassed and so disappointed that of all 20 kids, he had to leave after being paid for and let in by his staff. They even went on to recommend a little putter for him! Then forced my 6 yr old who was playing along side his parents to quit in the middle of our group outing!! We had a number of people come over to tell us that the way he handled the situation was terrible. Would never ever return here and will make sure our large groups of out of towners do not go here!!! Just wrong, sad, and absolutely unacceptable!!!

Responding to Par-King customer service... you have none. Your lack of professionalism is unmatched, especially as a venue for families. I would never SNEAK into a mini golf. Not only is that a ridiculous accusation that is a blatant lie, there are countless other fun things to do in the area. I would have happily taken my business elsewhere. However, my family of 4 was let in after our number was called by your staff and then suggested a putter again by your staff based on our height!! I was only given a refund after demanding one for your inappropriate behavior and handling of the situation. I cannot argue facts any further but customers beware...service here is the worst I've ever experienced.

In response to the Par-King Customer Service Dept, you have none. This is absurd! I would never SNEAK into a mini golf or any business that my family is not welcome at. There are plenty of other places to go to. That is a false accusation and you should be ashamed of yourself. I am not completely surprised unfortunately. I had to demand a refund from the Manager that was forcing our family to leave AFTER Par-King staff sold us 4 tickets, called our number and watched our family enter the gates, offered each of us HEIGHT appropriate putters, told us to ENJOY and watched us play the first 10 HOLES!! We even got congratulated for our 6 year olds, hole in one at the first hole! All was great until the Manager stopped us half way through the course stating that allegedly another family with small children got denied and were upset. This is the first time I have ever heard of a HEIGHT requirement at a MINI golf so I'm not surprise they were upset but we were completely in shock! I won't argue facts any longer but families, beware. The only thing worse than their rules, is their lack of...

A great course but there is work to be done around the edges when it comes to the treatment of customers.

This place has some amazing features that you don’t see in the average mini golf location. Lots of ball elevators, doors that open and shut, big slides, moving animatronics etc. The holes are all themed to various subjects, and they are in good shape as far as upkeep goes. We played both the black and red courses. The latter was very busy, but we warned about that in advance. The employees were all quite nice if a little bit too intrusive at times. I didn’t need to have to have where to go explained to me, not once but twice. It is not a huge place. Some reviews I read before coming here complained about the height requirement for children. I have my own opinions about whether that makes sense or not, but it wasn’t an issue for us.

There are two problems that bring this down from a five star to a four though.

Not accepting card payments/added ATM fees. There is absolutely no reason for any amusement business to be cash only anymore. One of the employees tried to claim it is not worth it for a three-month schedule due to card fees. First, they seemed to be mistaken about the former. I checked information about previous seasons, and this place is open for half the year. Second, they charge $12.50 a game with no discounts for second rounds, plus a surcharge to get cash on site, so I think they can afford a few bucks to make it easier for their customers. Based on the crowds we saw (and this was in the fairly early morning), I don't think this place is short on funds.

Lack of seating on the course. There are benches alongside the front, but there is nowhere to sit down once you are playing for most of the time. There is plenty of room to just put out a couple of folding chairs which would be more than enough for anyone. This is especially noticeable when the crowds are out. Lots of standing in line when there is just no reason for it. Would help the elderly a lot to have a place to rest I think.

I can see why this course is nationally recognized, and we had a very enjoyable time. They just need to slap a couple of chairs in the empty spaces between holes, and let people pay with what they want. It would be...