Glowing Greens Indoor Mini-Golf — Attraction in Portland

I took my son on Cinco de Mayo, and it was weird, they kept talking about the holiday was overwhelming business but I was here a few years ago and there were lines out the door. In fact they actually play a video in the stairwell to excite people about finally getting into the fun but then sit you in a waiting area that is loud, obnoxious dark and absolutely nothing to pass the time.

Inside the facility, I was told I had to wait two hours to play miniature golf with my 5 year old and then in the waiting room which was on the way to home number one, I observed only one new group had come in the whole first hour of our wait. There were more people waiting to play than actually playing.

On the way out to get my son something to do from the car for the second hour I asked how many groups scheduled didn’t show up, the man quickly stated everyone had shown up, I asked how many people do they have play at any given time, he said 50-100.. there were not even 25 people playing. Coincidentally after I said something groups started leaving the waiting area to play.

There should not have been a full lobby waiting to play, and the holiday didn’t overwhelm the business, they were slow, the employees were occupied or short handed. The fact is that we were waiting for an hour because they weren’t paying attention to flows of business, this establishment is an event, the memory is heightened by the environment, they should not want to have people remembering they were bored.

These employees either didn’t get it or didn’t care. Not for me to decide, but I would not wait 2 hours for this 30 min activity again, I gave two stars because when we could play my son enjoyed it, but he won’t ask to go back here again and I just dropped 60 bucks down for 2.5 hours of YouTube videos and Google News. I could have gotten that for free in my...

Updated: I previously visited the hotel-themed escape room here, which I found superior to the current "fortune teller" theme. However, the 2nd time, the experience was significantly diminished by the demeanor of the game master/host. He appeared disinterested and weary, with a noticeable odor of marijuana, and his explanations were delivered in a remarkably lackluster manner, confused & LACK OF ENTHUSIASM. He even suggested, since it was the last game of the day, that perhaps we wouldn't require his assistance and could instead interact with the automated system. This attitude negatively impacted the entire experience. When we requested hints, particularly towards the end, he outright refused to assist, which was quite frustrating. His tendency to forget his train of thought, resulting in long pauses and repetitive statements, further detracted from our enjoyment. Considering the amount we paid, it felt like a disregard for our expectations. It seems irresponsible to have such a person in a customer-facing role in this setting. The attitude of the employees here really sucks, they seem like they hate you for just coming in.

My old 5* review: Glowing Greens PDX is an awesome indoor entertainment venue! With indoor miniature golf, escape rooms, and axe throwing, there's something for everyone. The themed elements add to the excitement, making it a fantastic experience. Choose less busy times for the best fun with your group!...

The concept of glow-in-the-dark/blacklight mini golf is definitely interesting and what drew me into trying Glowing Greens, but I thought the experience was overall average. The course is a lot harder than I would've thought, but there wasn't much "wow" factor beyond the blacklight concept and a few areas where props suddenly moved to make me jump a couple of times. All of the course is "static" in the sense that there are no timed doors or moving parts. Pace of play tends to be on the slower side, as you are at the mercy of the group in front of you (and they're at the mercy of the groups ahead of them), so you can expect to be waiting around and chatting with friends until the next hole becomes available. As some might have already mentioned, you find Glowing Greens by looking for a pirate outside. You enter through the door, and then go down the stairs. From there, it's pretty simple. Pay to play, get your putter and golf ball (and scorecard/pencil if you want to keep score), and then proceed to the first hole (or wait a little bit, if staff feels that they want the group ahead to finish the first hole before you take your first putt). The staff member I dealt with (didn't get her name) was really friendly and enthusiastic, so that was cool. I'd say to check this place out if you happen to be in the area, but I wouldn't go out of my way to do this. Above average concept and staff (at least, when I went), average execution...