Tribal Island Mini Golf — Local services in South Carolina

Course a 4.5 — service a 0 out of 5

For years, Tribal Island has been one of our favorite places to play mini golf on our annual beach vacation, and for years it was the location of our annual family golf night championship.

We hadn’t gone to Tribal Island the last couple years because the course had gotten too rough to play. Which is why we were so excited to see the course all cleaned up, with fresh greens and paint, and looking better than we had seen it in years!

So we once again returned to Tribal Island for our annual, end of vacation family mini golf championship night.

The course was wonderful, but the service was terrible.

We arrived a few minutes before 7 p.m. on Friday (Sept. 9), understanding that the course closed at 8 p.m. but confident we would be finished before closing.

Everything was running as we parked, but by the time we’d paid and gone back out (just a couple minutes after 7), everything had been shut off. The waterfalls had been shut down so none of the water flowed. The tikis — the main attraction and a big reason we play here — were silent and dark. Even the music and lights had been turned off. We actually had to call the front desk and ask for the lights to be turned on because we’d gotten to the holes inside the caves and couldn’t see anything. I ended up finding Hawaiian tribal music on Spotify and played it from my phone in an attempt to create at least some of the atmosphere that was otherwise absent.

The woman working neither started nor ended the night on the right foot. As we were picking out our golf clubs, I asked her which of the two courses (Volcano Valley or Tiki Bay) had the best view of the tikis — since it had been a few years, I couldn’t quite remember. She snapped at me that she had no idea what I was talking about. And then at the end, she followed us out — literally less than six feet behind me as I exited — to lock up, even though it was still before 8 p.m.

She obviously had been planning to leave work an hour early and was none too pleased that customers showed up — a full hour before closing — and derailed her plans.

Even though the course has been redone so nicely, we might not be back for fear of a...

Don't waste your time at this miniature golf course. I've been coming to the Grand Strand area my entire life and have played MANY, MANY mini golf courses over the course of 40 years. This one was one of the most unpleasant. The course was COVERED in mulch. Every hole had debris covering the greens. It was impossible to play competitively within our group because you could not control where your ball would go. Literally every hole was like that. It appeared that the area had experienced heavy rain which caused the mulch to wash out of the beds and no one bothered to clean it up. At $9 per person, this should not be an issue. Additionally, the grounds appeared to be in need of repairs. Water features, walkways, outdoor speakers busted. If you are staying in the Calabash, Sunset Beach and Ocean Isle areas, drive the extra five minutes to North Myrtle Beach. You won't find a course there as neglected as this one. There are plenty to choose from.....Mayday, Lost Treasure, The Black Pearl.....many to...

TLDR: Avoid this one. It's in very poor condition and there are plenty of better options at the same or similar price point.

If you're looking for a fun, well-maintained mini golf experience in the Myrtle Beach area, keep looking. Tribal Island Mini Golf is a complete disaster. The course is in shambles, with mismatched patchwork and torn-up turf obstructing play and making it difficult to even complete a round.

The price of $12 per person might be tolerable if the course was even remotely well-maintained, but it's not. And don't expect any local discounts – you'll pay full price for the privilege of playing on this neglected course.

There are far better options in the area that offer more fun, challenging play, and immersive themes for the same price or only a few dollars more. Unless you're a glutton for punishment, avoid Tribal Island at all costs. Your wallet and your sanity will thank you.

Recommendation: Look elsewhere for a fun and well-maintained mini...