Caddyshackers Leicester
Named for the classic 80s American comedy, Caddyshackers is a dedicated over 18s crazy golf venue that has newly opened in the heart of Leicester. The name is well chosen as the venue encompasses the kitcsh irreverence of the film, and a few of the rough edges as well.
The Boy and I hit up Caddyshackers for it’s launch night this evening and we were first to hit the holes as we had to get out for other commitments. Bright lights, loud music and graffiti greets you as you enter the warehouse-like building. There are apparently 18 holes of crazy golf fun, although for some reason we could not find number 9! Obviously an oversight on our part.
Crazy Crazy Golf
It took us about 45 minutes to get around the course as a group of two. The holes are all made using a variety of quirky obstacles from stuffed foxes to stripped down car bodies. And a LOT of ex-pub furniture. Not surprising, given that Caddyshackers is owned and operated by local pub chain Steamin’ Billy. Quite a number of the holes have more than a passing resemblance to a junk heap in a pub car park. Indeed, one of them is actually a skip!
Memories of Dismaland
There is a lot about it that reminded me of the crazy golf at Dismaland. This has positives and negatives – it’s chilled out and fun and most definitely light hearted. However, it’s also a little on the ‘deconstructed’ side for my tastes. In many cases old bar stools and bits of drainpipe have literally been bolted on to an old bit of carpet to make the obstacles. This leads to some areas where your ball can get straight up get stuck, and the finish is not the most professional. But I get the feeling that’s half the point.
However, that leads me on to the pricing. When I first read about the ‘packages’ on offer, I assumed they were for multiple people – £10 a round of golf, £22 for a round of golf and 2 cocktails. But no, these prices are actually per person. And I have no idea if I’m just hopelessly outdated in my expectations for these sorts of things, but every crazy golf or mini golf course I’ve played has been well under £10.
Students can get a game for 50% off with their NUS card on Monday and Tuesday evenings, but there’s no helping the rest of us. It does seem a bit of a shame, this is a great concept and I know I have loads of friends who would prefer to drop in and have a game instead of a couple of hours in the pub sometimes, but the cost makes it feel more ‘special occasion’ than regular activity. The time slots available to book on the website are an hour each.
Alternative to the pub
And of course it is an alternative to the pub. As an over 18s venue there is a fully stocked bar with a range of cocktails, mocktails and beers. We tried the cocktail menu, on the whole they are classics with clever golf twists on the names. We were also introduced to Frank’s Fine Pizzas who have an oven on the premises for fresh, stone baked pizzas. These were really pretty good, although I don’t understand how that’s street food. Once again I feel like the subtle nuance of some of this concept is passing me by.
But all said and done, we did have fun. How can you fail to? The Boy won (as he always does) but I get to live forever with the memory of saying “I guess I’ll just have to smack it and hope for the best” on the Lewd Skeleton Hole (I’ll let you go and find out what that looks like) and then getting a hole in one. That was bloody poetry in motion. It’s a good giggle, it’s a great concept and it’s something new to do in Leicester, which can’t be a bad thing.
Thank you to Caddyshackers for inviting us along to test the course, and to sample the pizza and cocktails!
