Disney Themed Mini Golf - Stacey Cardalines Reporting

Golf is a fun game. It's also a rich man's game, which means that a lot of regular people can't play it. That's why the gods made Mini-Golf.

There's no need for clubs and country club memberships with Mini-Golf. You can show up dressed like you were about to go to Wal-Mart. You really only need one club, a putter, and they give that to you. The whole course takes up about the same amount of physical space as a CVS. There are no membership fees, you pay as you go. 

To make up for the lack of rolling greens, they use props. Tiger Woods may be able to drive the ball 300 yards and you can't... but can Tiger gets it through the windmill blades any better than you? Is Tiger good at golfing on carpet? Can Tiger come to terms with golfing through a lighthouse? I mean healthy Tiger, not car-crash Tiger or wife-and-mistress Tiger. 

Mini-Golf exists on SL. It may actually be preferable to regular golf, as all of mini golf is a short game, putting-type activity. SL, while wonderful, still has some graphical limitations that rear their ugly heads when movement-based activity occurs. You eliminate a lot of that with golf at short range, and that favors mini golf.

What could make mini-golf better? Disney characters!

I stumbled on to Cinderella's Castle while hunting around. It is a Disney-themed park. I haven't been down to Florida in a spell, but it looked similar to what I remember. The castle dominates the place, but we can focus on the Disney stuff later. We're here to golf. Cinderella has her own 12 hole mini-golf course.

Each hole on the golf course has a Disney theme, so you are golfing around Donald Duck, the Incredibles, Tinkerbelle, and Mickey Mouse. Although they are kid-friendly protagonists in the movies, Mickey and the gang are nefarious Obstacles to a golfer. I don't ever recall having a desire to curse at Pluto before, but I called him things that would make Dolemite blush today when he got in the way of my otherwise perfect putt.

Why does Goofy, who is a dog, wear pants and walk on two legs... while Pluto, who is also a dog, goes nude and walks on all fours? Thank God, I don't have to answer that one, we'd have to thaw out Uncle Walt himself.

There are 12 holes. I shot 3 rounds. I got a 64 my first time, which wouldn't be bad on 18 holes, but is terrible on a 12 hole course where the hole is 10 feet from the tee and you only have to hit it through Snow White's feet. My first round was highlighted by a 16 on the par-4 Minnie Mouse hole, which had water hazards that I failed to negotiate well. 

I banged out a 50 on my second round, and a Kim Jong-un style 34 on my final pass. I hit five aces.

The golf is easy enough to learn. You click on a hole to set up. It gives you a club. You aim it with the arrow keys and control the strength/release of your swing with the mouse. Play one round for fun before returning to Hole 1, getting a scorecard and golfing it for real.

This sim is aimed somewhat at children, and most of it is a mall, albeit a Disney-themed one. If you're into Disney, you'll love it. If you go as a couple and your BF tires of looking at Princess dresses, send him off to golf while you do what has to be done in the various stores.

Men are dead weight when shopping... which also why God made golf.

Cinderella's Castle Mini Golf 
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Saint%20Lucia/156/112/301

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