Test your golfing abilities at Strokes: Hong Kong’s newest minigolf venue
The golf course at Strokes is a nice round of fun.With Ed Sheeran’s Perfect playing from the speakers, and neon furniture and coloured lights setting the mood, Strokes Hong Kong is a mini oasis in the middle of bustling Causeway Bay.
While the cosy atmosphere and food is appealing, we were there for the main attraction – the mini golf course.
There are two nine-hole courses, each filled with wacky obstacles and challenges. You can choose between Palm Springs (the blue course) and Coachella Valley (the course with the loop-the-loop). We decided to try out the colourful Coachella course.
With absolutely zero experience playing any kind of golf, we were a little concerned at first. But as we listened to Fiona – one of the members of staff at Strokes Hong Kong – go over the basics, it didn’t seem to be too difficult a sport to master. After all, how hard could putting a golf ball into a hole, using a club, be?
Admittedly, there were times when we would completely miss the ball and it would still be sitting in the same position. But as the game went on and we got the hang of it, we began to understand the allure of crazy golf.
With cool tunnels, mazes and steps, crazy golf also provided a fun challenge. We needed to make sure we strategically hit certain walls and obstacles to send the ball in a particular direction. Our favourite part was the huge loop-the-loop where you had to swing back and hit the ball as hard as possible, in the hope that it would make the entire 360-degree loop.
Despite golf being the star attraction, there’s more to Strokes. It has a restaurant that serves relatively healthy items, from tacos to salads, and covers a variety of dishes. There is also an inconspicuous fridge, which turned out to be a secret door to two function rooms used for seminars, networking events and even yoga classes!
Unlike when you go bowling, you don’t need to change into special shoes, and you can throw your school bag or any other items into the lockers provided. There are even different sized golf clubs depending on your height.
“I opened Strokes Hong Kong to give people in Hong Kong a place to hang out, kick back and relax,” says Edwin Chan, the owner of Strokes. He said he wanted visitors to forget about their worries.
Although Chan was hesitant to call himself a great golfer, he still loves to play the sport, and hoped to be able to share his hobby with others as an “easy, accessible, fun” form of entertainment.
Strokes’ crazy golf section can hold up to 72 people. Each game costs HK$160 and can take up-to 45 minutes complete (although that depends on how many people you are playing with – or how skilled you are). We had a blast together, but we did feel that it would be more enjoyable in a larger group of around 5-6 people. That would make the game last longer, too!