Mini golf craze: Downtown Des Moines is set to get another venue this fall

Addison Lathers, Des Moines Register
Krazy Golf in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Owner Aaron Coy plans a second location in downtown Des Moines.
Krazy Golf in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Owner Aaron Coy plans a second location in downtown Des Moines.

Golf ― or the indoor semblance of it ― is having a moment in the Des Moines metro.

Topgolf in West Des Moines is ahead of schedule and could open its all-weather hitting bays by late summer. Fat Putter, a popular miniature golf lounge in Omaha, Nebraska, announced a new location in downtown Des Moines earlier this month. They'll join Putts & Pins in West Des Moines.

And now, a second mini golf venue is readying for a downtown Des Moines debut.

Aaron Coy plans to open Krazy Golf in a 22,000-square-foot warehouse at 338 S.W. Sixth St., south of West Martin Lither King Jr. Parkway, that already houses two of his other participatory recreation ventures, ax-throwing venue Lumber Axe and Escape Chambers.

Coy launched his first Krazy Golf location two months ago in Waukesha, Wisconsin, and says he has four more in the works. Des Moines is his next stop.

"We started as laser tag (in Des Moines) in 2013," he said. "We've expanded as we went. Now we have a little bit of everything."

Krazy Golf in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Owner Aaron Coy plans a second location in downtown Des Moines.
Krazy Golf in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Owner Aaron Coy plans a second location in downtown Des Moines.

Coy calls his new concept an"infusion of golf and excitement." The Des Moines location will open with four courses totaling 36 holes and a bar with signature cocktails. Some holes will feature mini games like foosball while others will offer photo opportunities like a Harley Davidson motorcycle obstacle.

At 9 p.m. on days it's open, Krazy Golf will become an adults-only playground with prompts for a Never Have I Ever game at each hole.

"It's different. It's not your typical mini golf," Coy said.

Krazy Golf in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Owner Aaron Coy plans a second location in downtown Des Moines.
Krazy Golf in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Owner Aaron Coy plans a second location in downtown Des Moines.

He knows he'll be five short blocks from Fat Putter in the Wilkins Building at 713 Walnut St., another indoor, high-concept mini golf lounge aiming for a fall completion date. If he knew then what he does now, he said, he would have brought Krazy Golf to Des Moines sooner.

"We should have worked on ours first," he said. "We'll be pretty close. It'll be interesting."

Krazy Golf could open in October.

Mini golf craze fills a mini hole in Des Moines' market

Each hole has its own theme at the Fat Putter in Omaha, Nebraska.
Each hole has its own theme at the Fat Putter in Omaha, Nebraska.

Putts & Pins opened in November near Jordan Creek Town Center with what it describes as "high-tech gamified mini golf," and Bombers Golf, under construction in Johnston, will offer an indoor mini golf course snaking through an arcade, as well as an outdoor course.

Before Putts & Pins planted its flag, mini golf in the Des Moines metro was largely dominated by seasonal, outdoor putt-putt courses like West Grand Golf and Jesters Park Golf's miniature courses. Glow Golf, a Wichita-based chain of indoor mini golf courses, closed its Jordan Creek Town Center location in 2019 before briefly reopening, then closing again, in 2021.

Putts & Pins owner Mitchell Kann told the Register that he sees Putts & Pins being first of a chain he and his brother will build in mid-sized cities.

Addison Lathers covers growth and development for the Des Moines metro. Reach her at 608-931-1761 and ALathers@registermedia.com, and follow and Twitter at @addisonlathers.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Another mini golf venue planned in downtown Des Moines

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