Shipwrecked Miniature Golf in Red Hook, Brooklyn checks off so many things on our list. First, the 18-hole course is hidden on the second floor of an industrial brick building. Second, it’s architectural and New York-themed, while also being pirate themed. Third, it’s family owned and clearly a labor love for the two best friends who started it. Fourth, they’ve brought their expertise from working in theater to create this wonderland.
Entrance to Shipwrecked, through the door on the left
The owners of Shipwrecked are both theater majors who both hail from Ohio. They worked crazy hours on Broadway but found the hours and lifestyle unsustainable with their young families. So, channeling two of their passions – theater and mini golf – they built Shipwrecked over the course of a year. Everything inside is hand built with a special attention to recycling and reuse. For example, the holes were purchased from a mini golf course in Maryland and would have otherwise gone to landfill. The pallets various building items arrived in were reused as counters, decor, and even the exterior structure of old video games.
The 11,000 square foot space at 621 Court Street was an open canvas, having never been leased to anyone else before, says Ryan Powers, co-owner of Shipwrecked. The 18-whole course is split into themes – some which reference Brooklyn’s own cultural heritage with a freak show and souvenir booth, just like from Coney Island, a Brooklyn Bridge and a subway station and car. There’s also an “underwater” themed area.
Visitors can purchase bags of gold coins that unlock special effects and obstacles throughout the course – and the effects don’t always repeat one after another making multiple visits (or go arounds) a must. The gold coins can even activate holograms, showcased effectively in the pirate ship lair at the beginning of the course.
Prices are $14 for ages 13 and up, $10 for 12 and under. Military and seniors are $12 and the theatrical tokens are $5.
Even the bathroom signs are pirate themed:
Shipwrecked Miniature Golf has revised fall hours so it’s best to check the calendar on the website before heading over. It’s the only miniature golf course in New York City and is a great reason to head over to Red Hook, plus there’s a Citi Bike station just two blocks away. From the roof, you get a great view of the Red Hook Grain Terminal, one of the remnants of the Erie Canal projects in New York State.
Next, take a look inside the Red Hook Grain Terminal.
