Five out of five kids recommend golf at Glen Arbor’s new River Club
(L-r) Martin and Sam Ludden and Nora Marazaki Leth discover that minigolf is their common language. Photo by Ilektra Marazaki
By Martin N Ludden, age 11
Sun contributor
Glen Arbor’s newest attraction is not your average putting course experience. Many of you have been to the River Club already, but for those of you who haven’t (and some of you who have), here is a review:
As you walk in the front door, you are met by a gift shop, and I bet some of you looked past the whimsical toys, beach gear, and s’mores fishing rods (don’t miss the inappropriately named food seasonings!) and asked the front desk attendant where minigolf sign-up was. You are directed to the Caddy Shack, where you grab a club and a ball and get a soda, and for your parents, an alcoholic slushie or whatever your grownups drink while they golf.
During our two visits to River Club so far, there have been families on most of the course’s 18 holes, but they move quick. It’s a fun vibe, and with people talking and laughing it feels almost like a community treasure hunt. Plus, you can finish and start a new game. With your day-pass wrist band the place offers unlimited minigolf while your parents eat and drink, relax by the river or listen to live music!
Nina Wheeler tries to putt over a sandtrap.
Golfing here isn’t all waterfalls and other tricks that make it more about luck. “It’s about skill,” said owner Mike Sheldon. My cousin Nina said the course “was pretty hard” but her classmate Brady called it “a good challenge.” My brother Sam reported, “The pars on the holes aren’t all accurate … but a lot of them are. Some are higher than they should be.” One dad got a hole in one, and several of the kids got a bunch of birdies.
According to Sheldon, between 800 and 1,200 people visit the course each day—one-third of them are kids. River Club attracts many multigenerational families.
“No one’s compromising to come here. The kids think you’re doing it for them,” he said. “Parents can engage in a game that isn’t just fun for kids (while enjoying an adult beverage). Grandparents can now play with the rest of the family and not sit on the sidelines.
“It’s a veto-proof activity.”
Brady Hines attempts a birdie.
Watchful eyes will probably see some wildlife, too. “We saw a heron (on the Crystal River) at hole 14!” said Nina. River Club staff said that players often see frogs and turtles, plus kayakers and paddle boarders floating down the river past the music stage, so keep an eye out.
“Something I think is really cool is that they don’t use actual water (or sand) on the course, so you don’t have to fish your balls out; they use blue turf,” said Sam. “On one hole, the blue turf is even shaped like Lake Michigan!”
This was everyone’s favorite hole, and if you look closely, you might be able to catch the blue shaped like the Glen Lakes.
We’ve done quite a bit of minigolf, and the fact that there’s good food here—like chips and burritos and tacos and churros and a whole assortment of other goodies—is cool and different from anywhere else. Huge shoutout to the queso!
All in all, we highly recommend the new River Club Glen Arbor, where the whole family can putt, eat, drink and chill all day long. And we didn’t even catch the live music, but I hear it’s awesome.
Article includes reports from Martin Ludden (age 11), Stella Hines (age 10), Sam Ludden (9), Nina Wheeler (9), and Brady Hines (8).
