Golf and stained glass windows, you'd think, would never mix, but that's where you'd be wrong. Holey Moley, Australia's mini-golf juggernaut, has its base in the former Valley Presbyterian Church, an 1885 building that has been put to rather more secular uses since being sold off by the Uniting Church in 1989. It used to be a nightclub; and judging by the enormous mirror ball hanging from the Holey Moley ceiling, it kinda still is.
In case you haven't heard, the Holey Moley concept is indoor mini golf for grown ups. You can drink booze and eat bar food while you make your way around either of the two nine-hole courses. Kids aren't actually allowed in after 5pm, but they get a warm welcome during the daytime, and the whole place has more colour and movement than your typical putt putt.
Indeed, the holes have been conceived like Rube Goldberg machines, with some, such as the Willy Wonka-themed hole 7, involving a pneumatic pipe that sucks your ball up and takes it on a wild ride. There are chess, Pac-Man and ET-themed holes, and a rudely titled one involving Donald Trump's face on a donkey's posterior.
You pay more for the experience – considerably more – than elsewhere, but to be fair you can see where the money goes. From the pretend gumball machines that dispense multicoloured golf balls to the neon signage, this is a mini golf turned up to 11. Staffing is more helpful too, and if you're lucky enough to get a hole in one expect to see them come running to confer a free Holey Moley golf visor. There are also a couple of karaoke rooms if your idea of fun leans more towards belting out pop classics in a soundproof room.
The venue is handily located next to the McWhirters Parking Station and a bus stop, but if the Valley's not your bag there are also Holey Moleys in Chermside, the CBD, Surfers Paradise and Maroochydore.
