Entry No. 137 — the Chicago file — filed under: mini golf
Par-King Skill Golf
Par-King started in the late 1950s in Morton Grove as a spinoff of a driving range called George's Gorgeous Golfing Garden, got crowned "Minigolf's Taj Mahal" by a trade magazine in the 1960s, and moved to this Lincolnshire lot in 1977 at double the original size. The two 18-hole courses hold 19 moving obstacles and seven water holes — actual hand-built kinetic contraptions, including a roller coaster and scale Chicago architecture, rather than the plywood-windmill standard. The Travel Channel called it the most original course in America; the Daily Herald called it "a classic course to be played seriously," which is roughly the correct posture. Admission is cash only at $14 a person, and children under 48 inches aren't admitted at all, which tells you the obstacles have opinions. Right now it's on the fall schedule: weekends only, and it closes for the winter.
→ Three more arcades, pinball & oddball play in Chicago — never the same twice
The story
Par-King began in the late 1950s in Morton Grove as a sideline to its founder's driving range, 4G Fairways — George's Gorgeous Golfing Garden. By the 1960s the country's leading trade magazine had branded it Minigolf's Taj Mahal and called it the most elaborate 18-hole miniature course in the nation. The current lot on Milwaukee Avenue in Lincolnshire opened in 1977 at double the size of its predecessor, and the place now runs two 18-hole courses with 19 moving obstacles and seven water holes. The sign calls it the world's most unusual golf course. It is not obviously wrong.
The obstacles are hand-built kinetic sculpture rather than the plywood-windmill standard. The signature is the Super Looper: a red steel loop-the-loop on white posts, fed by a striped tower, painted like a fairground coaster and roughly as tall as one. Around it sit a pink castle with blue turrets, a herd of gray elephants with white tusks browsing along a fairway, a silver rocket topped by a satellite dish and a red beacon, a Mount Rushmore carved in relief, and Humpty Dumpty — blue sleeves, red bow tie, fixed grin — straddling a brick wall. Nineteen of these things move, which is the honest reason nobody under 48 inches is admitted.
The press wall has accumulated accordingly: the Travel Channel called it the most original course in America, the Daily Herald a classic course to be played seriously, and the Tribune, USA Today and North Shore Magazine have all taken their swing. Admission holds at $14 a person, cash only, ATM on site. It runs on a season rather than a calendar — currently a fall schedule of weekends only — and it shuts down entirely for winter.
What it's like
You drive: it's roughly 35 miles up Milwaukee Avenue from the Loop, 45 minutes to an hour, with no realistic transit. Pay $14 cash at the window, take a putter, and expect height to be checked at the entrance — 48 inches, no exceptions, and no strollers or baby carriers past the gate, so this is not a course you bring a toddler to. Play is unsupervised but the machinery sets the tempo: at the loop and the other moving holes you wait for the thing to cycle, take your shot, and watch the ball either commit or trickle back to your feet. Groups under fifteen just turn up; anything larger goes through the events form. Tee off by 9:30pm or they can't promise you all eighteen holes.
The move: Drive up Friday evening — 6 to 10pm — and play 18 at $14 each, betting dinner on whoever survives the coaster hole with fewer strokes. Tee off by 9:30pm or they can't guarantee you finish all eighteen, so eat afterward on the way back down Milwaukee Ave.
📍 Before you go About 35 miles from the Loop — plan 45-60 minutes by car, and there's no practical transit. Currently on the fall schedule: Fri 6-10pm, Sat-Sun 10:30am-10pm, closed weekdays (private weekday access can be arranged in September). Cash only, $14 per person for 18 holes, ATM on site. Kids must be at least 48 inches tall to be admitted; no strollers or baby carriers on the course. Start by 9:30pm to be guaranteed a full round. It shuts down for winter, so check par-king.com or call 847-634-0333 before driving up.
- 📍 Lincolnshire
- 💸 $
- ⚡ Big night
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 21711 N Milwaukee Ave, Lincolnshire, IL 60069
Hours: Added 2026-08-26 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Sanfilippo Place de la Musique — Twenty-odd miles west in Barrington Hills, the same impulse at a different budget — one family's private hoard of band organs and a theatre pipe organ. Tours run roughly monthly, so book it first and build the day around it.
- Bahá'í House of Worship Gardens — On the way back south, in Wilmette: free, silent, and a nine-sided dome of poured concrete lace — about as far from a red loop-the-loop as the same county gets.
- Volo Museum — The other far-northwest-suburban collection worth the mileage, wall to wall with movie and television cars — pair them if you've already committed the day to driving.
More weird in Chicago
Good to know
How far is it, and can I get there without a car?
21711 N Milwaukee Ave, Lincolnshire — about 35 miles from downtown, 45 to 60 minutes by car. There's no practical transit option, so treat it as a drive.
What does it cost, and can I pay by card?
$14 per person for 18 holes, cash only. There's an ATM on site, but bring the cash rather than pay for the privilege.
Are kids allowed?
Only if they clear 48 inches — the height rule is a flat requirement for admission, not just for certain holes, and strollers and baby carriers aren't allowed on the course at all.
Do I need to book?
Not for groups under fifteen; just show up. Birthday parties, day camps and corporate outings go through the events form on par-king.com, and private weekday access can be arranged in September.
When is it open?
It's seasonal and currently on the fall schedule: Friday 6–10pm, Saturday and Sunday 10:30am–10pm, closed weekdays, with a 9:30pm cutoff for a guaranteed full round. It closes for winter, so check par-king.com or call 847-634-0333 before driving up.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: par-king.com
last checked: 2026-08-26