Neighborhood News: Cherish Chicago’s Fall Days with a round of Mini-Golf at Maggie Daley Park’s City Golf
Voted the #1 Golf Course in Chicago, City Golf at Maggie Daley Park, 337 E. Randolph Sttreet, is a hidden gem at the south end of the BP Bridge. They’re a two-minute walk from Pritzker Pavilion and a five-minute walk from Cloud Gate (aka, the Bean.)
And, as advertised, the 18-hole miniature golf course consists of unique obstacles and challenging holes that offer family-friendly, accessible fun through the end of October every year.
My family and I played there a few years ago, with my niece and nephew who are not native Chicagoans. Traveling around the 18 holes gave me an opportunity to explain some iconic Chicago history to these native Californians. City Golf features replicas of iconic Chicago structures, and they enjoyed hearing about the former World’s Tallest Building while putting beneath the 6-foot tall Willis Tower and a Plinko-inspired replica of the Picasso sculpture.
“Is that a bird?” my nephew asked.
You’ll also find a painstakingly exquisite reconstruction of Chicago ‘s Chinatown Gate over Wentworth at Cermak Road, complete with the guardian Foo Dog, as well as an ‘L’ platform representing the to Wells Street Bridge along CTA’s train system (a now-official name originally short for “elevated”). The Merit School of Music plays classical music as you putt up the ramp.
There are homages to Chicago’s iconic sports teams. At the Chicago Bulls putt, you can try to get your ball into a mini net pipe, (not so easy!) The Chicago Cubs proudly display their North Side pride, 2016 World Series championship, and ivy-covered 400-foot wall, as do the White Sox for the South Side, with a replica of their iconic exploding scoreboard!
(I wait for the day when the Chicago Sky and theChicago Red Stars take their place among the sports teams represented at City Golf.) As the putting structures change slightly every season, it’s certainly possible!
They’ve possibly saved the best hole for last. On Hole #18, thanks to sponsor Portillo’s, you’re putting through a six foot long Chicago style hot dog! This requires golfers to putt between two mustard bottles (ketchup is a no-no), up a ramp and into the hot dog where the ball travels down the winding mustard trail and (hopefully) right into the hole!
Who was Maggie Daley?
Maggie Daley (1943 – 2011) was the First Lady of Chicago for 22 years and the wife of former Mayor Richard M. Daley. The beloved first lady with the effervescent smile was involved in many charitable causes, including After School Matters– an arts, sports, and technology program for students, and Gallery 37, a cultural arts program for teens in the summer. Daley died at age 68 on Thanksgiving evening in 2011 after a nearly decade-long battle with metastatic breast cancer.
Maggie Daley Park, which is named for her, is located near the Lake Michigan shoreline and is connected to Millennium Park by the BP Pedestrian Bridge.
The park, and the golf course, are a perfect way to honor the memory of Chicago’s former First Lady, who loved the city and worked for the improvement of lives throughout the city of Chicago.
City Golf Hours
City Golf is open seven days a week through Oct. 29th, weather-permitting. They work on a walk-up, first come, first served basis, so no reservations are possible. However they are open Sunday – Thursday: 11am – 7pm, last ticket sold at 6:00 pm. On Friday and Saturday, they are open 10am – 8pm, last ticket sold 7:00 pm. For ticket prices and more information, click here.
Alison Moran-Powers and Dean’s Team Chicago
