The Fat Putter Des Moines

★ 5

My husband and I went for our first time. It was very welcoming and laid back. The staff was very friendly. I loved all three courses. They all were themed and fun!!! We went after 6pm so it was 21 and over. We both had drinks. I had the Fat Putter and it was good. Very open and not crowded. Definitely worth going!!

★ 5

Great place for all and great choice by Iowa Tourism to pick to enjoy and entertain us while we were at the Travel Iowa Conference and Awards! Sure is a cute and clever place and fun! We enjoyed our time exploring all of the putting stations, the staff were excellent and the drinks were great as well as the prices! FUN!🤩

★ 4

Super fun place!! Very laid back and attracts a diverse crowd which I love being surrounded by. I went with my friend and we had a blast!! Each course is color coded and our favorite were definitely the blue courses. The staff were welcoming to us. My only complaint is I wish there was a second floor of courses!! I didn’t want to stop! Also, there are lockers to keep your stuff in but no pad locks so bring your own if you plan on using one for your own liability.

★ 4

We played the 3 courses at your pace $18 a person, the drinks were great! The bartenders were fun and very entertaining. The bathrooms were flooded- not their fault, but it was inconvenient as they were closed for a while the plumber worked on them. You can order food to eat in there- we ordered Fongs pizza and took a break between courses.

★ 5

Had a great time!! Staff was super friendly and engaging and the floors were immaculate! 3 Great courses and really good drink selections!

★ 3

Overall I feel that my experience went decently well. We went on a Sunday around noon and it had a decent amount of people also playing but not enough to have to wait around for a hole to open up so that was nice to see. The amount of holes and courses was also very nice as there are 3 courses with 9 holes each included in the mini golf pricing. The bar was decently stocked with most generic drinks and some Des Moines staples. The theming was unique and the holes were very creative. With all of that being said there were some downsides. When we went, the building was very warm. It was about 95 degrees outside and probably 85 -90 inside. This made the courses feel very long in my opinion. Many of the "moving part" holes weren't even working with signs that required you to put around them making them very boring holes and really ruined the immersion. On two holes I can remember there were areas that went away with the standard turf that you would expect to see when playing mini golf and that made the balls move way to fast and frequently. Many times if you attempted to set the ball down to play it would instantly roll away. When you do successfully get your first putt in the ball would bounce off every wall and was very unpredictable. It would take far to long for the ball to come to a complete stop and when you took a putt that would typically go into the hole it would bounce right over even with the slightest amount of power in the swing. This with the added heat really was a poor time and we were well ready to head out at that point. I am sure if the heat and the moving hazard holes get fixed this would be super fun for all ages.

★ 4

I have previously been to the Omaha location and was excited to come check this one out as well. They have three 9 hole courses that feature some pretty fun and challenging holes. They have a full bar as well but do not have food at this time. Overall I had fun here and would probably come back but it’s much smaller than the Omaha location and I really missed the mini games before the holes. They have a couple here but they are few and far between. Also there were a couple holes where balls got stuck multiple times, requiring us to go back up front to get a new one. Also a couple obstacles were not working as designed. My buddy said it almost feels like they opened before they were ready and I have to agree a little bit. I get it’s a new location and there are bugs to be worked out so I cut a lot of slack for that. I hope they get it all sorted out. It is a really fun idea and I wish them success.

★ 3

Went to play putt putt at the fat putter which I believe recently opened. It was $18 per person, and you were able to play all 3 courses, 9 holes in each. It was fun, but not the best. Some of them were broken too. The start of each one also doesn’t have the little pad with the holes to set your ball for the start of the game. I look forward to playing putt putt with my husband back in Cape Town, where the course is outside and along the beach front promenade, I believe it is far more enjoyable.