The Twin Links Mini Golf Course in Mt Prospect is closing tomorrow after 42 years in business.
There will be a 24-hour care facility and imaging center on the site, which I suppose is better than another bunch of retail.

Having grown up about a mile east of Twin Links, I have a lot of memories of the place and its two 18-hole courses. Many of my early summertime days were spent at the course with my elder siblings (I remember how cool the scorecards and little pencils looked), followed by a visit to the McDonald’s across the street.
Many days during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years in high school were spent there– my friends and I used to ride our bikes there, followed by a visit to the Ben Franklin and Tony’s Hobby Lobby in Arlington Heights.
When I was a senior, my high school actually had a Miniature Golf unit in Physical Education– they would bus us from the school to Twin Links, where we barely had enough time to play 10 holes before being shuttled back.
I had several dates there, as well. That was where I learned the fine art of how (and when) to miss sinking an easy putt.
In the early 1990s, now an adult and homeowner, I started visiting the new batting cages. I realized it was lot of fun and a good way to get rid of the frustrations of the day in both good times and not-so-good times.
I introduced my kids to Twin Links in the early 2000s, and they’ve been hooked ever since.
The other night’s game under the lights was a lot like I remembered the place, but as you can see in the photo above the fluorescent “gas station” style lights weren’t turned on– their services were now provided by halogen lamps mounted on high poles.
Over the years, the place has changed a bit; some of the “hazards” were upgraded– a new Statue of Liberty was installed in the 80s and a carousel was added in the 90s– but it mostly remained the same, including the water hazard with its little blue pool on #8, the guillotine on #4, and the scorecard stands at each hole with their hand-painted lettering.


The girls, Lisa, and I played the North Course on Thursday night and the South Course on Friday morning. Here’s the scorecard from Thursday night, filled in by Becky:


The event on Sunday is supposed to include giveaways of Twin Links memorabilia; we’re not sure if we’re going to attend, but we may stop by for one final time. In the event we don’t make it, here are some scans of a blank Twin Links scorecard, front and back.
We’ll sure miss the place.