Bright Lies

Ever thought about playing mini golf in the dark? Nope, us neither. It’s a good job John Wright has a bit more imagination.

The golf visionary took a run-of-the-mill golf ball, dropped it into a small machine and watched as the ball appeared at the end of the tube with a greenish glow.

That machine is Glowgolf’s “magic glow machine.”

Six such contraptions are set up along the path of a new 18-hole glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course at Bloomington’s Eastland Mall. The ball’s glow will last all day, but the more you charge it, the better it glows, said Wright, chief operating officer for Glowgolf, based in Wichita, Kan.

But it’s not just the balls that light up. In fact, everything glows at Glowgolf, including the clubs and scorecards. Glow-in-the-dark paint gives the underwater-themed hand-painted wall murals and course obstacles their bright glow, said Manager Mary Baize. Black lights help brighten the course rails, she added.


We’re guessing it’s like playing golf at a mid 90’s acid house gig. “That’s kind of the excitement,” raved Wright who compares it to the equally fun sounding cosmic bowling.

The company has locations at other malls in the west and midwest USA and is looking to expand. “It’s fun and it’s challenging,” Wright said. “It’s set up so that all ages can play it.”


Fans claim the kids love it most and you can imagine their little faces light up when they get their glow sticks in hand for a cheeky nine. We suspect this could be avoided if the illuminous tykes washed their paint covered hands before rubbing their eyes, but anything to encourage more people to play this silly game of ours, in all it’s forms, should be commended.

To find out more abut Bloomington’s Eastland glow golf click here...

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