Belles of the Sound

A Smash Putt obstacle. Photo via SmashPutt.com

Do you enjoy putt-putt, but are maybe looking for a little change of pace? If so, Smash Putt may be for you! Smash Putt is a seasonal mini golf experience unlike anything you’ve seen before. This year’s theme is “2012: The Final Apocalypse,” which sounds like an absolute blast to me. It features unbelieveable obstacles such as the golfball cannon or a new one featuring scratch and sniff technology according to the website.

Once you are done putting, feel free to stick around for cocktails. Smash Putt has an on-site lounge, as well as a viewing room so you can watch others tackle the putting elements. The also have group rooms for rent if you want to through a private Smash Putt event.

You MUST get tickets in advance. Every night sells out. The catch is that they only sell tickets for the upcoming weekend, so you have to be on top of your game. Go to this website to select your tee time and purchase tickets. Note that some times are strictly 21+. Tickets cost $12 or $15 depending on your tee time.

Smash Putt is located at 2764 6th Ave. S in SoDo. It’s open every Friday, Saturday and Sunday starting this weekend through the end of February!

Don’t miss out on this wacky putting adventure.

A lot of things go together well in life: peanut butter and jelly, Siegfried and Roy, Louis Vuitton handbags and those little toy yippie dogs…ok, so the jury is still out on the last one.  Another not so likely pairing that works really well: mini golfing and beer drinking.

As myself and my fellow teammates discovered last Tuesday, Drinks on the Links, put on by Underdog Sports Leagues, is an excellent way to combine these two great past times.  It is a five week session, and all you have to do is organize a team of six or more players, pick a creative team name (some teams even had uniforms), and show up ready to bring your ‘A’ game.  Before I go on any further, I have to give Jeanine 100% of the credit for finding this event and organizing our team.

Additionally, they have fun incentives, like getting vouchers every time you get a hole-in-one, which I believe you cash in at the end of the series for fun prizes.  Our first game was last Tuesday, and we were instructed at the very beginning to yell out “Shay” (the name of the girl running the event that evening) if someone from our team got a hole-in-one, so she could come find us and give the respective person their voucher.  Although I did not get a hole-in-one, I found it very amusing to scream “Shay” at the top of my lungs after someone else on my team did.  It was like being a kid again and doing something semi-impressive and yelling “Mommy, Mommy, look what I did!”  Ah, it’s the little things in life.

Actually the only complaint, or rather suggestion, I have for them is to have some built-in convenient places to set a big plastic mug full of beer.  Rocks, and uneven grassy ground only work so well.  Also, ladies, leave your purse at home, it only gets in the way.  So get out there and get your Putt Putt on!

Are you looking for a way to recapture your youth?

No, I’m not talking about any kind of surgical or medical alteration, I’m talking about the spirit of sports from the good ol’ days. How many people do you know played on a football, volleyball or softball team growing up? I know, although I wasn’t one of them (being a busy gymnast), almost all of my friends participated in a league (or two) between elementary and middle-school.

Here in Seattle, the aforementioned sports (save gymnastics) are all fairly well represented by varoius intramural and co-recreational leagues. But, what about the “recess” sports? Underdog Sports Leagues has a couple of answers to that question.

Played kickball after the age of 12? I hadn’t either, until a couple of years ago when my company registered a gang of misfits to represent. Sadly, we weren’t the greatest, but it was more about fun and nostalgia than actual talent. A few teams were pretty hardcore, but we won as much as we lost. The experience brought so many childhood memories to the fore – like the one time my less-than-sports-savvy friend managed to kick a grand slam, giving our class a much-needed win against the other 5th-graders. Or, the few times it rained and we moved into the gym for a rousing session of dodgeball.

Underdog has you covered there, too. The next dodgeball season starts on June 30th, and takes place every Wednesday at the Boys & Girls Club in Wallingford. Hurry to register – there is only one more team spot open. The great news about Underdog dodgeball is that unlike the instruments of severe torture I hurled at children as I grew up, the league uses only no-sting foam-coated dodgeballs.

Looking for something a little more mature? Underdog also offers “Drinks on the Links,” rousing rounds of mini-golf that include (of course) alcohol. Every player has to be over the age of 21 to participate (duh), but there is plenty of room for sign-ups and a variety of locations and times to choose from. Different days follow different themes (70s Night, Plaid Night, etc.), and certain holes offer hole-in-one prizes as well.

Whether you’re assembling a rag-tag group of close friends, signing up to play alone, or your office puts a team together, Underdog has something for everyone.

On a side note – HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY! I don’t know where I’d be without my own Ma, so let’s give it up for the ladies.