Swingers Mini Golf at Mandalay Bay – An Expensive Letdown

Cost & Options

A 9-hole round of crazy golf costs $30-$35 per person depending on when you visit.

From there, you’ll have the option to add carnival credits to your package for $15.

My brother Ike and I booked a 9-hole round of golf and carnival tickets for $45 each, or $90 total.

Here’s where things started to get murky, however….

Before checking out, I was prompted to “Leave a Tip for the Service Team” and options ranged from 18% – 25%.

Now, I had no idea why they were asking me to tip on a round of mini golf and an arcade session, both of which are self-guided, but figured there MUST be some service element I was overlooking so I tacked on a 20% tip of $19.80.

Arrival & Gameplay

After passing through Swinger’s security apparatus, which was more hardcore than an airport TSA checkpoint, I was taken aback by the first impression.

This is a gorgeous venue, and the mini-golf courses are a work of art.

Our time slot was 5:00-6:30 and we were fortunate to be assigned a 5:10 tee time. Others weren’t so fortunate and had some time to kill once inside.

The Carousel Course

At 5:10, we grabbed a putter and ball and were read the rules, which included fast play, no more than 6 shots per person, per hole, and no swinging the putter above the knees.

Got it.

Each hole was unique, with obstacles to navigate, and aiming for the bronze-colored chutes was more likely to produce a hole in one. In fact, I’m pretty sure every hole offered an opportunity to get an ace.

A fun wrinkle, a hole-in-one on the 9th and final hole earned you a wheel spin that could yield a free drink, dessert, or carnival credits. Because of that, players were taking that shot very seriously, causing a sizable backup.

Looking back at the timestamps of my video and pictures, our 9-hole round took 17 whole minutes to complete.

It was fun… but doubled as a pretty short experience for $30 + tip (ugh).

The Carnival

After our round, we made our way upstairs to the carnival which was a cute diversion, albeit crowded and much smaller than I had imagined it would be.

The game selection wasn’t all that expansive but included Skee Ball, Whack-A-Mole, claw games, and competitive midway-style race games that tasked players with rolling a ball into holes or shooting water at a target to move their racer.

Your remaining game credits and tickets earned are tracked on a plastic card, and tickets earned can be redeemed for Swingers-branded merchandise that includes stuffed animals, mugs, glasses, and bottle openers.

We accumulated enough tickets to procure a bottle opener. Woo.

Food & Drink

As you can imagine, 17 minutes of mini golf and 15 minutes in the carnival worked up an appetite, so we settled in to order a Roni Supreme pizza ($29) and two frosty drinks, which were $23 each.

The pizza was fine, albeit small for $29. It was also a bit doughy in the middle, almost as if it may have been undercooked, but that could be intentional – I’m not an elite culinary mind.

I thought it was fine, albeit nothing special.

I don’t want to hear any guff about the drinks we ordered either. We desperately needed to soothe our throats after being forced to talk over the ridiculously loud music pumping throughout the venue.

In total, our food & drink bill came to $96.28 after tax and tip. Steep, but likely in line with what you’d expect to find at a venue like this in Las Vegas.

What’s Not To Like?

This Isn’t a Great Value. At All.

Let me preface this: I know Vegas is expensive. Things are not cheap.

Even by Vegas standards, however, this is an expensive attraction at $30-$35 per 9-hole round.

For reference, my $30 round broke down to $3.33 per hole… or $1.76 per minute played.

What increasingly annoyed me though was the tip I paid at the time of booking to “Split amongst the service team”. I have NO idea what, or who, that was even for.

There was no unique service element to the mini golf experience besides being handed a scorecard and read the rules and we played our own carnival games. We were also still expected to tip on our food, which we obviously did.

As the evening progressed, the upfront tip request just felt more and more scummy.

And to be clear, I fully embrace tip culture. I tip at walk-up food hall counters like Starbucks and Popeyes FFS.

Don’t confuse this as an anti-tipping rant. It isn’t. But asking for 18%-25% on a self-played round of mini golf and a self-played arcade session is insanity.

This kind of “nickel and diming” has Vegas visitors up in arms. And I don’t blame them in this case.

It’s Crowded

The mini golf course was packed with people, and there was minimal space to maneuver.

Your personal bubble will be violated, and be prepared to be rubbing up against strangers.

We had to wait for 1-2 groups to finish each hole, and the round still only took 17 minutes.

They also have “Caddies”, or drink servers, milling about, further crowding the scene…. Which is hilarious… It’s a 17-minute round of golf. Is there even time to order, receive, and drink a cocktail?!

Constant Drink Solicitation

Some may view this as a positive, but I couldn’t turn around without being asked if I was “ready for a cocktail?”.

I supposed it was a good service experience, but I must have said “No, thank you” 34 times.

It’s LOUD

This is a club-like venue and the tunes are pumping. Some may like it, but my voice was pretty sore after talking over it and constantly having to repeat myself.

Is the New Swingers at Mandalay Bay Worth Doing?

This is an attraction that I was SO excited to scope out, but I left with a bad taste in my mouth.

I felt ripped off. Shortchanged. Tricked. Bamboozled.

Was the mini golf fun? Absolutely.

Was the venue gorgeous? Again, Yes.

Was the carnival enjoyable? Sure.

That said, I found the 17-minute round of mini golf wildly overpriced, too crowded, and over-the-top loud.

The carnival was a cute add-on, but I wouldn’t do it again.

Same story with the food and drink. Fine, but spendy.

And as mentioned, I’m a realist. I know that things in Vegas are expensive. I get it.

But getting duped into tipping 20% on the cost of two self-guided activities made me feel like an absolute fool, and had a massive impact on how I felt (and still feel) about the experience.

I couldn’t shake the growing feeling of being annoyed. Nobody likes to be conned, but that’s exactly how I felt.

In total, the two of us doled out over $200 for:

• 17 minutes of mini golf
• An appetizer-sized pizza
• 2 frozen drinks
• A handful of carnival games

We did get to take home a bottle opener from the carnival, however, which we plan to share custody of.

Needless to say, I don’t feel there’s a ton of value here.

What Are Others Saying?

This is where I need to remind you that I’m just one opinion in a sea of them and that reviews that have trickled in on Google Reviews, etc. span the spectrum. Many of which are glowing.

There are also a good number that agree with my assessment.

An Alternative to Swingers at Mandalay Bay

If you’re looking for a more affordable alternative, I found Popstroke at Town Square (just south of the Strip) to be a much better value.

There, you’ll find 2 separate 18-hole mini golf courses that look and feel like a real golf course.

Better yet, a day pass costs $35-$40 (depending on the day) and you can play either of the 2 courses as many times as you want until they close up for the evening.

They also serve food and drink. 2 16oz beers only cost $17.34 before tip too! Not bad.

Related Attraction Reviews:

Atomic Golf at STRAT

Topgolf at MGM Grand