GravityGirl's Full Review: The Step2 Company Step2 Hole In One Golf Course
I first saw the Step 2 Hole in One mini-golf set at BJ's Wholesale Club a couple of months ago. There was a special offer for $29.99. Whenever I see something that catches my eye, I ask my husband to look it up on Amazon for a price comparison. Well, Amazon was selling it for $40! We saw that the sale price was effective for another month or so, and we agreed to do some research. After seeing that the reviews for this set were overwhelmingly positive, we decided to buy it.
We purchased this golf set for our oldest child, a two-year-old girl. The age range for this product is 2-8, so we knew that it would be something that she could use right away.
This golf set is easy to set up. There was some adult assembly- decal stickers to affix to the flags and obstacles. Other than that, the set could be used right out of the box.
This golf course is a par three course with three holes. Yes, that works out to each hole being a par one. As the name suggest, it is very easy for children to get a "hole in one" when playing with this set.
The set comes with many pieces: There are:
Three straight pieces of "track" and three curved pieces of track. These pieces of track have raised edges so there is no danger of the ball rolling off the track, causing young golfers to become frustrated.
Three different "greens", each with a hole. One is shaped like a funnel- the ball spirals around and around until it lands in the cup. This is, without a doubt, my daughter's favorite. She loves to put the ball on top and then say, "'Round and ‘round! ‘Round and ‘round!" Another green curves down towards the cup. My daughter calls this one the "snake". Finally, there is a third green that has the ball take one of two paths towards the cup. These three greens are all set up so that it is easy for any player to get a hole-in-one!
Three obstacles, including the quintessential minigolf obstacle- a windmill! There is also a little tunnel.
A starting block with a little divot for the ball to rest on. This holds the ball in place so it doesn't roll around while your darling golfer tries to hit it. Some of the greens have a little starting block built into the side, so you only need the one block.
Finally, the set comes with two golf clubs and two golf balls. The clubs have plastic handles and heads, but the shaft does contain metal. The golf balls are thankfully plastic.
There are also three little flags numbered 1-3 that note which hole you are playing on; they stick in the greens and can be moved around for customization.
That is probably the best thing about this set: the ability to customize. Why, if you don't want to play three holes, you can put the track pieces together to make one long track leading up to the green. The pieces attach to each other like a puzzle, or like wooden train track. My daughter can easily connect the track all by herself without any assistance. Likewise, the obstacles clip onto the sides of the track; installing them is another easy job for her.
My daughter loves playing with this set. To be quite honest, we have hidden the golf clubs. It started when her best friend came over. Between our two families, there are three infants and two toddlers. The other mother and I decided that it might be for the best if we didn't give the 2 two year olds weapons. The girls aren't rough by nature, but we wanted to avoid any accidental swings that ended with tears and blackened eyes.
Well, wouldn't you know that the girls had just as much fun playing without the clubs! They set up the track and used their hands to roll the balls down the track and up to the green. This worked out so well that I haven't returned the clubs to the set.
I like that this set is sturdy with solid pieces. I also like that it is something my daughter enjoys playing with and that she can play with by herself. Sometimes, we will play with this set together, but if I have to tend to her baby twin sisters, she can put things together by herself. In fact, if I have to feed the babies, she will often ask if she can play "golf balls". I also like that this set can be used indoors and outdoors. We have used this set on the deck and inside on the hardwood. I would guess that this set could be used on any flat surface, indoors or outdoors.
I do have one complaint. This set takes up a lot of space. The greens are fairly large, and we had trouble coming up with a storage solution for all the pieces. We started out using the box the set came in, but that took up a lot of room, and my daughter was unable to get the pieces in and out of that box. We are now using a big Rubbermaid tub- it still takes up a lot of room, and everything fits into that box, but we can't get the lid on! We are working very hard to keep our house clutter-free and to keep all the pieces of our children's toys together. I can't imagine what Step 2 expects people to do with all those pieces!
On the plus side, my daughter can take the pieces out of our bin by herself. She can even put everything away- when prompted- so I can't complain too bitterly!
I highly recommend the Step 2 Hole In One Golf set. This is a sturdy set, and my daughter just loves playing with it. I love that it will grow with her, and it will maintain its appeal as she gets older. Who doesn't love miniature golf? I love that the set can be used indoors; we live in New England and it snows a lot, so it is nice to know that we will be able to enjoy a little piece of summer even during a blizzard! My only complaint is about the storage issue. There are a lot of pieces that take up a lot of room!
Course snaps together to easily and can be rearranged to create the fairway of your choice Track walls guide the oversized ball straight to the green ...More at Amazon
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Course snaps together to easily and can be rearranged to create the fairway of your choice Track walls guide the oversized ball straight to the green ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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