During the last week of school holidays I took the kids to Holey Moley Darlinghurst. They had loved Holey Moley Newtown so much that I knew I had to take them again and I had been waiting all holiday for the perfect day.
My kids LOVE Holey Moley. Love it!!
This post is specific about Holey Moley Darlinghurst so if you’re looking for information on Newton read the Holey Moley Newton post which is HERE. For more information on the other holey moleys, well you’ve got me there, you’ll have to wait until we visit them first.
Go with the kids or without! It’ll be fun regardless.
What is Holey Moley
(Just by way of introduction, if you don’t know what Holey Moley is.) Holey Moley golf clubs are putt putt venues that are a little out of the ordinary.
Essentially each Holey Moley is putt putt in a pub space. It may sound a little strange but it actually makes for an awesome game because instead of going long and wide, you have to go up and over!
Instead of being outdoor and stretched out over a few hundred square metres this course has had to introduce some novel features to limit the amount of space that is needed.
Instead of just relying on greens and clubs, you get to send the ball through games, along planks and past random objects using your own club, handles and clubs attached to the “course”.
I’m going to set out some examples of the course so you understand what I mean.
Holey Moley Darlinghurst
Holey Moley Darlinghurst has one up on Holey Moley Newtown for two reasons:
- it has 27 holes, not just 18; and
- there is some great natural light from the big windows that overlook Kings Cross.
The downside however is PARKING. There is virtually none in that area so it’s a bit of a pain if you drive in. If you want to take public transport, it’s golden though because it’s across the road from a train station.
The two most important things you need to know about for visiting or in anticipation of the visit is:
- Where to find the entrance.
- Which is the better of the courses to play. We checked all three out before deciding which two to play.
- What you need to know before you visit. (There are 2 important things there too.)
I’ll start from the bottom and work up through that list.
Just so you know, the proper name for these courses is Holey Moley Golf Club and there are a few scattered around New South Wales and Victoria. I’m really holding thumbs that one opens on Sydney’s North Shore or Northern Beaches, that would be awesome.
Holey Moley is for adults and kids. So remember no under 18s after 5pm.
What you need to know before you visit Holey Moley Darlinghurst
Phone before you go
First up, you need to phone to make sure that it is not closed for a private function. Secondly, you need to phone to make sure it’s not going to be chaotic!
If you’re planning on going school holidays phone them first and check that there is no school holiday care program visiting on the day you visit. We visited one of the Holey Moleys the same day as a school holiday program and it was awful.
There is not enough space to separate yourself from the other hundreds of kids if this is happening. We learnt the hard way with this!
The same goes for birthday parties which would probably happen over the weekends. You don’t want to visit on a day when there are lots of birthday parties.
Check for discounts
When the women in front of me stepped up to pay, she pulled out all these $5 off vouchers. I would SO love to know where she got them from. If you know – please drop me a line, either on my email or in the comments below.
The other place to check is on their website because on some days of the week they have different things happening. You can check out the Holey Moley website here.
The last place to check is when you phone them as suggested above. Sometimes they don’t have the specials on the website. I know for a fact that during school holidays there is a 2 for 1 special where the kids can play 2 sets of 9 holes for the price of 1. Makes it a really worthwhile experience.
The courses at Holey Moley Darlinghurst
I’m not going to set out every hole in every course because I don’t want to spoil it all for you. I will just give give you a few details of some holes so that you know what to expect and why it’s such a cool place.
If you’re play more than one course:
You will get a different scorecard for each round because there is a different par for the different holes.
Hole number 9 will swallow your ball so you will get given a new token to get a new ball out of the gumball machine. I know this sounds crazy, but you’ll find out what I mean when you get there.
Course 1: Money, Money, Money
We were told this is a casino theme but it’s not really. There may be elements of a casino about but it’s way more about money than just a casino. There is a fast, flashy car and evidence of a bull market.
We didn’t play this course because it wasn’t as visually appealing to the kids as the two others so I can’t describe the course in detail. Here’s a tiny sample of what is on offer on that course:
- You can play through a money box – you know one of those glass boxes where they shoot the money up into the air.
- There is a roulette table that somehow you have to get around.
- Start on a pool table and work your way back onto the actual course.
- There is a car that has crashed into the wall on hole 6.
Looking back through my photos, it may not be the most appealing looking to kids but it certainly would have been fun to play because of these different elements.
The other bonus to this course, in comparison to the others is that it is spread over a larger area so more room to move and the holes seem to be just a little longer.
In hindsight maybe we should have played this one.
Course 2: Castlerocks
I’m not sure I really understand the title of this course but this was the first one my kids saw and demanded that we play it.
Hole 1: Children of the Pawn
On this hole you have to play around chess pieces – pawns – to get the ball in the hole.
This is probably not the best looking course to start out on or to take children to but hopefully they don’t actually notice the “Children of the Corn” connotations.
Holes 2 and 3
These two holes are the reason my daughter calls this “disco golf” both of these holes are in the dark with neon paint on the walls and course.
One of my favourites was hole 3 where you have to get the ball in a square hole. While my kids didn’t really seem that surprised by it, as an adult, I found it really unusual and amusing.
Hole 4: The Upside Down Room
I have always wanted to go to one of those museums that are upside down and this was a little taste of that. On this hole you have to put your way through an upside down room where the light is on the floor.
Hole 5: Aargh me Heartees
Tee off and get your ball to roll along the plank so that it lands up where it needs to go. My daughter loved that it was a tiny boat with a tiny door and got down on the floor to inspect it all.
Hole 8: Golf for Ants
Think of a human size Ant Farm (not one that fits humans, just one as big as a human). You drop the ball in the top and it wiggles its way down out onto the hole.
Course 2: Hamster Hill
This was the second set of 9 that we played. Neither of the courses took us as long as the Newtown ones did but this was the shorter of the Darlinghurst 2 we tried.
Hole 2: Peg Norman
This hole is reminiscent of the fun holes at Holey Moley Newtown. You start by placing the ball up high and then using a stuck up golf club to swing back and hit the ball down through a maze.
Hole 3: Putt out of Hell
This has to be have been one of the best holes. You have to try putt through the spinning wheels of a motorbike. A real life-size motorbike.
Hole 4: Mazed and Confused
The more I work through the photos I took, the more I realise how much fun it all was. There were lots of great holes.
This is another of the best holes! Both kids absolutely loved this and I think it was the most interactive for them and took them the longest.
In this hole there are two giant wooden tables and you have to move the tables from side to side to get your ball to avoid some of the ball holes and to end up in the good hole all the way at the end. I realise this makes no sense but when you see it, it will become perfectly clear.
Hole 5: Operation
Do you know that game operation? It’s the game where you have to remove objects from the man’s body without touching him. This course is a bigger version of that instead in this game you have to try get your ball all the way past all the holes and gaps in his body to his mouth.
Hole 9: Fresh Prince
The whole hole is a tiny ramp which you hit your ball up to try get it to lift off and jump into a hole in a chair. But the chair in question is one styled like the Fresh Prince’s chair.
If you’re playing with kids, stand far far away because the ball hits that ramp and can go anywhere. I learnt the hard way playing the 9th hole at Holey Moley Newtown which has a game of thrones chair like this.
Where is Holey Moley Darlinghurst (and more specifically the actual entrance)
You know this entrance issue is a real problem because it even comes up in a google search as a preferred question.
Actual Address
Holey Moley Darlinghurst is at 82 – 94 Darlinghurst Road, Potts Point, NSW 2011.
It’s in that tall building with the big coke sign on the front.
The building is bordered by Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross Road, Bayswater Road and Penny Lane.
Parking
There is virtually no parking in this area. It’s a nightmare if you drive in from over the bridge. While there are some 2 hour spots they are mainly occupied.
You can try on street parking on Kings Cross Road.
There is also a parking garage at 88 Bayswater but it is exorbitant.
Where is this place’s entrance
The entrance to Holey Moley Darlinghurst is so easy to miss! It is on Darlinghurst Road towards the Bayswater end.
Because it’s above street level, the entrance on the street is just a tiny gap between the entrance to Coles and the corner of Bayswater Road.
Opening Hours and Prices
Before visiting, when you phone as I have suggested above, make sure its not closed for a private function.
Opening Hours
This is a strange thing – the website says noon but when we visited we were there at 11 and it was open. Maybe it was a school holiday thing.
| Monday to Thursday | Noon to Midnight |
| Friday to Sunday | 11am to midnight |
Prices
9 holes is $16 per person and 18 is $32 per person. As I said above, look out for the special deals!
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For more pictures of Holey Moley Newtown, head to the AllThingsMomSydney Facebook Page or Instagram Profile. You’ll see loads of pictures of the two courses.
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Love putt putt or mini golf like us? We also love the Pittwater Golf Centre Mini Golf Course.
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