Trombetta’s Farm - Marlborough, MA
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Score: 66/100
Would we play this course again? No.
Should you play this course? Yes.
The Takeaway: Tucked inside a combination nursery-ice cream-antiques shop, the course at Trombetta’s Farm in Marlborough, MA is a relatively cozy, unique, and family-friendly 18-hole indoor mini golf course. Nestled inside a large greenhouse packed with plants, trees and rock pathways, you may at times feel as if you’re wandering through a garden in your peculiar Great Aunt’s backyard, with an eclectic but pleasant vibe that permeates the round. With an abundance of foliage, antiques at one end, ice cream at the other, and a roof overhead, this course can feel compact. If you go during a busy time or are accompanied by a group of children, you may find yourself longing for elbow room. The golf itself is decent enough given the spatial limitations. Some holes present a nice challenge and are worthy of replay while others are forgettable. Still, you can’t downplay the benefit of being able to play mini golf when it’s pouring rain outside. And ultimately, with a welcoming ambiance, water fountains, neat greens, and tasty ice cream, Trombetta’s Farm should leave you in a calmer and probably more oxygenated condition than when you arrived.
Trombetta’s Farm in Marlborough
TECHNICAL REVIEW
Let’s dive right into a discussion of basics. The immediate impression of this course is that staff here definitely put in effort to keep the course clean and tidy. There was little to no debris anywhere on the greens and the walkways to and from each hole were easily recognizable and without trash or obstructions. In terms of the holes, metal tin cups are used uniformly throughout and are nicely installed on the greens, and there are no rubber starting mats used that impede initial putts. The greens themselves are of the rug-style variety with a moderately high pile; however, unlike at other inside courses with a similar style of greens (Monster Golf comes to mind), this particular rug model, though sluggish, still feels acceptable for mini golf. Greens are free from rips and tears, and most importantly your ball generally goes in the direction you putt it without any wonky, frustrating micro-detours that one sometimes finds on mini golf greens.
There were a couple of holes that had some water staining (or actual rainwater) on them. However, to be fair, when we golfed here it was during a very heavy rainstorm, and this course is located in a greenhouse after all. The borders of all the holes with the exception of small areas are comprised of bricks typically used in patios. These smooth and consistent borders helped provide predictable bank shots and friendly bounces. One aspect worthy of mention is that the 18th hole is a true hole. Too many times we see courses sacrifice a proper 18th hole for a mere ball-return type hole. Trombetta’s Farm gives you a real last hole to finish your round and trusts that you will return your 50-cent loaner ball to the front.
The 1st Hole
As far as hole designs, this is not the most creative or exciting course you will find. Holes tend toward a shorter length with a small obstacle in the middle or small bank shot that you need to navigate. As the course works its way around a central water feature in a horseshoe-shaped configuration, there are a couple of tunnels and ramps but no overwhelming infrastructure features or grand, sweeping elevation changes that will catch your eye. However with the use of garden foliage, water features, stone walls, white picket fences and antique-style obstacles, this course’s overall atmosphere help elevate the mostly humble hole design.
As you work your way through the front nine (red flags with hole numbers mark the front nine, and blue flags are used for the back nine, a nice distinguishing touch), the sound of running water and high relative humidity from the greenhouse you’re in creates a soothing experience not unlike going to bed early, turning on your white noise sound machine and humidifier, and resting comfortably in the knowledge that for at least one night you can masquerade as a responsible adult who is heeding the advice of the roughly 13 million healthy lifestyle content creators on Instagram. Anyhow, here’s some action from the 8th hole below:
In terms of difficulty, Trombetta’s Farm will not challenge you too much mentally or have you staring at your ball wondering just where you should hit it. The majority of the holes do not require much heavy analysis, trigonometry, or multi-variable calculus. The relatively narrow width on most holes and nice brick borders provides favorable bounces and easy second shots. The type of greens in use here also provide some relief for the putting-challenged. Since it is a relatively high-pile rug (see picture below), there is a noticeable difference between putting here and at the fast-paced turf you would typically find at most courses. The greens here are on the sluggish side so you do not need to be too cautious about the speed of your putts and can more aggressively attack the hole.
There are a couple of tricky holes that may pique your interest. Of note is the 9th hole, which is designed so you have to hit your ball up a ramp which drops off and then the hole runs slightly downhill for another 7 feet. The cup is only a few feet away from another drop off point, so if you carry too much speed off the ramp, you run the risk of having your ball roll past the hole and all the way towards the lower tiered back of the green. If you try to play it safe with a more gentle approach, you run the risk of the ball never making it to the top of the ramp, at which point it will slowly roll back towards you in dramatic, embarrassing fashion and you will have to start the process all over again (see the video below). In our humble and unsolicited opinion this was the best hole at Trombetta’s Farm since it requires finesse and made us pause and fire-up the precious limited gray matter that exists in our brains before hitting our putts. There is a satisfying element to this hole since you have to earn your score.
Approaching the 13th, you may be looking at your scorecard feeling like you’ve figured it all out and perhaps you even feel a level of boredom set in. However, the 13th hole will not let you continue sleepwalking through the back nine. The design has you hit your ball roughly 10 feet straight ahead and setup up for a hard right turn and a second leg that extends another 15 feet over a slightly elevated ramp towards the hole. What makes this hole challenging is that it offers no kind tee shot bank angles and makes you (likely) settle for a layup putt (in mini golf this can feel like a defeat).
This layup shot also needs precision: if you hit your ball with too much power and it rolls back you will have to hit a second layup shot, at which point even the most even-tempered individuals are likely to put their hands to their head and commence muttering. To add some intrigue, those ubiquitous friendly brick borders mentioned previously are not here on certain parts of this hole. Instead there are rocks which provide bounces that are about as reliable as Tom Brady’s crypto currency business that he’s trying to sell us on. Even if you do hit your layup shot accurately, the second shot is still 15 feet away. Putters who play this hole patiently and accurately will still most likely end up with a 3 as a score. You can watch greed get the better of one of us below.
The holes on the back nine do provide plenty of opportunities for hole in ones, although they can be more difficult to come by than expected. On the 11th you’re putting under a barrel held up by an old-fashioned wooden stand. Near misses and heartbreak are the most probable outcome even if you navigate the stand correctly. On holes 12 through 18, Trombetta’s serves up several more tantalizingly manageable holes where you may or may not be rewarded with hole in ones. As you make your way towards the end of the round, there is a nagging feeling of monotony. This feeling could be attributed to the similar length of the holes; outside of a couple of holes, the majority are on the shorter side and are very manageable two putts for all players. Combined with the friendly circumstances with the brick borders, no starting mat and a sluggish putting surface, Trombetta’s Farm has done their best to set you up for indoor mini golf success.
Trying to summarize Trombetta’s Farm is a bit of a challenge. On one hand, there are several features that work well, but we were also left wanting more. More often than not (depending on your skill level), you will miss your first shot and end up with a comfortable second shot and overall low scores for the round. This pattern can become repetitive and a tad frustrating if you are trying to be competitive with your fellow players and take joy in their suffering (or, conversely, experience suffering in their joy). If you are with your kids or are babysitting your nephew for the third godamn weekend in a row, the straightforward holes here may be a blessing. And to be fair to the course, the setting is a peaceful indoor garden. We ought to remind ourselves that it should come as no surprise that this course isn’t a stressful high-stakes mini golf course that crushes children’s dreams. And, to give this course credit it does a nice job playing to that strength. Indeed the sound of running water can be heard at nearly ever hole and combined with the foliage this course provides a nice environment and escape from our daily troubles.
APPENDIX
There is a fair amount of satisfaction that comes with experiencing the different flavors of mini golf courses and ice cream available across Massachusetts. Trombetta’s Farm is certainly unique, quaint and well taken care of. It may not be the most tantalizing course or leave you with stories of mini golf glory and wonder, but this place has a good soul. We recommend swinging (literally and figuratively) by on a laid back day with inclement weather and enjoying 18 holes of pleasant mini golf. Hopefully, you’ll have better luck than us getting hole-in-ones and if you need a recommendation, the cookies ‘n cream ice cream was fantastic.
Although Trombetta’s Farm will likely not be a top-10 mini golf course in Massachusetts when all is said and done and this statewide mini golf review journey we are on is complete, it’s still worth a drive out to play it due to its uniqueness and overall ambiance. And rather than rile kids up with holes adorned with pirates or clowns, this serene garden setting may perhaps gently introduce them to horticulture and antiquing. Or perhaps your kids will just pick up the loose rocks surrounding each hole and throw them at each other. We really can’t make any guarantees.
