We were invited down this week to visit the brand new mini-golf attraction The Hole in Wand which has recently opened in Chester City Centre but how would it fare against its York and Blackpool sister attractions?

Inspired by the Harry Potter franchise this wizarding world of mini-golf has stormed the UK with various branches popping up around the country, with three currently open in the UK and one coming later this year it’s safe to say the company is going from strength to strength in terms of its popularity.
But sadly, I can’t say the same about going from strength to strength in terms of its quality.
Chester real estate must be a very pricey affair and as a result, I was expecting a much smaller attraction than what is at The Hole in Wand York and The Hole in Wand Blackpool but I wasn’t entirely ready for just how small this particular attraction is.

Similar to a terraced house this narrow attraction stretches on for quite some distance but it’s very cramped indeed, from the cramped reception to the corridors. On quite a busy day at this brand new attraction, it was very much an overcrowded affair waiting for people to finish their shots, getting in the way of others behind you waiting to play the hole you have no choice but to stand in the middle of, the space wasn’t utilised very well at all and caused quite a bottleneck queue of people just waiting to play golf.
We’ve mentioned many times about the holes at The Hole in Wand and how unnecessarily complicated they are with not very well thought out layouts and with most of the holes being quite difficult to get the ball into with many of the holes on a slant or angle. You may find The Hole in Wand quite frustrating if you’re not a keen crazy golfer but I did find the majority of holes quite charming.

The main space (pictured above) was certainly lacking in the theming department and felt very bare compared to other Hole in Wand attractions but the unicorn corridor in addition to the first two holes were nicely themed and had a nice ambience to them.
At York the last hole was this big grand finale and at Blackpool, the last hole is more interactive with the staff but at Chester it was quite underwhelming with one stained glass piece of theming and a little audio queue that played when you triggered a sensor.

It was clear to see that this attraction was done on a much lesser budget than other Hole in Wand attractions with many vacuform pieces being used as scenic detail as opposed to more robust/permanent theming.
Whilst you may be reading this review and thinking I’m a bit of a Debbie downer I can only apologise, sadly the Chester Hole in Wand is the weakest of the attractions built so far but I’m sure there is a reason for it.

The staff were incredible but it’s hard to build up that magical atmosphere in an overly bright-lit reception but they were all very helpful and the customary Hole in Wand gift shop was well stocked.
With space being a limitation the seating area for the drinks consisted of one barrel and three chairs as opposed to a full-sized cafe at York and Blackpool but stepping away from the limitations of the location the price you pay is still an absolute bargain.

For the basic experience, you’re paying £8.49 for adults (at the time of writing) which includes 9 holes of golf and a free potion (soft drink). Children are priced at £6.99 (at the time of writing) including a free potion which is easily worth around £3.50 alone! 
Other packages include premium tickets which include magic beans / a vial of alcohol or even a souvenir guidebook. 

Whilst Hole in Wand can’t seem to wrap their heads around how to build more simplistic crazy golf holes that don’t have you turning into Happy Gilmore and wanting to trash the place, they’re still fun all the same.
It’s a small but fitting attraction and if you catch it on a quiet day you’ll have a good time but on a busy day you’re going to want to cast some dark magic on every single person around you! 

Another Chester attraction to sink your teeth into and for the price it’s hard to say no despite its obvious flaws.
Check out our VLOG of our trip to The Hole in Wand Chester and thanks to The Hole in Wand Chester for inviting us down to check it out!
 
Visit https://www.theholeinwand.com/chester/ for more information!