The Muizenberg Putt-Putt course has been around for what seems like forever. Situated next to the “Supertubes” water slides, which has become a landmark over the decades, it’s quite easy to spot on Muizenberg’s beachfront and most people will know where it is. In its heyday, this beachfront area included bumper boats, a train, a splash pool and a jungle gym area making it very popular over weekends. In the days when kids television was in its infancy, when children were often just told to play outside and there weren’t elaborate video games or animated series like today, this would be the theme park and special occasion for many families.
Even in its prime, some of the bumper cars weren’t always operational, but over the years the play park area has become a fun distraction rather than a playground attraction. The Supertubes still continues to be a wonderful amusement for kids parties over the warmer months. Having a much speedier narrow straight slide, a junior slide and a larger winding tube gives visitors options.
It hasn’t changed much, which is probably why the prices are still reasonable (R40 for one hour of use or R80 for a full day pass) when it comes to making a morning or afternoon of it. With facilitators there to manage the flow of kids and adults with someone by end pool to ensure everything goes smoothly, it’s a well-known activity, which probably deserves a second thought. A small tuck shop ensures spectators (R10 pass) can grab an ice-cream, drink or snack.
This stretch of activity areas known as the Muizenberg Beach Pavilion could be developed into something much grander. The Muizenberg beachfront’s legendary Surfer’s Corner has become a very popular weekend spot for walkers, beach-goers, students and surfers. Accommodating many surf schools, restaurants and coffee spots, the area has been built up over the last decade making it a desirable and pleasant experience even if tainted by petty crime and muggings.
While the sea-facing side of Muizenberg has been upgraded with apartment blocks spilling over onto great views of the beach, it does seem time for the catwalk side to get a similar treatment. Separated by a conference facility that seems to be dormant most of the time, one would have to guess that this particular section is leased out by the municipal council or government. Perhaps this explains why it has largely remained the same.
The Putt-Putt course hasn’t changed one bit, in fact you can probably bet that the panels are still the originals with most of the upgrade work being purely cosmetic and relegated to simple maintenance repairs. For a long time the price also remained the same, probably to prevent having to reprint R2 discount slips for winners. The Putt-Putt course did have one major revamp, which also brought about a jump in pricing.
There’s something nostalgic about visiting this venue, which almost seems like jumping back in time. The little hole-in-the-wall side café’s are cheap as chips, supplying the flake in ice cream cone from the era. The summer holiday vibe is still there and the design is dated, making the whole experience fun, breezy and easy on the pocket. For R25, you can get a putter, a golf ball, scorecard and round of 18 holes.
It’s a simple activity but remains fun when enjoyed with a group. Easy enough to enjoy for just about any age, the Putt-Putt course gives you two versions of 18 holes. Both fairly challenging, easier if you can putt in a straight line, the wear and tear on the greens and sideboards actually helps level the playing fields. It may not be perfect but it is perfunctory and enjoyable even decades later. Having made a point of visiting this little course every month or two, it’s a peaceful, pleasurable walk in the play park.
While not as popular as it was in its early days, you’ll still find many families and kids enjoying these simple pleasures. It’s encouraging to see them getting just as excited about these fun outdoor activities as they were about television or video games. It does pay to take sunscreen but at R25, it’s difficult to find better value-for-money entertainment for the whole family. You’ll be able to kill a few hours by combining the super tube with the Putt Putt and a walk on the catwalk. Why not mix things up by parking at surface corner and grabbing a coffee on a short walk over to the play park area.
One word review: Nostalgic
Muizenberg Putt-Putt Water Slides (“Supertubes”)
20a Beach Road
Muizenberg, Cape Town
Mon-Fri, 1:30pm – 5:30pm
Sat-Sun, 9:30am – 5:30pm