Hannah and Florentine (both 9 years old), who were the first to test the facility, were thrilled. "You can do a lot here and it's really fun," said Hannah. "It took us a few more strokes, but it was a lot of fun because you're outside," Florentine added. The girls also praised the design of the mini golf course: "I think it's nice that the stones were laid out in a natural way," said Florentine.

She and Hannah want to come back again soon. But there was also praise from former mini golf world and European champion Braungart Zink (40). "It is a very nicely designed course, which is also very attractive for us athletes," said the performance sports director of the German Minigolf Association. The pro rated the difficulty level as "medium." "It plays well, but you have to tee off a little stronger," Zink said.

"I am very happy that we can now open after three months of construction," said Burkhard Weis, builder and operator of the facility. Before it was all possible, the managing director of Weis Events GmbH had to apply for an array of building and other permits. "For one thing, the area is under monument protection as well as landscape protection, and there is also a flood protection zone," said Weis as he spelled out some of the stumbling blocks.

The old wooden kiosk, for example, is under monument protection and had to be restored, he said. "On the outside, the wood was re-glazed and new electricity and water lines were laid inside," Weis reported. Not yet finished is a restroom container that will later be located on the site. A building permit is still pending for that. In the meantime, a mobile lavatory was installed at the entrance. It will also be accessible to visitors at the Rheinaue.

Much time and money went into the planning of the mini golf park, with at least ten years running time, said Weis. It encompasses approximately 2,500 square meters of surface. In addition to the "ecologically certified artificial turf", only natural materials such as wood and stone were used, he said.

Dirk Dötsch, owner of the Rheinaue Park Restaurant, said that the new adventure golf course and other recreational facilities in the Rheinaue in Bonn now offer a wide range of activities. Especially since the demand for recreational activities among visitors has changed over the years. "That's why it was important for us to recreate the miniature golf course," said Dötsch.

Stefan Günther, head of the sports and swimming department, emphasized that mini golf is a recognized sport. For that reason, the facility fits ideally into the city of Bonn's physical fitness concept and will attract many new players. With regard to environmental and monument protection, Dieter Fuchs from the Office for the Environment and Urban Greenery, said this, "We are pleased that the place looks tidy again."

In keeping with the pirate theme, the operators have come up with a female mascot in the form of „Krake Käthe“ ("Käthe the Octopus"), who smiles from the posters, wearing a pearl necklace, eye patch and pink headscarf. As the course progresses, "Käthe" tells her story as to why the pirate ship "Hoppetossa" ultimately became a wreck and got stranded in the Rheinaue. "The course is aimed at both children and adults, because in terms of the level of play, it is more challenging than conventional mini-golf courses," Weis emphasized.

In a normal mini-golf course, he said, the holes are between six and nine meters long. At the adventure golf course, on the other hand, they are over 20 meters long in some cases. "The obstacles are very special - for example, you play across a stream or down from the deck of the pirate ship." The entire mini golf course was built by a special facility builder from southern Germany. A sandy beach with deck chairs was also incorporated to entice visitors to stay awhile. "After years of standstill in this area, "Rheinpiraten" should become a new highlight in the Rheinaue," exclaimed Weis.

(Orig. text: Niklas Schröder/Translation: ck)