New South Sound Rec Center Opens for Mini Golf and Family Activities

The new PenMet Parks Recreation Center is available to everyone — and there’s no need to live inside district lines to drop in for some fun. Whether guests are from the Kitsap Peninsula or across the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, this new Gig Harbor destination is an open invitation to play and belong. 

My kids and I had been hearing about it since construction began in 2023. Crews built new buildings and renovated old spaces on the site, transforming a former driving range and golf center on the south end of town into a full recreation campus with a mini golf course. We finally got to visit ahead of the official July 1 opening. 

Mini golf at the rec center 

Since mini golf is cool and oh-so-rare in Gig Harbor, it was something we couldn’t wait to check out. Obstacles shaped like the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, a mini lighthouse, salmon swimming upstream, and even the historic Skansie Netshed in Salish Sea-blue stretching over a water feature, were all highlights along the course. 

We paid at a little blue trailer at the entrance to the course, located at the opening of the black fence around the course. Neighborhood Greens has its own separate hours, entrance and pricing. It doesn’t accept reservations, so we just showed up and hoped there wasn’t a line. We paid our entry fee and then picked out our golf ball and club, all in the cutest nautical-themed structure. The setup is an Instagrammer’s dream — a rainbow of colors for the clubs and matching baskets of golf balls sorted by hue. 

The course was beautiful. It doesn’t have any animated features like the blocky windmill of doom featured at the California Golf n’ Stuff from my childhood. But there are a ton of things to look at, and there are still challenges such as sand traps (watch smaller kids at those), slopes and even the challenge of hitting the ball into a lighthouse. Another favorite was hitting the ball across a log for a handy shortcut. 

I was delighted halfway through when my son noticed the little ball-lifting cup attached to the bottom of the flagstick within each hole — and my 40-something mom back was especially grateful not to have to bend over to fish the ball out every time. 

Something to keep in mind: While I want to say the course is stroller- and wheelchair-friendly because it’s relatively flat throughout, unfortunately there are no dedicated exits off each hole on the putting green itself. And, wheels would be hindered by the raised brick that borders and separates each section. Sure, you can lift most strollers up and over a brick, but can you with a wheelchair? 

Navigating the new campus 

There’s more to the rec center than just the open-air mini golf course. The campus has a mostly easy layout, consisting of PenMet’s office building, the separate rec center building, and a large open outdoor event lawn stretched between them. There’s also an extension to the area’s most popular walking and biking path. 

Fair warning to first-timers: It’s easy to confuse PenMet’s office building with the rec center building because both have sleek, industrial finishes with clean lines and gray siding. One key difference is that the rec center is notably larger and has a two-part rectangular design. 

I mention this because of the campus’s two free public parking lots, we chose to park beside the mini golf course on 24th Street Northwest, which happened to be the area closest to the office. We could have skipped entering the wrong building (and several minutes of antsy kids asking the same questions on repeat) had we looked at the property map beforehand. 

Inside the rec center 

We started our rec center visit where most families probably will — in the bright, airy lobby in front of the check-in desk, where a friendly staff member greeted us. My research prior to visiting laid out the numbers: a 17-acre site, an 18-hole mini golf course, a 58,000-square-foot facility, a 175-foot indoor field, and to top it all off, a $31.6 million project that now stands as PenMet’s largest to date. Numbers are handy, but actually being there told a different story — one much cooler than a few stats. The rec center is really about fun ways to stay active together. And, the coolest part? Kids age 11 and older can be dropped off at the rec center without a parent. All they have to do is check in at the front desk with their punch pass (and waiver already signed). 

My kids, ages 11 and 9, were immediately drawn to the fieldhouse, a large swath of bright green synthetic turf, rounded barriers and modern lines ideal for soccer and field sports. We watched a group of younger kids sprint across the green on the heels of their older siblings while another family set up for a quick soccer game at the opposite end. Soccer fields and courts were just some of the activities the public identified as top priorities during PenMet’s community feedback sessions a few years ago. 

On the other side of the rec center building were three courts with shiny floors, marked in color-coded boundary lines for basketball, pickleball and volleyball, with nets for each in position or ready to drop. There’s a non-marking shoe policy posted to keep the floors scuff-free. Between our Skechers and Nikes, I think we were fine. There was no official shoe inspection. 

Well, not one that we noticed anyway. Our little family of four was too busy playing a game of sorta-kinda-pickleball that involved a casual rally, which Google tells me is the correct sports-person verb for hitting the ball back and forth over the net. It was fun seeing how long we could keep the ball going (hint: not that long). Let’s just say it was a win if we rallied more than three times consecutively. Oh, we also borrowed the ball and rackets from the front desk for free (which is their current policy). They have balls and gear for all the related courts and fields there. 

Competitive family games 

After that, we turned in our ball and paddles in exchange for four basketballs, one for each of us. Bowen, my husband, recommended we play “P.I.G.” In case you haven’t played that lately (or, like me, never heard of this alleged three-letter game-cousin to a round of “H.O.R.S.E.”), this game begins with one player taking the first shot from any spot on the court. If they miss, it’s the next person’s turn. But if they make it, everyone else has to attempt the same shot. Miss that, and you get a letter: first “P,” then “I,” then “G.” Spell “P.I.G.,” and you’re out. It’s a mostly simple, fun way to test your shooting skills as a group — and to challenge your kids (and husband) to match your best shots. Highlight: my son made two 2-point shots and my daughter had great form. 

Multipurpose rooms and the second-story track 

Near the end of the basketball game, I wandered off to explore the main corridor to check out the rentable lockers, restrooms and a few multipurpose rooms. Most were lights-out with closed doors, except one that appeared to have just hosted a painting class. 

The rec rooms will have programming for everyone from preschoolers to seniors, with offerings like crafting classes, workshops and group fitness sessions. (Anyone else hoping for a 1980s aerobics class, complete with Madonna vibes and awesome neon sweatbands?) I love the idea of community center classes taking place in one central location and imagining the variety one might witness passing by the fun and creative sessions, room by room. 

Elsewhere, another detail I admired — besides the full-length fisherman’s net room divider as a nod to harbor history — was the second-story indoor track designed to be free for everyone to use, no punch-pass required. 

The track circles the top perimeter of the sports courts, and is reachable by stairs or elevator. Its floor has marked lanes and a policy to walk or jog clockwise or counterclockwise, depending on the posted schedule, so no one bumps into each other. We walked it and the flooring underfoot felt good — not too soft or springy, but not too hard either. From up there, we also had a bird’s-eye view of nearly every corner of the building. I definitely recommend that view for prime people-watching on a rainy day. 

Exploring Cushman Trail 

During our visit, we walked over to see the Cushman Trail’s new extension on the rec center campus. This paved pedestrian and bike path runs beneath Tacoma Power’s transmission lines through the Gig Harbor area and is one of the most popular paved paths around. It has been managed by PenMet Parks and the city of Gig Harbor since 2011. 

The entrance to the Cushman Trail extension is also near the mini golf course, with parking for it in the same lot, but along the tree line adjacent to 24th Street Northwest (inside the parking lot). The trail extension spans almost a half-mile through the rec center site and nearly completes a connection to the Scott Pierson Trail that crosses the newer Narrows Bridge side. 

Planning a return visit 

Overall, I was struck by how the entire recreation center feels intentional — how each part, from the turf field to the free upper-level track, was shaped by community voices. There’s no pool, which is another big community want, but there’s a ton of other cool stuff that I know we’ll be back for in no time. 

Before we left, we rested in the lobby with colorful sports drinks from the cashless vending machine. The kids chatted about coming back for drop-in pickleball and maybe a summer camp. I felt grateful that a place like this exists — a gathering spot built not just for sports but for art, fitness, connection, and a bit of local landmark nostalgia. 

A new playground and more recreational activities in Gig Harbor 

PenMet’s rec center is not to be confused with the other new rec spot in town: the Gig Harbor Sports Complex. That field, court and playground project, located at 10660 Harbor Hill Dr. on the north end of town, is a phased collaboration between the City of Gig Harbor and the YMCA of Pierce and Kitsap counties. 

In June, its new playground debuted with the name Doris Heritage Park, in honor of a local athlete who became the first official women’s international cross-country champion in 1967. With its accessible play features and a giant net climber, the playground is a good one.