Holey Moley Scores a Hole in One For Netflix

Perhaps the best way to describe Netflix’s show Holey Moley, is that this is what you’d get if someone took mini golf, Wipeout, a sportscast, and then combined them. However, as you begin watching Holey Moley, you’ll soon find out that this description is only a broad overview, as this show is far too complex to easily summarize with its anarchic spirit and general penchant for chaos.

The basic premise of each episode is simple. Eight contestants compete against each other for the chance at a $25,000 grand prize, the “coveted plaid jacket,” and a golden putter. The finale of each season features the winner of each of the subsequent episodes competing against each other for the same prizes, with the exception of ten times the amount of cash at $250,000.

Holey Moley features the commentary of hosts Joe Tessitore and none other than fellow Shawnee Mission South graduate Rob Riggle. It’s good to see the local representation, although Riggle’s commentary is also particularly wry, off-beat, and hilarious, and it features some of his best work since his Daily Show days. Riggle also plays himself on the show in robot form as “Rob the Robot.” Robot Rob features Riggle’s commentary streamed via an LCD screen that’s embedded into the head of a robotic golf ball hitting machine.

Above: Trailer For Holey Moley Featuring Hosts Joe Tessitore & Rob Riggle

Of all the elements of Holey Moley, its course design is the area that shines the brightest. Of its four seasons, you’ll often see courses repeated, although to keep things fresh, the show changes elements of these courses, as is the case on what I like to refer to on its signature course, Dutch Courage.

Dutch Courage is perhaps the most classic of mini golf courses—the dreaded windmill course. What kind of mini golf show would Holey Moley be without this course? Likewise, contestants must shoot their balls through not one, but two massive windmills. It sounds simple enough, except after doing so, they’ll then need to run through both windmills without getting hit by its spinning blades and getting knocked off the course. If contestants are knocked off the course, then there’s a one stroke penalty.

Above: A contestent is knocked off-course on Dutch Courage

What you’ll quickly find out about Dutch Courage, is that there’s something deeply satisfying about watching a mild-mannered elementary school teacher getting completely decked by a massive windmill blade. It’s here that I’ve often found myself thinking, You know, you really should of timed that one better!

For whatever reason, Dutch Courage is a course that never gets old. Even so, The Holey Moley team end up modifying the course several times, including lighting the windmills on fire, and later even adding a moat to the course. The course is also the scene of one of the show’s hole in ones, as well as the site of an on-course romance that occurs between a contestant and staff member.

Things start heating up even further on Dragon’s Breath, a course where contestants don fire suits and not-so fire-resistant capes. It’s then that they have dragons shoot fire at them before beginning the course. No worries though, as Holey Moley staff are on-hand with fire extinguishers as things get out of hand several times. This is the most extreme course on Holey Moley, and it is a bit shocking to see it the first time around, although I give the team credit for at least taking the safety of the contestants at least somewhat seriously.

In a similar vein to Dragon’s Breath, is Frankenputt—a course where golfers are affixed with a shock collar and then they are shocked every time they miss a putt. On one episode Rob Riggle decides to get syncronized with the shock collar that one of the mini golfers is wearing, so he keeps getting shocked each time they miss a putt. Joe Tessitore is critical of the decision and Riggle is not even sure why he decided to put the shock collar on. It’s a particularly hilarious and ridiculous moment and reflective of the show’s irreverent nature.

A short, but another wildly entertaining hole, is The Distractor. Golfers must simply make a single putt, but they must do so while distracted. The second golfer has the opportunity to match the first golfer if the first golfer makes the first putt, although if the second golfer misses, then that golfer is eliminated. The hole thrives on the element of surprise. Some of my favorite distractions have included a baseball game, sumo wrestlers, male strippers, Travis Kelce, can can dancers, and my favorite—Kenny G. This is a genius idea, and yes it’s actually Kenny G. that shows up and starts playing his signature smooth jazz.

Ready for a break from the action? Enter Hole No. 2, which involves mini golfers first shooting their golf balls across a long line of port a-potties. After this, they have a few seconds to race across them. If they aren’t fast enough, someone inside will open the door and they’ll get decked off course and into the water. I should also note that in a later season, The Holey Moley team has kindly re-labeled the water as sewage and it’s now a nice sludge brown color, which should further incentivize you to quickly make your way across the great wall of port a-potties. As always, if you get knocked off the course, it will be a one stroke penalty.

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At one point in the show, Riggle announces that they’ve taken a vote on the most popular holes on Holey Moley, and the most popular hole turns out to be the hole Uranus. It is at this point that Riggle cannot resist making a slew of Uranus jokes, which then becomes a running theme. If you’re thinking it’s a very middle school thing to do, then you’re exactly right, although the jokes are still highly entertaining, and even Joe Tessitore can’t help but laugh.

There are so many other great things about Holey Moley. I should also add that the show stars NBA superstar Stephen Curry, who has several segments on the show and who is also a major contributor to the show’s course design.

Former Olympic diver Greg Louganis is also a part of the show, as is comedian John Lovitz. You’ll also find various other celebrity cameos. Just when you think you’ve seen everything on the show, Holey Moley will find some way to surprise you, which is one of the show’s biggest strengths.

Holey Moley is a rare gem of a show, and it is one of the best shows to be on Netflix. At its core, Holey Moley is still about miniature golf though—and it never loses that focus. Its greatest strength is not in asking, “Why are we doing this?” but in asking, “Why aren’t we doing this?” If it can find a way to push the envelope, then it’s going to do that. It’s a show that dares to see the world in a new light, and by doing so, it has created something truly special in the process—and that’s both magical and profound.