I Have An Axe To Grind...

April 07, 2023

I Have An Axe To Grind...

Strike that. I Have An Axe To ~~Grind~~ Throw. Definitely more than one. Preferably at a target or a balloon. How about you make it a competition and add in a few drinks. Oh, that's a thing already? My mistake.

Ok fine, I already knew that but perhaps you didn't. So for those of you that are new to the idea and others who might have heard about it before but have never gone, let me fill you in on the fun that is axe throwing.

Axe Throwing companies and ranges are available throughout New York City and Long Island. I have personally been to two before - both in Brooklyn - but have also bought gift cards for my niece and nephew to go to NY Axe Throwing in Farmingdale. I am not going to speak much to that one, except for saying that their reviews of the place and experience were stellar. They had nothing but great comments to make after their time at the range. Which is similar to how I felt after I went to Bury the Hatchet and Kick Axe Throwing.

My two experiences were completely different, but each fun in their own ways.

Bury the Hatchet

This was the first time I participated in any real organized Axe Throwing experience. I've thrown an axe once or twice before at various fairs in the past, but never when it was the real focus of the night.

For this adventure, I gathered a group of my closest friends to meet up in Brooklyn for a friendly competition. At the time, Bury the Hatchet was not serving alcoholic drinks so we stopped in a local laundromat pinball bar for a quick drink before heading over. I figured one beer or cocktail would loosen us up and prepare us to laugh all night at our terrible axe throwing skills.

We had a group of 10 people, so we were able to get a private range with two targets side by side. They set us up with an instructor that walked us through how to throw the axe safely and correctly. He also taught us the different games we would be playing and oversaw the competitions. We had an amazing time with it - everyone taking their turns and enjoying themselves; no one really caring how good or bad each other did (or if some of us cheated, cough::Billy::cough). We were, however, all pleasantly surprised with how good Josh was at throwing axes and joked that it must have come naturally to him since he grew up on a farm in Illinois.

Overall they had enough variety in the games they offered to keep everyone entertained and engaged. For some of them you wanted to be the team to get the most points; others you were aiming for specific spots on the targets; and one you were even trying to pop the balloons they had set up for you.

It was a great group activity and I would highly recommend getting your friends together for this one.

Kick Axe Throwing

A couple of years later, Craig's sister got us a gift certificate to go to Kick Axe Throwing. She had taken our niece and nephew there with some of their friends and she thought it would be right up our alley (or in this case, range 🤣). And she was right.

This time around Craig and I thought it would be fun to go ourselves and turn the experience into a date. Out of the two place, Kick definitely had the better ambiance for a one-on-one adventure. When you walked in, you immediately felt like you were transported to a cute rustic cabin / lodge. They had a small bar set up where we were able to order drinks and then take them to our reserved range.

The games we played were similar to the ones at Bury The Hatchet, but we had a bit more of a competition going with this one (a fun and friendly competition full of love of course). Just being two people, we each had a lot more time and chances to throw axes - which was both good and bad. I could definitely see myself getting better the more turns I took, but I could also feel my arms getting more sore and tired with each round.

Craig and I had a great time playing together and it made for a unique and different date experience. It helped that I won (at least that's how I like to remember it!).