Miniature golf

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Miniature golf

Miniature golf, also known as mini-golf, minigolf, midget golf, goofy golf, extreme golf, or crazy golf is a game modelled after the sport of golf. The term putt-putt is a trademark of a miniature golf company, but is commonly used to describe the sport of miniature golf.

1 Origins
2 Post-Depression
3 Competition is Tight
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Origins

There are a variety of miniature golf courses, five of which are officially recognised: the most common of these are beton and eternit. As in golf, courses are commonly nine or eighteen holes long (or less commonly twelve) and the object is to hit the golf ball into the appropriate hole in the fewest strokes; however, in the miniature game, the holes are significantly shorter and consist of only a putting surface. The game is made challenging by an arrangement of obstacles, ramps, and bunkers. It is a popular pastime in many areas of the world, especially among families.

The first miniature golf course is often misattributed to one of two epochs:

The 1916 backyard Thistle Dhu ("This'll Do") course in Pinehurst, North Carolina, or;
The 1927 Tom Thumb patent of Garnet Carter from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee

Neither of these courses—though each revolutionary in its own right—was the true "first" miniature golf course. The Ladies' Putting Club of St. Andrews, Scotland was the first miniature golf course, formed in 1867. Then, it was unacceptable for women to swing a club past their shoulders, so a miniature version of regulation golf was adapted for women to play^{[citation needed]}.

Miniature golf rose to popularity in the late 1910s and early 1920s as a way for early golf fanatics to replicate major golf courses on a small scale. The game was commonly called "garden golf," and was played with a putter on grass. Thomas McCulloch Fairbairn, a golf fanatic, revolutionized the game in 1922 with his formulation of a suitable artificial green—a mixture of cottonseed hulls, sand, oil, and dye. With this discovery, miniature golf became accessible everywhere; by the late 1920s there were over 150 rooftop courses in New York City alone.

Mini golf amounted to a popular culture craze in the first years of the Depression but its popularity waned dramatically by 1935 or so.

[edit] Post-Depression

In 1938 Joe and Robert Taylor from Binghamton, New York started building and operating their own miniature golf courses. These courses differed from the ones in the late 20s and early 30s; they were no longer just rolls, banks, and curves, with an occasional pipe thrown in. Their courses not only had landscaping, but also obstacles, including windmills, castles, and wishing wells.

Impressed by the quality of the courses, many customers asked if the Taylors would build a course for them. By the early 1940s, Joe and Bob formed Taylor Brothers, and were in the business of building miniature golf courses and supplying obstacles to the industry. During both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, many a G.I. played on a Taylor Brothers prefabricated course that the U.S. Military had contracted to be built and shipped overseas.

By the late 50s most—if not all—supply catalogs carried Taylor Brothers' obstacles. In 1961 Bob Taylor, Don Clayton of Putt-Putt, and Frank Abramoff of Arnold Palmer Miniature Golf organized the first miniature golf association known as NAPCOMS (or the "National Association of Putting Course Operators, Manufacturers, and Suppliers"). Their first meeting was held in New York City. Though this organization only lasted a few years it was the first attempt to bring miniature golf operators together to promote miniature golf.

In 1955, Lomma Enterprises, Inc., founded by Al Lomma and his brother Ralph Lomma, led the revival of wacky, animated trick hazards. These hazards required both accurately aimed shots and split-second timing to avoid spinning windmill blades, revolving statuary, and other careening obstacles.

The book Tilting At Windmills (How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love Sport) by Andy Miller tells the story of the formerly sports-hating author attempting to change by competing in miniature golf, including events in Denmark and Latvia.

[edit] Competition is Tight

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Miniature golf is played at a highly competitive level in the United States and around the world.

In the US there are two organizations offering tournaments at the professional level: the Professional Putters Association and the US Pro Mini-Golf Association (USPMGA), the latter being the only Mini-Golf sport organization to represent the USA in the World Mini-Golf Sport Federation (WMF) and has been an active WMF member since 1995. USPMGA President Robert Detwiler is also the WMF representative for North and South America.

The USA Mini-Golf World Championships are organized on odd numbered years. The teams are selected from USPMGA players in qualifying tournaments held on the Team USA Training course located in North Myrtle Beach, SC. The USPMGA also holds USPMGA Pro Tour events all over the continental US, with the two main National events -- the USPMGA US Open Mini-Golf Championship and the USPMGA Master's National Mini-Golf Championship, held in May and October, respectively -- taking place in North Myrtle Beach.

Around the world and especially in Europe, competitive miniature golf is very popular. The World Minigolf sport Federation (WMF), a member of AGFIS, organises World Minigolf Championships in alternate years. European Championships are held on even numbered years where top National players compete for the European Champion title in individual and team competition. The European Mini-Golf Sport Federation also organizes European Junior and Senior championships.

World and European Minigolf Championships are played on standardised courses that were designed with competitive play in mind. The WMF currently approves three standardised course types: eternit (also known as original miniature golf), betong (original mini golf) and Swedish Felt Runs. The world record score on eternit is four consecutive perfect rounds of 18.

Until now, World and European Chmapionships have not been held on the "adventure"-style courses that are propular in the United States and Great Britain. The US Masters Pro Minigolf Championship, the US Open and the British Open are among the most prestigious minigolf competitions played on Adventure Golf. The reigning (2006) British Open Championship is Karsten Hein of Germany.