Miniature Golf
@teamfreak16 (43573)
Denver, Colorado
October 24, 2017 4:26pm CST
Did you know that we have a professional miniature golfer right here on MyLot? It's true. @FourWalls regularly plays professional tournaments. As for me, I haven't played in a long time, but I live a half mile from a miniature golf (also known as mini golf and putt-putt) course, so I took a photo as I walked past this morning.
Putt-putt more than likely originated in England: in 1912, The Illustrated London News published the first known article about a mini golf course (called a "Gofstacle.") The game quickly grew in popularity: New York City alone had an estimated 150 rooftop courses by the late 1920's, with thousands and thousands of courses in the United States alone.
The game as we know it can be traced back to 1938, when Joseph and Robert Taylor began adding obstacles to the courses they built. Things really got fun in 1955, when Lomma Golf began installing moving obstacles, which required advanced skills and timing to negotiate those particular holes.
(Fun Fact: National Miniature Golf Day falls on the second Saturday in May here in the States.)
(Fun Fact #2: The World Minigolfsport Federation boasts membership of over 40,000 players!)
(Fun Fact #3: Of all the international tournaments, and there are a lot of them, tournaments in the US pay the most prize money.)
Pretty interesting, eh? Now that you know this, get out there while the weather is still nice and conquer that hole with the windmill!
(Info verified by Wikipedia)
From (season 2 Episode 6) "Dead Putting Society" Ned Flanders invites Homer to his house for a beer. Homer, seeing how nice Ned's house is, becomes jealous, ...
12 people like this
14 responses
@JudyEv (381837)
• Rockingham, Australia
25 Oct 17
@teamfreak16 The French are mad keen on petanque/boule/boche and there were courts everywhere. From lunchtime on you'd see them playing, sometimes in carparks or on specially constructed patches of bare ground. We nearly parked on one as it was nice and level but then we realised what it was.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
25 Oct 17
@JudyEv - They probably do this elsewhere as well, but in the parks in Germany they have giant chess boards that the guys (all of them appeared to be at least 60) actually walk onto and physically move the chess pieces to the next square. I used to watch them play sometimes.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
25 Oct 17
I've played mini golf in Germany. We weren't in France long enough to even find one.
3 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
25 Oct 17
Not in our 100 plus degree heat!
3 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
25 Oct 17
And they probably frown upon cooling yourself off in the water hazards. 
2 people like this
@crossbones27 (52905)
• Mojave, California
24 Oct 17
I have not played since I was like 19 or 20, but that windmill one is indeed memorable. I think I wanted to rip it down. Nothing surprises me anymore of what has become professional. Sounds fun though.
2 people like this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
25 Oct 17
I think it would be fun to win some money playing mini golf.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
24 Oct 17
we used to call it crazy golf - fun to play
2 people like this
@arthurchappell (44941)
• Preston, England
25 Oct 17
@teamfreak16 Can't see Tiger Woods hitting a ball up Donald Duck's beak though somehow
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
24 Oct 17
I used to play a lot when I was a kid. They used to have a really cool one at Disneyland. The holes were based on rides or Disney stories.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
24 Oct 17
Oh, I see people with kids there all the time. It's just that some people are really, really good at it.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
24 Oct 17
It's a lot of fun. I've never been remotely good enough to even consider going pro.
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94909)
• United States
26 Oct 17
I honestly have never miniatured golf before! Just on the phone games and what not though :)
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (94909)
• United States
27 Oct 17
@teamfreak16 Yes I certainly will have to give it a try :)
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@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
26 Oct 17
Oh, you definitely try it at least once. It's a fun way to spend some time.
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@FourWalls (86584)
• United States
25 Oct 17
Aw.....
No wonder nobody celebrates mini-golf day, it's the day before Mother's Day. 
The Mini-Golf Masters was just held in Myrtle Beach (one of the mini-golf "capitals" of America). There's a woman from the Czech Republic who plays in our "big" tournaments (such as the PPA Nationals, the Masters, etc.). She comes over here and practices for a few weeks before the tournament. And she's good too: a couple of years ago she was national runner-up.
If you go to the PPA site (link below), the picture they have up (as of this writing) has the past national champions at the 2017 Nationals in Ft. Wayne. The man in the middle front, Greg Newport, is one of four people in history to shoot a perfect score. He's a member of our state tour, and one of the sweetest, nicest, most humble gentlemen you'd ever want to meet. The man just to his right (blue shirt) is Kevin Lacey, two-time national champion. He's also on our tour. Funny thing -- he and I won the Legends in our respective divisions both times I've won it. Front row, second from right, yellow shirt (with hat in his hand) is Bob Marcellino, who's another one of "our guys." He won the national title in 1968. The picture's small so I can't pick out Randy Reeves, but he's a national champion and a Hall of Famer. He lives in Alabama but plays a lot on our tour.
Thanks for mentioning our great game! It gives me a chance to blow the horn of the great people I play with!! 
No wonder nobody celebrates mini-golf day, it's the day before Mother's Day.
The Mini-Golf Masters was just held in Myrtle Beach (one of the mini-golf "capitals" of America). There's a woman from the Czech Republic who plays in our "big" tournaments (such as the PPA Nationals, the Masters, etc.). She comes over here and practices for a few weeks before the tournament. And she's good too: a couple of years ago she was national runner-up.
If you go to the PPA site (link below), the picture they have up (as of this writing) has the past national champions at the 2017 Nationals in Ft. Wayne. The man in the middle front, Greg Newport, is one of four people in history to shoot a perfect score. He's a member of our state tour, and one of the sweetest, nicest, most humble gentlemen you'd ever want to meet. The man just to his right (blue shirt) is Kevin Lacey, two-time national champion. He's also on our tour. Funny thing -- he and I won the Legends in our respective divisions both times I've won it. Front row, second from right, yellow shirt (with hat in his hand) is Bob Marcellino, who's another one of "our guys." He won the national title in 1968. The picture's small so I can't pick out Randy Reeves, but he's a national champion and a Hall of Famer. He lives in Alabama but plays a lot on our tour.
Thanks for mentioning our great game! It gives me a chance to blow the horn of the great people I play with!!
The Official Site of the PPA and APA Home “Founded with the purpose of finding the world’s greatest putter, to promote Putt-Putt Golf Courses of America and its franchised locations.” – circa 1959 Don Clayton, Founder of Putt-Putt Golf Courses and The Prof
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (86584)
• United States
25 Oct 17
@teamfreak16 -- lots of "our guys" there. It was cool to see Jeff Brown without a cap getting his APA doubles trophy. I've never seen him without his cap! If you looked at the results, you can see the "slight difference" (ha ha) in the winnings for the pros and the APA. They can actually win some money. We get our entry fee back. That's changed in recent years: the first time I won the Legends I won $60. The second time, I got my $40 back. (But I did get a nice plaque both times. )
If you looked at the results, you can see the "slight difference" (ha ha) in the winnings for the pros and the APA. They can actually win some money. We get our entry fee back. That's changed in recent years: the first time I won the Legends I won $60. The second time, I got my $40 back. (But I did get a nice plaque both times. )1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
25 Oct 17
That's pretty cool. I poked around a bit.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
25 Oct 17
@FourWalls - Getting your money back isn't such a bad thing.
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@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
24 Oct 17
I probably haven't played in ten years. With one so close, I have no excuse.
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (122076)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
24 Oct 17
I like mini golf myself. I just wish Nintendo Wii would make a mini golf game for us bench warmers.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
25 Oct 17
I wonder if they have thought about making such a game.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (118793)
• Anniston, Alabama
26 Oct 17
I love to play putt putt, w have a course here as well, had more but some closed when the fort closed.
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
26 Oct 17
I know Colorado Springs has a few, but off the top of my head I can only think of two.
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
20 Nov 17
@Hannihar - Yes, but I haven't played in a long time.
@Hannihar (130150)
• Israel
20 Nov 17
@teamfreak16
Scott, do you still play nowadays?
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40230)
• United States
26 Oct 17
That's pretty cool! Congrats, Four Walls! Mini golf looks fun with those obstacles
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@reskyyandi (3608)
• Indonesia
1 Nov 17
mini golf? I think I ever see this in my life but i can't remember
1 person likes this
@teamfreak16 (43573)
• Denver, Colorado
1 Nov 17
@reskyyandi - I love Mr. Bean. I don't think I've seen that one. I bet it was funny.
@reskyyandi (3608)
• Indonesia
1 Nov 17
oh, I remember now. I ever see this from Mr. Bean TV show
1 person likes this
