Do You Know When, Where Or Why Miniature Golf Was Created?

Get yourself down to the (tiny) putting green for Miniature Golf Day! A great day out for the family, and an excuse to sharpen up your putting skills all in one fun package. Watch out for the windmill turbines!

• At St. Andrews in Scotland—often the site of the British Open—stands the Ladies’ Putting Club of St. Andrews. It was set up in 1867 for women to play golf while keeping with the manners of the era that found it unladylike for a woman to swing a golf club.
• 1867 – Miniature Golf is Born. The Ladies Putting Club of St. Andrews creates the game of miniature golf.
• 1916 – James Barbar opens the first classic miniature golf course, named Thistle Dhu in Pinehurst, NC.
• 1953 – Don Clayton added a new twist to the mini-golf courses by designing short holes that allowed scoring holes-in-one by skillful players. Don did this by adding banking metal rails to enable accurate rebounds and encourage unique play.
• 1958 – Beginning in 1958, Putt-Putt gains ownership of several federal trademark registrations to own the name ‘Putt-Putt.’
• 1960 – The World Minigolf Sport Federation is founded.
• 2019 – On May 11, 2019, Secretary of State Laurel M. Lee launched the Florida Historic Mini Golf Trail, which includes six historic miniature golf courses in Florida that are more than 50 years old.
• The six courses are Putt-Putt Amelia Island in Fernandina Beach, Goofy Golf in Fort Walton Beach, Goofy Golf in Panama City Beach, Goofy Golf in Pensacola, Polynesian Putter in St. Pete Beach, and Ripley’s Bayfront Mini Golf in St. Augustine, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Mini golf is a globally recognized, competitive sport, played professionally by many enthusiastic golfers. Its official governing body, the World Mini Golf Sports Federation (WMF) has over 40,000 registered players, representing over three dozen countries.
• Miniature golf is one game with many names. Mini golf, crazy golf, putt-putt, goofy golf, shorties, midget golf and mini putt are just a few examples of its numerous nicknames
• There were no custom-created themes or fancy, automated barriers in the initial years of mini golf. Instead, early courses featured pipes, barrels, rain gutters and old tires as fun obstacles to challenge a golfer’s skill.
• The idea of glow-in-the-dark miniature golf courses began in Scandinavian countries such as Finland. Since these northern countries experience months of short days and long nights the glow-ball and glow courses allow them to enjoy the game all year round and outdoors.
• By the late 1920s, there were hundreds of places to play miniature golf around the U.S.. There were 150 courses in New York City alone—on the tops of buildings. Once the Depression hit, all but a handful of courses around the country were closed down and torn down due to a lack of business.
• Thomas McCullough Fairbairn revolutionized the game with the introduction of artificial green, which allowed mini-golf to be accessible everywhere.
• The first miniature golf in the United States opened in 1961 at Pinehurst, California. It was called Thistle Dhu, which was pronounced as “that’ll do”, a name that was a play on words, indicating that a mini golf course will do in place of a full golf course.
• The world record score for miniature golf is 18 strokes on 18 holes. Over 1,000 golfers accomplished this feat.
• Long before Annika Sorenstam competed in the 2003 Bank of America Colonial, Babe Zaharias became the first – and only – female golfer to make the cut at a PGA TOUR event, shooting 76 and 81 during the first two rounds of the 1945 Los Angeles Open.
• One of the world’s most popular actors, Samuel L. Jackson, is also an avid golfer. In fact, the star of flicks like “Pulp Fiction” and “Django Unchained,” has a contract clause to play golf twice a week whenever he films movies.
•  Is there anything that matches the feeling one has when they make a hole-in-one? How about two in one round? Recently, Oakland University’s Kassandra Komma did just that, recording two ones on her scorecard in nine holes. But, the odds are incredibly low, at one in 64 million!
• Every year, roughly 125,000 balls are hit into the water surrounding TPC Sawgrass’ world-renowned island green 17th hole. During the 2013 Players Championship, 44 balls were lost. But two errant shots received more media coverage than any other. Attempting to capture his second Players Championship, Sergio Garcia carded an untimely quadruple bogey seven at the 17th on Sunday, losing two balls – and the tournament – in the process.
• He may be the most famous left-handed golfer of all time, but four-time major champion Phil Mickelson is naturally right-handed. As a youngster, he mirrored his father’s swing and enjoyed so much success that he never needed right-handed clubs.
• Dwight Eisenhower. John F. Kennedy. Barack Obama. These are just a few of the presidents associated with golf. But Woodrow Wilson is often overlooked. An avid golfer, he was so dedicated to the game that he even played in the snow – using black golf balls!
•  Starting in 1457, golf was banned throughout Scotland by the nation’s Parliament, which believed it interfered with residents’ military training. This ban was repeated twice more, in 1471 and 1491. Nearly 300 years later, The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews was founded.
•  If you choose to walk, rather than ride 18 holes, you will not only walk roughly four miles but also burn 2,000 calories.
• To compare, golfers who ride carts burn about 1,300 calories.
• Known worldwide as Johnny Carson’s lovable sidekick, Ed McMahon also hosted a PGA TOUR tournament from 1975 to 1979. The Ed McMahon – Jaycees Quad Cities Open, today’s John Deere Classic, attracted celebrities like Jerry Lewis and Bob Hope.
• In the midst of World War II, Augusta National Golf Club closed for three years, and cattle and turkey were raised on the grounds to support the war effort. The Masters was not contested again until 1946. That year, Herman Keiser won his only major championship, defeating Ben Hogan by one shot.
• Sam Snead is legendary for his 82 PGA TOUR victories, seven major championships, and longevity. But he is also the only male golfer to win on the LPGA Tour, capturing the 1962 Royal Poinciana Plaza Invitational by five shots.
• The Great Depression post-World War 1 changed a lot in the world and in the game. People could not afford to build quality mini-courses to play golf. However, the interest in the game did not change. People went for locally available materials on the streets to build their courses, making their mark on the game with new and unique obstacles never seen before.
• At this time, it’s estimated that over 4 million people were playing mini-golf in the United States.

Sources:

Days of the Year

Golfland

Portable Press

Golf Now

Top-Facts

National Today