Miniature golf is a fun game.
You hit a ball into a small hole. Some courses have spinning windmills.
You try to get the lowest score. It is a great way to play with friends. Do you want to try it?
Miniature golf is a fun game.
You hit a ball into a hole. You want the lowest score.
Some courses have fun things in the way. You might see a spinning windmill. You might go through a tunnel. Some courses use soft carpet. This helps the ball roll well. You can even play in the rain! The water soaks through the carpet. It is a great game for everyone.
Miniature golf is a fun game for many people.
It is a smaller version of real golf. The main goal is to hit the ball into a hole. You want to use the fewest hits possible to get a low score. Many courses have many holes to play.
Most holes are less than 10 metres away.
Some courses use fun obstacles to make the game tricky. You might hit the ball through a tube or a tunnel. You might even see a moving windmill.
Some courses use a soft surface called felt. This is common in the United Kingdom. Felt is great because it lets rain soak through. This means you can still play even when it is wet. Other courses use hard surfaces like concrete. But water pools on concrete, so you cannot play in the rain.
People play this game in many ways. Some play for fun with family. Others play in big contests. The World Minigolf Sport Federation helps run big world games. They hold championships for young players and experts.
Miniature golf is a fun game that focuses on putting.
It is a smaller version of the sport called golf. The main goal is to score the lowest number of points. You do this by hitting a ball into a hole. Most holes are quite short. They are usually less than 10 metres from the start to the cup.
People call this game by many names. Some call it minigolf, putt-putt, or crazy golf. Others use names like adventure golf or goofy golf. It is a game that brings people together for joy.
Playing the game involves navigating a tricky course.
The ground is made of artificial surfaces. You might play on carpet, artificial turf, or concrete. Many courses use obstacles to make the path difficult. You might hit a ball through a tunnel or a tube. Some courses have ramps or walls made of metal and fiberglass. Some even have moving obstacles like a spinning windmill. You might have to use a bank shot to go around a corner.
This game has a long and interesting history.
Geometrically shaped courses began to appear in the early 20th century. One early course was called the Gofstacle in 1912. In 1916, the Thistle Dhu course opened in North Carolina. In 1927, Garnet Carter patented the Tom Thumb course. A man named Thomas McCullough Fairbairn helped the game grow in 1922. He created a special green using sand, oil, and dye. By the late 1920s, New York City had over 150 rooftop courses.
Miniature golf spread to many different parts of the world.
A man named Schröder built a course in Germany in 1926. In 1931, two men named Edwin and Eskil Norman started making courses in Sweden. They used wooden frames filled with sand. Later, people began using felt surfaces. Felt is very helpful in wet weather. The water soaks through the felt into the ground. This allows people to play in the rain. The Swedish Minigolf Federation was started in 1937.
Today, people play miniature golf in many ways. Some play for fun, while others play in big competitions. The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is based in Sweden. They run world championships for both youth and elite players. These big events happen in Europe, Asia, and the United States. In the United States, people celebrate National Miniature Golf Day every May. It is a sport that combines skill with a sense of play. Whether you are hitting through a castle or a windmill, it is a game of discovery.
Miniature golf is a specialized offshoot of the sport of golf. It focuses entirely on the putting aspect of the game.
The primary objective is to complete a course with the lowest number of points. Players navigate a series of holes, which are usually played in multiples of nine. Unlike traditional golf, these holes are quite short. They are typically less than 10 metres from the tee to the cup.
The game is known by many names across different countries. These include minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf, and mini-putt. In the United States, the term Putt-Putt is a trademark of a specific company.
To play the game, players must master complex geometric layouts. The playing surfaces are artificial and made of materials like carpet, artificial turf, or concrete.
These layouts often require non-traditional putting lines. Players frequently use bank shots to bounce the ball off walls. Artificial obstacles add difficulty to the course. These can include tunnels, tubes, and ramps. Some courses feature moving obstacles, such as spinning windmills. Walls are often constructed from metal, concrete, or fiberglass to guide the ball.
There are different styles of miniature golf based on the obstacles used. Some versions are purely miniature versions of traditional golf. These lack any special props or obstacles. Other versions are much more elaborate. In the late 1930s, the Taylor brothers began building courses with heavy landscaping. Their designs included castles, wishing wells, and windmills.
Later, companies like Lomma Golf, Inc. introduced animated trick hazards. These hazards require split-second timing to avoid moving parts like revolving statuary. In contrast, the Putt-Putt brand focused on skill and player improvement. They used 2-par holes with ramps that players could master through practice.
History shows that miniature golf emerged during the early 20th century. Geometrically shaped courses made of carpet began to appear then. The first documented mention was a course called the Gofstacle in 1912.
In 1916, the Thistle Dhu course opened in North Carolina. In 1927, Garnet Carter patented the Tom Thumb course. A major breakthrough occurred in 1922. Thomas McCullough Fairbairn created a suitable artificial green. He mixed cottonseed hulls, sand, oil, and dye. This made the game accessible everywhere. By the late 1920s, New York City had over 150 rooftop courses.
This American boom ended during the Great Depression. Most U.S. courses closed or were demolished by the end of the 1930s. One rare survivor is the Parkside Whispering Pines course in New York.
However, the sport lived on in Europe. In 1926, a man named Schröder built a course in Germany. In 1931, Edwin and Eskil Norman began manufacturing standardized courses in Sweden. Swedish courses originally used wooden frames filled with sand. Later, they adopted felt surfaces.
Felt is excellent for wet weather because water soaks through it. This allows play even when it is raining.
Miniature golf has a strong competitive history. The first National Tom Thumb Open was held in 1930. This tournament had a total cash purse of $10,000. The top prize was $2,000. The finals in Tennessee attracted over 200 players from thirty states.
In Europe, the sport developed rapidly through different specialized forms. These included cobigolf, sterngolf, and filzgolf. Equipment also became more sophisticated. Players eventually had access to over 20,000 different ball models. These balls varied in weight, hardness, and bounce to improve performance.
The sport is now managed by the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF). The WMF is headquartered in Göteborg, Sweden.
They organize World Championships for both youth and elite players. These championships are held in alternate years across Europe, Asia, and the United States. The sport connects various cultures through international play. For example, the American Putt-Putt company exported courses to many countries. These included Japan, Brazil, Italy, and South Africa. Today, the game remains a global activity that balances skill with recreation.
Where will your curiosity go next?
🖼️ Images & Media (7)
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.