Miniature Golf Gets Into The Swing Of Hole-some Fun

You approach the tee and scan the course ahead of you - a long par 3 that slopes upward and doglegs to the left. A hole you've mastered a dozen times before and know you can do so again IF you can just make it past the windmill...

Windmill? Okay, so you're not at Agusta, or even the community pitch'n putt for that matter, but a series of links where kitschy obstacles like castles, volcanos, barrels, loop-de-loops and other assorted whimsical statuary has replaced bunkers, professionally designed landscaping and pristinly manucured greens and fairways.

Affordably fun and family-friendly, without the need of any prerequisite skill, miniature golf has remained a favorite of both young and old for nearly a century - so much so in fact that the pastime routinely draws more participants than other higher-profile activities such as camping.

For all it's appeal as a game aimed at the masses, miniature golf was once the exclusive playground for the well-to-do set.

Built on the estate of James Barber by noted golf course architect Edward H. Wiswell in Pinehurst, North Carolina, not far from the famed resort and country club, the series of links featured grass bunkers but none of the adornments found on todays courses.

Barber's backyard lark became an instant hit with his peers, as well a with movie stars and celebrities, who quickly took to establishing "garden Golf" courses of their own.

It was a pair of enterprising New Yorkers, Drake Delanoy and John N. Ledbetter, that todays course operators can thank for helping bring miniature golf to the public.

In 1926,the two set about searching for an appropriate central location in which to start their venture. But where? With open space being at a premium in the big apple, Delanoy and Ledbetter cast their eyes upward - namely up on the roof of a skyscraper near Wall Street.

The small course was a perfect fit on top of the building, and throngs of enthusiasts were soon putting their way along while enjoying the spectacular view. In all, Delanoy and Ledbetter would go on to erect 150 other rooftop cources throughout the city.

By now, the once passive diversion had developed into a full-blown craze with small time mom and pop miniature golf operations seemingly sprouting up overnight. Also making an appearence on the scene were the first brand name franchise courses marketed as Tom Thumb Golf. Following a specified layout and design, the Tom Thumb courses were the first to incorporate the obstacles and play-through hazards that are now a staple of miniature golf layouts around the world.

Go To Page: 1 2