Miniature golf

While the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF)[1] prefers to use the name minigolf, the game has several other names which vary between countries, including mini-golf, midget golf, goofy golf, shorties, extreme golf, crazy golf, adventure golf, mini-putt, and putter golf. The name Putt-Putt is the trademark of an American company[2] that builds and franchises miniature golf courses in addition to other family-oriented entertainment. The term putt-putt is sometimes used colloquially to refer to the game itself. The term minigolf was formerly a registered trademark of a Swedish company that built its own patented type of minigolf courses.

Geometrically-shaped minigolf courses made of artificial materials (carpet) began to emerge during the early 20th century. The earliest documented mention of such a course is in the June 8, 1912, edition of The Illustrated London News, which introduces a minigolf course called the Gofstacle.[3]

The first standardized minigolf courses to enter commercial mass-production were the Thistle Dhu ("This'll Do") course in 1916 in Pinehurst, North Carolina,[4][5] and the 1927 Tom Thumb patent of Garnet Carter from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. Thomas McCullough 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 and tens of thousands across the United States.[6] This American minigolf boom of early 20th century came to an end during the Great Depression in the late 1930s. Nearly all minigolf courses in the United States were closed and demolished before the end of the 1930s.[7] A rare surviving example from this period is the Parkside Whispering Pines Miniature Golf Course located near Rochester, New York, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.[8]

The first miniature golf course in Canada was at the Maples Inn in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. The "Mapes" was constructed as a summer home in the 1890s but was renovated into a club in 1902, opened to the public in 1914, and had a miniature golf course in 1930. The popular nightspot burned in 1985.[9]

European origins

Minigolf Ascona, opened in 1954

One of the first documented minigolf courses in mainland Europe was built in 1926 by a man surnamed Schröder in Hamburg, Germany. Schröder had been inspired by his visit to the United States, where he had seen minigolf courses spreading across the country.[10]

In 1930 Edwin O. Norrman and Eskil Norman returned to Sweden from the United States, where they had stayed for several years and witnessed the golden days of the American minigolf boom. In 1931 they founded the company "Norman och Norrmans Miniatyrgolf" and began manufacturing standardized minigolf courses for the Swedish market. During the following years they spread this new leisure activity across Sweden, by installing minigolf courses in public parks and other suitable locations.[10]

Swedish minigolf courses typically had a rectangular wooden frame surrounding the playing area made of tennis field sand;[11] in contrast, American manufacturers used newly developed and patented felt as the surface of their minigolf courses. Felt did not become popular as a surface material in Sweden until in the mid-1960s—but since then it has become practically the only surface material used in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, due to its favorable playing qualities in wet weather. Minigolf courses with a felt surface can be played in rainy weather, because water soaks through the felt into the ground. The other commonly used surface materials, beton and eternite, cannot be used in rainy weather, because the rainwater pools on them, stopping the ball from rolling.

The Swedish Minigolf Federation (Svenska Bangolfförbundet)[12] was founded in 1937, making it the oldest minigolf sport organization in the world. National Swedish championships in minigolf have been played yearly since 1939.[13] In other countries minigolf sport federations were not founded until the late 1950s, due to the post-war economical depression.

In 1954, the minigolf course in Ascona, Switzerland, opened. It is the oldest course in the world which follows the norms of Paul Bongni.

Post-depression U.S.

Golf layout from the Evening Express, Los Angeles, California, 1930

Golfer golfing at Monster Mini Golf, an indoor glow in the dark mini golf course

In 1938 Joseph 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. In the 1950s, Don Clayton invented the Putt-Putt brand with a focus on treating minigolf seriously, emphasizing skill and player improvement. Most of the Putt Putt routes were 2-par holes involving ramps or angled blocks that could be mastered in one go through practice.[15][16]

By the late 1950s, almost all supply catalogs carried Taylor Brother's obstacles. In 1961, Bob Taylor, Don Clayton of Putt-Putt, and Frank Abramoff of Arnold Palmer Miniature Golf organised 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 Golf, 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 Tried 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.

In the United States, National Miniature Golf Day is held yearly on the second Saturday of May. The event had its inaugural celebration on May 12, 2007, and was officially recognized and published in 2008's edition of Chase's Calendar of Events.

The sport of miniature golf is governed internationally by the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF), headquartered in Göteborg, Sweden. The WMF is a member of Global Association of International Sports Federations,[18] and within it, of the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport (AIMS).[19] WMF is also member of the Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA).[20]

It organizes World Championships for youth and elite players, and Continental Championships in Europe, Asia and the United States, held in alternate years.

WMF Members

Nation	Governing body
Australia	Australian Mini Golf Association
Austria	Österreichischer Bahnengolf-Verband
Belgium	Union Belge de MiniGolf — Belgische Verbond voor MidgetGolf[21]
China	China Minigolf Sport Federation
Croatia	Croatian Minigolf Federation
Cyprus	City Mini Golf
Czech Republic	Český minigolfový svaz
Denmark	Dansk Minigolf Union[22]
Estonia	Estonian Minigolf Association
Finland	Suomen Ratagolfliitto
France	Fédération Française de Minigolf
Germany	Deutscher Minigolfsport Verband[23]
Great Britain	British Mini Golf Association
Hungary	Magyar Minigolf Országos Szakszövetség
India	Minigolf Federation of India
Indonesia	Persatuan Mini Golf Indonesia
Iran	Iran Minigolf Societ
Israel	Israeli Minigolf Association (R.A.)
Italy	Federazione Italiana Golf su Pista
Japan	Japan Mini Golf Association
Kosovo	Federata e Minigolfit e Kosovës
Latvia	Latvian Minigolf Clubs Association
Liechtenstein	Liechtensteiner Minigolf-Sport-Verband
Luxembourg	Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Golf sur Pistes
Malaysia	Malaysian Minigolf Sport Association (MMGSA)
Mexico	Federacion Mexicana de Minigolf
Moldova	National Golf Federation of Moldova
Mongolia	Mongolian Amateur Minigolf Federation
Netherlands	NMB = Nederlandse Minigolf Bond[24]
New Zealand	MiniatureGolf Association
Norway	Norges Minigolf Forbund
Philippines	Affiliation Minigolf of the Philippines
Poland	Minigolf Club Sopot
Portugal	Federacão Portuguesa de Minigolfe
Romania	Club Sportiv Minigolf Riviera
Russia	Russian Golf Association
Serbia	Serbian Minigolf Association
Singapore	Miniature Golf Association (Singapore)
Slovakia	Slovenský zväz dráhového golfu
Slovenia	Mini Golf Zveza Slovenije
South Korea	Korea Newsports Association
Sweden	Svenska Bangolfförbundet
Switzerland	Swiss Minigolf
Taipei	Minigolf Sport Association
Thailand	Minigolf Association Thailand
Turkey	Uluslararasi Minigolf & Tuna Minigolf
Ukraine	Ukrainian Golf Federation
UAE	Emirati Mini Golf
USA	United States ProMiniGolf Association (USPMGA)
Vietnam	Vietnam Minigolf Foundation

Eternite miniature golf course

Felt course (front) and eternite course (rear), in Malmö

All competitions approved by World Minigolfsport Federation are played on standardized courses, whose design has been checked to be suitable for competitive play. The WMF currently approves four different course types:

• Beton[25] (abbreviated B, sometimes called "Bongni" and named after Paul Bongni of Geneva, Switzerland, "Minigolf" or "Abteilung 1")
• Eternite[26] (abbreviated E (in Sweden EB), sometimes called "Europabana", "Miniaturgolf" or "Abteilung 2")
• Felt[27] (abbreviated F or SFR, sometimes called "Swedish felt runs"), and
• Minigolf Open Standard[28] (abbreviated "MOS"). The latter non-standardized playing system, MOS, covers all minigolf courses that the three standardized systems (B, E, F) do not cover.

The final holes (often the 18th hole or a bonus 19th hole[29]) of many miniature golf courses are designed to capture the ball, effectively preventing the player from playing additional rounds without purchasing another game. This may be accomplished with a "drain" or trap-door hole setup that channels the ball to a lockbox.

The 19th hole on miniature golf courses is often a hole in which if a hole-in-one is scored, one receives a free game.[29] One popular method of theming the 18th hole in the United States is to use a gated, ramped target area depicting the face of a clown; if the ball lands "in" the clown's nose, a bell may sound and the player would win a discount ticket for another game. Another method for capturing the ball incorporated by various adventure golf courses involves a tube that sucks and propels the ball with pressurized air to a collection area or another area of the course typically on a higher elevation.

The world record on one round of minigolf is 18 strokes on 18 holes. More than a thousand players have officially achieved this score on eternite. On other playing systems, a perfect round of 18 holes-in-one is extremely rare, and has never been scored in an official national or international tournament. Unofficial 18-rounds on concrete and felt courses have been reported in Sweden.[30]

Nearly all European countries have an official national federation for promoting minigolf as a competition sport. The bi-annual European Championships attract competitors from more than twenty European countries. As of 2012, Chris Beattie has been the holder of the European Championship title.[31] Outside Europe only a small number of countries have participated in international minigolf competitions. These countries include the United States, Japan, China, India and Taiwan. A national minigolf federation exists also in Moldova, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, but none of these countries has ever participated in international competitions, and probably are not arranging many domestic competitions either.[32]

World Minigolfsport Federation represents some 40,000 registered competition players from 37 countries.[33] The national minigolf federation of Germany has 11,000 members with a competing license,[34] and the Swedish federation has 8,000 registered competition players.[30] Other strong minigolf countries include Austria and Switzerland, each having a few thousand licensed competition players. Also Italy, Czech Republic and Netherlands have traditionally been able to send a strong team to international championships, even if they cannot count their licensed players in thousands.

The sceptre of competitive minigolf rests quite firmly in mainland Europe: no player from other countries (such as UK, the United States, Japan et cetera) has ever reached even the top 50 in World Championships (in men's category).[31] Nearly all national federations outside Europe were founded only quite recently (within the last ten years), and it will take time before the players of these countries learn all secrets of the game. The United States has a longer history of minigolf competitions, but the standardized European competition courses are practically unknown in the United States, and therefore the American players have been unable to learn the secrets of European minigolf. On the traditional American courses the best American players are able to challenge the European top players into a tough and exciting competition.[35]

The British Minigolf Association (BMGA) has an additional problem on their way to greater success in competitive minigolf. While the minigolf federations in mainland Europe receive annual funding from the government, in England the national sports organization Sport England has refused to accept BMGA as its member – which means that BMGA is left without the public funding that other forms of sports enjoy. The rules of Sport England declare that only one variant of each sport can be accepted as member – and minigolf is interpreted as a variant of golf.[33]

The most prize money is paid in the United States, where the winner of a major competition may earn up to $5,000. In mainland Europe the prize money generally quite low, and in many cases honor is the only thing at stake in the competition. International championships usually award no prize money at all.

In the US there are two organizations offering national tournaments: the Professional Putters Association and the US Pro Mini-Golf Association (USPMGA). The USPMGA represents the United States in the World Minigolfsport Federation, having been an active member since 1995. USPMGA President Robert Detwiler is also the WMF representative for North and South America.

The New Israeli Minigolf Association was established in February 2010 in Israel. Setting up, for the first time, league play according to the rules of WMF and USPMGA. Now, a series of lush and inviting minigolf parks in prime locations are being built around Israel.

• Clock golf
• Défi mini-putt, a 1990s RDS televised minigolf series from Quebec
• European Minigolf Sport Federation
• M.C. Mini Masters, a unique annual amateur miniature golf tournament
• Pitch and putt
• Professional Putters Association
• Sholf
• Variations of golf
• World Crazy Golf Championships

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Miniature golf.

• WMF – World Minigolfsport Federation (WMF)