Tag Archives: miniature golf

The Crazy Evolution Of Mini Golf

Reading Time:  4 minutes -

The recreational activity of Mini Golf has existed for over a hundred years, since 1915. It’s amazing to think how an activity went from something so simple to eventually become the elaborate and intricate putting courses we have today. Here’s a look into the crazy and zany history of mini golf!

Mini golf started off in Scotland in 1867 with the “Ladie’s Putting Club”. While golfers waited to play a round, there was a putting green nearby in which people could practice their swing while they waited. This included many bored women who liked to burn off steam waiting for their fathers and husbands to finish. This distracted many men, so a smaller course titled the ‘Himalayas’ (an 18-hole putting green) was formed near the visitors’ clubhouse for the women to play at. It was simple with no man-made obstacles; just the natural hills of the course to add some complexity to the game.


“Thistle Dhu” Miniature Golf Course 1916

The first golf course recorded in America was in 1916, by a North Carolina man named James Barber.

He hired a designer and landscaper to create a small golf course which he named “Thistle Dhu” (“This Will Do”). Unlike St.Andrew’s Links, it features hazards such as trees, water and sand traps.

Featured in Popular Science August 1919

A “Tom Thumb” Golf Course (1930)

In 1922, a gentleman named Thomas McCulloch Fairbairn (who was a cotton processing plant owner), noticed that cottonseed hulls would compact and fuse when crushed, so he revolutionized the game when he formuled “artificial green”. Suddenly, playing mini golf became much more entertaining to “regular folk”. Before this time mini golf was a sport for golf fanatics and the wealthy to pass time. 

Garnet Carter takes a turn putting the ball.

In 1928, Garnet Carter, a traveling salesman, needed something to entertain his guests at the Fairyland Inn at Lookout Mountain in Tennessee. Carter had a fascination with European folklore (hence the name of the Inn), so he built the first “Tom Thumb” mini golf course after the miniature boy (no bigger than his Dad’s “thumb”). It included gnomes and hollowed-out tree trunks. Carter patented and sold franchise licenses of his Tom Thumb Golf Courses. Soon “Tom Thumb” golf courses were popping up all over the U.S. and Canada.

Tom Thumb in Toronto, Ontario

The game of miniature golf took a hit during the Great Depression, as people couldn’t afford to play. It stayed stagnant until 1938 when the Taylor brothers began to build their own miniature golf courses, but also started adding landscaping, and eye-catching obstacles such as windmills, and castles. By the early 1940’s, Joe and Bob Taylor were in the business of building miniature golf courses and supplying obstacles to companies, and were even sent overseas to entertain soldiers in WWII and Korea.

Fast forward to the miniature golf courses of today, and it has become a favourite family and friends pastime.

Above is a photo of “Funspot’s Mini Golf” (August 1964), New Hampshire that started featuring all these “bells” and “whistles”


Dinosaur Adventure Golf, Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls

Photo by: Dennis Jarvis of Halifax, Canada

Clifton Hill’s Dinosaur Adventure Golf is a prime example of how mini golf evolved over the years. Canada’s largest mini golf features a 50 foot high “active” volcano, 3 ponds, a series of difficult obstacles at each hole. 36 holes of golf make this course unique, where you get to choose one of two 18-hole courses to play. 

Dinosaur Adventure Golf is populated by 50 realistic and life-sized dinosaurs, complete with sound effects and photo opportunities. 

8 Of Our Favourite Mini Golf Hole-In-One’s Ever!

Reading Time:  2 minutes -Now that our Dinosaur Adventure Miniature Golf course is in “full swing”, we compiled 8 of our favourite mini golf hole-in-one’s from around the world to get us in the spirit of another exciting season of this fun, family sport!
 

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via instagram.com

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One of our faves from our Dinosaur Adventure Golf!

Try out our course on Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls! Use this coupon for $1 off for up to 6 people to use.


5


via instagram.com
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Of course, no one can forget Ella on the Price is Right! LOL


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Boring day at the office? LOL


Practice your hole-in-one abilities at Dinosaur Adventure Golf! We are open seasonally (as weather permits), and our hours of operation vary. In the Spring and Summer, we are open early and close as late as 2:00 am!
Our course is unique in that we offer 36 holes of miniature golf, in which you may choose which 18-hole route that you wish to take.
Our course is spread out over 70,000 square feet of playing surface, and we encourage you to bring your camera for photo opportunites with 50 realistic and life-sized dinosaurs.

2016 Marks 100 Years of Miniature Golf

Reading Time:  3 minutes -*Pictured Above: In 1928, Garnet Carter developed a miniature version of golf that kicked off the miniature golf craze. This is a photo of his original course on Lookout Mountain, Tennessee.* Photo source: www.tennesseetreasures.net
2016 Marks 100 Years of Miniature Golf
Did you know that the game of miniature golf has been around for 100 years? 2016 marks 100 years of miniature golf. Here is a little history behind miniature golf.
In 1916, a  man from Pinehurst, North Carolina named James Barber hired a designer and landscaper to create a tiny golf course, which he named “Thistle Dhu”. This would be the first miniature golf course in America. Apparently upon completion of the project, he pronounced “This’ll Do!”, to which it got translated to “Thistle Dhu” (now the name of a current golf course in the same town). It featured all the modern standard trappings of miniature golf including tree, water, and sand hazards.

*Pictured Above: The “Thistle Dhu” course which appeared in the August 1919 edition of Popular Science Magazine*
In 1922, a regular golfer named Thomas Fairbairn revolutionized the game when he discovered a suitable green after combining a mixture of cottonseed hulls, sand, oil, and dye. After this, miniature golf really took off and by the 1930’s (before the Great Depression) there were 25,000 listed miniature golf courses in the US.
It wasn’t until 1927 that miniature golf became known as a community recreation. Up until this point, the sport was set aside only for the wealthy as “something to do”, not so much as a business. Not until a man named Garnet Carter who owned the “Fairyland Inn” at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee came around. He came up with it as entertainment for his guests staying at the inn considering the regular golf course that he was building was taking much too long to build.
Everyone loved the fantasy setting and he decided to name the course “Tom Thumb” after the character of English folklore that grew to be the “size of a thumb”. Carter’s guests enjoyed the challenge of putting a ball through the obstacles. He soon began manufacturing courses for national distribution under the patented name “Tom Thumb Golf”.
“Tom Thumb Golf” course in Toronto, Ontario in 1930:

The game of miniature golf took a hit during the Great Depression, as people couldn’t afford to play. It stayed stagnant until 1938 when the Taylor brothers began to build their own miniature golf courses, but also started adding landscaping, and eye-catching obstacles such as windmills, and castles. By the early 1940’s, Joe and Bob Taylor were in the business of building miniature golf courses and supplying obstacles to companies, and were even sent overseas to entertain soldiers in WWII and Korea.
Fast forward to the miniature golf courses of today, and it has become a favourite family and friends pastime.
5 Unique Miniature Golf Courses
Mayday Golf – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (www.maydaygolf.com)

Par-King – Lincolnshire, Illinois (www.par-king.com)

Perils of the Lost Jungle – Northern, Virginia (www.woodysgolf.com/perils)

Ripley’s Old MacDonald’s Farm Mini Golf – Sevierville, Tennessee (www.ripleys.com//gatlinburg/)

Dinosaur Adventure Golf – Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls (www.cliftonhill.com)

Print off this coupon and enjoy (good for up to 6 people):

How to Win at Miniature Golf

Reading Time:  3 minutes -Here on Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls, we own and operate two miniature golf courses — Dinosaur Adventure Golf and Wizards Golf. When I worked in customer service here, there wasn’t a single day that went by that: a) you didn’t hear the winner rubbing their nose in it, b) someone lost their ball into the street and down Clifton Hill (oops), or c) people would whack the ball so hard that it would end up on someone else’s hole. Before you play your next game, here are some tips on how to win at miniature golf. So, study them, practice them, and then the next time you play you should be raking in the points!
I will use Wizard’s Golf as a guide. Let me know how you fare!
1. Pick the Appropriate Putter

This one seems obvious, but don’t let the cashier choose your putter for you. Often what happens is that they will give you the putter size according to a quick scan of your body size. The top of the putter should hit you at about belt level, with your hands positioned near the middle of the grip. Better yet, bring your own putter.
2. Watch Your Speed
Before you just start whacking balls, do a practice run on the course surface so that you are aware of the speed needed to get the ball moving. Obviously, a ball on carpet will move slower than a ball on concrete. Be aware of how hard or gentle you need to be to make the shot. Don’t over hit the ball on your swings.
3. Ignore the Obstacles and Physical Distractions

*Pictured Above: One of the obstacles in Wizard’s Golf. You need to putt through an obstacle that features various balls nailed down, so your ball will run through it like a pinball game. 
Unless you are at a fair, most miniature golf courses contain obstacles and challenging design features at every hole. The obstacles make a round of play much more challenging. Courses are designed so that there are ways to get around the obstacles (such as windmills) that can impede playing towards the hole. Once a player figures out a strategy for each hole and the shortest route to the hole, chances are that your game will be that much better. If the hole is a figure 8, or circular, you should attempt to bank shots off the bunkers or walls. With that in mind, try to zone out the people around you distracting you. Keep your eye on the ball.
4. Use the Proper Stance
Always swing from the shoulders, not the wrists. Don’t shift your feet, and keep the putter face square. Do not swing putter above the knee.
5. Inspect Each Hole

*Pictured Above: One of the holes at Wizard’s Golf makes you putt uphill and into a cyclone. This is one of those holes that you can’t putt around — you must be able to get it uphill in order to get it in. 
This is imperative especially if you choose to play a glow-in-the-dark course like our Wizard’s Golf course. It features carpeting on each hole that may appear to be flat, but there are spots in which there are tiny “hills” to throw you off your game. There are also enough distractions on some of the courses that you have no clue where the hole is even located. So, much like they taught you in driver’s education when you were told to walk around the car and inspect it before getting inside, the same rings true for playing a decent game of miniature golf — unless you are really lucky.
 GOOD LUCK!


Christine Lynn

clynn@cliftonhill.com

www.cliftonhill.com

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New Niagara Falls Attraction Now Open: Wizard’s Golf!

Reading Time:  2 minutes -

People are already raving about our new Niagara Falls attraction, Wizard’s Golf. It opened on the evening of Good Friday on Easter weekend and has been a huge hit so far. And it’s easy to see why…

 *Pictured Above: The rear building of Wizard’s Golf*

I have been following the progress of Wizard’s Golf for the past couple of weeks. The construction moved along fast and furious on the exterior of the building. In no time, it seemed that the final touches were being implemented with the installation of the castle turrets. Before I knew it, the sign was up and I was allowed entry into this new Niagara Falls attraction set to take you on a journey through fantasy and intrigue, along an 18 hole glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course.


*Pictured Above: Some progress photos of the exterior of the Wizard’s Golf*
However, nothing prepared me for the brightly lit, amazing murals, exhibits and obstacles that awaited me on the interior of this building. I walked inside and descended the 20 or so stairs that leads you to the first hole. From the top of the stairwell (there is also an elevator making this course wheelchair and stroller accessible), you can literally see the “glow” of colourful lights that await you to enter this world of make-believe.

Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf Niagara Falls in Spring 2010

Reading Time:  < 1 minuteVideo of Dinosaur Park Miniature Golf on You Tube from niagarafallsblog
Once right on Clifton Hill, it then moved up the driveway to the Comfort Inn Clifton Hill. As the trees, grass, and gardens have matured, it has turned into a gorgeous outdoor miniature golf course. You are surrounded by dinosaurs in a lush tropical environment. I was very impressed with the surroundings.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXYUqrt2uFc[/youtube]