Mini-Putt Perfection

Mini-putt is the holiday leftovers after a large feast of a meal. It’s a sport that anybody can play and still compare themselves to any great golf legend. It’s hard to describe a golfer as a real athlete when any normal person can go on a mini-putt course and shoot a golf ball through a windmill and essentially do the same thing that any professional can do on a real course. I will admit that I’m a rookie when it comes to mini-putt golf courses. In Canada, you’d think that with all the land that we have that it wouldn’t be so difficult to destroy some natural wilderness and shove a pirate ship made out of plastic right on top of some gravel. Instead, we build huge golf courses that the average joe can’t even gain membership into. In Montreal,we used to showcase a television program on a French Canadian sports channel that was called ‘Defi mini-putt’.

These guys really took the show seriously and there was cash prizes for the winners. There were 18 holes with such names as ‘Le Totem’ and ‘La Disco’ and every course had a skins challenge with the cash prize increasing after every round of golf. Unfortunately, the courses were your typical green synthetic lawn with no obstacles which doesn’t add any suspense to the game. Luckily, there are many cool mini-putt golf courses around the world that have some wicked course designs and we will show you some of these cool concepts right now.

Around the World in 18 Holes

-The first miniature golf course on our list is one that I’m proud to have said that I actually went to. Around the World in 18 holes is located in Lake George, New York and features a different nation for every individual hole. Some of the nations featured at the course include China, France and the USA. This place is a great childhood memory and is one of the reasons that I’m writing this fun article in the first place.

Dino Park

-Dino Park is in Thailand. The home of Tiger Woods’ mom (and the only international mini-putt course on our list), Dino Park is a jungle adventure that has a Jurassic Park type of theme. There are large scale replicas of dinosaurs including a moving T-Rex which roars while you putt. If the dinosaurs don’t impress you, you can check out the 40 foot waterfall and erupting volcano.

Hawaiian Rumble

-Our next two courses have made Myrtle Beach their home. Myrtle Beach is a popular vacation resort in South Carolina, USA. Hawaiian Rumble is the most popular miniature golf course in Myrtle Beach and has been ranked #1 in the world by several golf publications. The course has been featured on the Travel channel, Home and Garden television and NBC’s ‘The Today Show’. When you first arrive, staff will place a Hawaiian lei around your neck to make you feel like you’re really in Hawaii. The main attraction is the giant Volcano that has every course situated around it so that you can get a great view of the volcano no matter what course you’re playing on. The volcano erupts every 20 minutes and is a must see attraction at the course. Hawaiian Rumble is not an easy putting course as professionals use it as part of the World Putting Tour to play such events as the Masters and US Open professional tournaments.

May Day Golf

-The second miniature golf course that is featured in the Carolinas is ‘May Day Golf’. It as named best survival course by the Travel channel. One of the highlights of the course is the large real life yellow airplane that looks like it’s crashing near the top of the course which even has steam shooting out the back of it. Mayday Golf was built in 1997 by the Roberts Family Partnership of South Carolina and some of the Roberts family were former aviation pilots and got the idea for the plane-themed course from there. In addition, the course features a waterfall and several scenario courses that make it more challenging than your typical mini-putt course.

Hillbilly Golf

-Hillbilly Golf in Gatlinburg Tennessee is the first miniature golf resort that we know of that features an elevator trip to get to the top of a mountain in order to play the first hole at the course. After you’ve reached the 300 ft. incline, you’re now ready to play one of two 18 hole golf courses that feature obstacles such as outhouses , whiskey bottles and rocky walls.

Putt U

-Putt U is located in Center Valley Pennsylvania. It doesn’t have any major theme but offers a more traditional miniature golf experience for the veteran miniature golf player. It’s got a red course and a blue course that offer different greens as well as some complex sand traps like a more traditional golf course. It’s been voted by the public as a 24 time winner for #1 miniature golf course in the region.

Par-King

-Par-King is voted as the world’s most unusual miniature golf place. You can shoot your ball through a roller coaster, a replica of Mount Rushmore or a giant roulette wheel on the 18th hole.

Putt Park

-Putt Park is located in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s an outdoor mini-putt park that features 18 holes. One of the unique things about the course is the growing trend in glow in the dark miniature golf courses. At sundown, the balls glow in the dark and you must hit the balls into an illuminated cup. If you want to try something different away from the Vegas strip, we think Putt Park might be a nice change of pace.

Walt Disney World Resort Miniature Golf

-Miniature golf at Walt Disney World Resort includes Disney’s Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf Course inspired by the Disney’s Fantasia, and Disney’s Santa Claus-themed Winter Summerland Miniature Golf Course . Both courses offer 36 holes and feature cool replicas of sand castles as well as a sleeping Santa Claus who is trapped underneath a sand mound.

Pirate Island Golf

-Finally, what would mini-putt be without pirates? We’ve always enjoyed shooting golf balls through a pirate ship and there are several candidates to choose from. Runner-Up candidate ‘Pirate’s Cove’ is voted #1 miniature golf course in Florida and features lush greenery with palm trees and fauna surrounding the course. But, our #1 pirate-themed miniature golf resort goes to Pirate Island Golf in New Jersey which features a replica pirate ship and talking pirates!

That’s it for our miniature golf article. We enjoyed highlighting some of the coolest putt-putt places around the world. We’re hoping this article helps you to put that golf club down for a second and pick up a putter and try to find the nearest mini-putt place nearby and have some fun.