Behind the Creation of Miniature Golf for Oshtemo and Beyond

Today, miniature golf is a beloved pastime for people of all ages and backgrounds. Whether you’re a seasoned golf pro or you’ve never even stepped foot on a golf course before, mini golf is a fun and exciting experience for everyone.

That said, how did mini golf become so popular? Though mini golf has been a cultural staple for quite some time now, it’s not like it was being played in the medieval times. So where does mini golf come from?

Today, we’re taking a look at the history of mini golf and how it rose to prominence as one of the most fun games around.

The Creation of Miniature Golf

Like regular golf, mini golf originated in Scotland hundreds of years ago as “the putting game,” though this game wasn’t the mini golf we know and love today. Unlike mini golf, which implies whimsical and exciting course design, the putting game was more like putting on a golf course. In other words, it was generally played in a backyard or area with very few obstacles, twists, and turns.

The putting game finally evolved into mini golf in the 1920s-1930s in the United States. During the Roaring Twenties, interest in leisure activities like the putting game spiked, and people went as far as building courses on their rooftops so they could play from the comfort of their own home. But as the Great Depression arrived in the 30’s, many people couldn’t afford the materials and expenses of building an authentic putting game course. So instead, players sourced local materials that they could find on the street and used them to create courses.

From there, it didn’t take long to discover that making courses out of unique and unlikely obstacles actually made the putting game more fun, and it quickly became its own art form. From now on, people would go out of their way to play with unconventional obstacles, which became a new sport known as mini golf.

Modern Miniature Golf

Today, mini golf has had nearly a century to develop, and the game has truly reached new heights. Most mini golf courses are designed in the fashion of Don Clayton, a mini golf aficionado from the 1950’s who believed it was more fun to design holes so that a highly skilled player could get a hole in one. He believed that this incentivized a new type of skill in mini golf, which makes the game more fun for everyone.

Are you interested in testing out your mini golf skills? If so, then we here at Spare Time are happy to announce our own mini golf course, open to players around Lansing, Oshtemo, and beyond. To schedule your own tee time on our brand-new miniature golf course, click here to contact us today!