American Mini Golf Alliance - AMA

There's a new minigolf organisation in the USA.

The American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) was recently formed in the USA, with the organisation bringing together a number of groups and players.

Competitive miniature golfers and putting enthusiasts from across the US including A Couple of Putts (Minnesota), O-Street Mini Golf (New Jersey), and The Putting Penguin (Connecticut / DC) connected back in 2019 and have now come together to create the American Mini Golf Alliance.

The founders of the AMA have been actively involved in the US and the national world of mini golf for years across the realms of competitions, design, and documentation of the game. As the group were looking for ways to connect other people passionate about the game, they thought it would be valuable to find new ways to more broadly incorporate the myriad of ways people engage with the sport of mini golf. 

Check out the American Mini Golf Alliance website and social media channels for more information and updates.

A Couple of Putts see in the New Year

Many thanks to our friends Tom & Robin at A Couple of Putts for sending us this ace new miniature golf postcard.

The minigolfing duo are seeing in the New Year by posting a hole-in-one video from a different course each day throughout January to #Make2021aHoleInOne.

Happy New Year! We’re feeling hopeful about 2021 and we’re kicking it off with some fun. Let’s have an ace of a new year!

Posted by A Couple of Putts on Thursday, 31 December 2020

Check out the A Couple of Putts website for more information.

Franky Stine in Bridlington

A Frankenstein's monster obstacle for Puttober.

Playing the Franky Stine hole on the Crazy Golf at the North Marine Putting Greens in Bridlington

A Couple of Putt's post for Day 24 of Puttober reminded me of the Franky Stine obstacle we played on the Crazy Golf course at the North Marine Putting Greens in Bridlington.

With Franky

That course was the 383rd we've played and 663th visited.

Emily playing at North Marine Gardens in Bridlington

While we were in Bridlington back in 2016 we also visited our 666th course at the Treasure Island Adventure Golf course.

It was certainly a unique course and one I got locked up in so I had to play a shot out of a prison cell!

The scary month of Puttober

October is Puttober.

Skulls on a spike at Mr Mulligan's Lost World Adventure Golf in Cheltenham

Our friends Tom and Robin over at A Couple of Putts have been posting their favourite scary miniature golf holes and obstacles on social media this month using the hashtag #Puttober.

Do you want to play a game at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry?

Getting in on the spirit of the season here are some of the haunted and Halloweeny courses we've found on our travels.

Rest in Peace on hole 14 at Teezers Retro Golf in Coventry

Our friend Trevor Robertson found this obstacle on the Grass Putting course at Marine Gardens in Worthing back in 2016

Hole 9 Clown & Out - the final hole of the Bozo course at Junkyard Golf in London

Hole 9 at Junkyard Golf in Manchester

Inside a giant rock mouth at Funder Park Adventure Golf in Dawlish Warren!

What a view

Brown bread

The Smuggler's Jail hole on the Smugglers Bay Adventure Golf course at Stonham Barns

Slimer graffiti at Ghetto Golf in Newcastle

Toxic Waste warning at Junkyard Golf in Manchester

There are a LOT of Halloween-themed minigolf events going on in the run-up to the 31st October and on the big day itself. Check out my Halloween minigolf blog post here on the Ham and Egger Files and my guest blog post at Minigolfnews for more information.

Are you playing any Halloween minigolf this year?

In October 2014 we headed to Mead Open Farm for a morning of fun on the farm. And some Crazy Golf! The course was the 350th we've played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour and the 584th visited overall.

Getting a high-five off of a giant inflatable pumpkin witch at Mead Open Farm's Halloween event

The 9-hole course at Mead Open Farm was the last of the 'local' courses for us to play when we lived down in Bedfordshire and it was worth the wait 

Crazy Golf at Mead Open Farm in Billington

Minigolf goodies from across the pond

Check out this brilliant selection of minigolf items from our friends at A Couple of Putts.

Many thanks to Tom and Robin at A Couple of Putts for sending over this great minigolf stuff

A BIG minigolf thank you goes out to Tom and Robin at minigolf review site A Couple of Putts for sending over this fine selection of minigolf scorecards, stickers and other stuff.

A Mini Golf is for EVERYONE bumper sticker designed by Tom and Robin

We love seeing and collecting scorecards and other ephemera and merchandise from miniature golf courses around the world. Seeing these items gives a wonderful insight into the game and also showcases the variety of courses and venues out there. Hopefully we'll get to visit some of them in the future too.

A Big Thrill Factory Mini Golf course scorecard from the 18-hole course in Oakdale, Minnesota

A Big Thrill Factory Mini Golf course scorecard. Check out the course review at A Couple of Putts

A Can Can Wonderland mini golf course sticker from the course in St Paul, Minnesota. Read the course review at A Couple of Putts

A coloring book from Goony Golf of Spring Lake Park in Minnesota. Sadly this venue closed down in July 2017. You can read an extensive history of the location at A Couple of Putts

Three Goony Golf of Spring Lake Park scorecards

Goony Golf of Spring Lake Park scorecards

Scorecard for the Championship course at Goony Golf of Spring Lake Park in Minnesota

Scorecard for the Championship course at Goony Golf of Spring Lake Park in Minnesota

Scorecard for the Executive course 1 at Goony Golf of Spring Lake Park in Minnesota

Scorecard for the Executive course 1 at Goony Golf of Spring Lake Park in Minnesota

Scorecard for the Executive course 2 at Goony Golf of Spring Lake Park in Minnesota

Scorecard for the Executive course 2 at Goony Golf of Spring Lake Park in Minnesota

Sticker from Goony Golf of Spring Lake Park

Scorecard for the Mini Golf course at the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA). Check out A Couple of Putts for two reviews of the course - including details of the holes they designed and built for the course in 2016 and 2017

Scorecard for the Mini Golf course at the IMA

Scorecard from Pocono Family Golf in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. Check out the review at A Couple of Putts

Scorecard from Pocono Family Golf

Scorecard from the Walker Art Center Artist Designed Mini Golf course. Tom and Robin have been involved with this art center and the various incarnations of the minigolf course there for a number of years. Check out the A Couple of Putts website for more info

Scorecard from the Walker Art Center Artist Designed Mini Golf course

Scorecard from the Walker Art Center Artist Designed Mini Golf course

Please do visit the A Couple of Putts website for stacks of course reviews and follow Tom and Robin's adventures on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

Related blog posts:
- A Couple of Putts
- Sparkle City Mini Putt in Spartanburg, South Carolina

Sparkle City Mini Putt in Spartanburg, South Carolina

I recently received a nice surprise in the post - some great merchandise and ephemera from my fellow minigolf bloggers at A Couple of Putts!

What a fine array of minigolf merch

This year Robin Schwartzman, one half of the A Couple of Putts team, has been the Hub-Bub Artist-in-Residence and created a brilliant looking and free to play miniature golf course called Sparkle City Mini Putt in downtown Spartanburg in South Carolina, USA.

The scorecard from Sparkle City Mini Putt looks great

Sparkle City Mini Putt sounds like a marvelous idea. Hopefully one day we'll get to play the layout on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Visit the A Couple of Putts blog to follow the travels of Tom Loftus (aka Mr. Tee) and Robin Schwartzman (aka The Pink Putter) on their minigolf travels.

Check out the links below for more details on the 9-hole minigolf course. To play the course you can take along your own putter and ball, or call in at one of five local business where you can borrow some equipment for free.

Links:
- A Couple of Putts blog
- Sparkle City Mini Putt website
- Sparkle City Mini Putt on Facebook
- Sparkle City Mini Putt / Hub-Bub on Twitter
- Sparkle City Mini Putt – Spartanburg, SC blog post on A Couple of Putts

Like the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour on Facebook, check out our YouTube channel and follow me and Emily on Twitter.