95 years since the first National Tom Thumb Golf Championship took place

The first National Tom Thumb Golf Championship took place almost 100 years ago.

The first National Tom Thumb Championship was contested in Chattanooga, Tennessee 95 years ago today.

Garnet Carter created the first artificial miniature golf course in the USA in 1926. The first of the 'Tom Thumb Golf' brand of miniature golf course was an 18-hole layout located near Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

By 1930 there were some 25,000 miniature golf courses in the USA, 3,000 of which were the now patented Tom Thumb course franchises.

The course and fantasy theming caught the imagination of visitors and on the 23rd October 1930 the final of the first-ever National Tom Thumb Championship took place.

Qualifying events had taken place in all of the then 48 states of the USA, with 200 players representing 30 states in the grand final. The event had a total prize fund of $10,000, with the champion winning $2,000!

We haven't played a Tom Thumb Golf course on our travels, but we do have some nice old postcards of Tom Thumb courses in our collection. This one is of a course at Westende Bains in Belgium

Check out the Crazy Golf Museum for more minigolf history.

Toys R Us at Macy's in Chicago, USA

A look at a Toys R Us at a Macy's department store in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Emily visited this Toys R Us within a Macy's in Chicago earlier this year.

Emily first visited the store in August 2024.

It's one of over 450 Toys R Us stores you can find within Macy's in the USA.

Find out more.

Visit the Toys R Us at Macy's website for more information.

Working at Toys R Us.

My first job while at university in the year 2000 was as one of Geoffrey's helpers at the Luton store. I worked on the video game and electronics section.

The old Toys R Us.

It's been very interesting to find that there are still remnants of the brand on some retail parks in the UK and we've visited several of these closed, abandoned, derelict and demolished Toys R Us locations on our travels.

Toys R Us at TGJones and WHSmith in the UK.

Toys R Us returned to the UK shopping scene in 2022 with an online presence and in 2023 with concessions opening inside some WH Smith shops.

The relaunched Toys R Us brand can be found in sections of some travel hub WHSmith stores, as well being inside some of the rebranded TGJones shops.

There are currently over 90 Toys R Us stores open nationwide.

The Putt Park Annual Mini-Golf Tournament in Las Vegas, USA

A look back at The Putt Park Annual Mini-Golf Tournament in Las Vegas.

I won The Putt Park's Annual Mini-Golf Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA back in September 2011.

Playing at the Putt Park Miniature Golf in Las Vegas.

We had first played miniature golf at The Putt Park on our holiday to Las Vegas in 2010. It was the 178th course visited on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Playing at The Putt Park Miniature Golf course in Las Vegas

Sadly The Putt Park is no longer there. It was a brilliant 18-hole course and, at the time, the only outdoor minigolf course in Las Vegas.

Related blog posts:

• Las Vegas
• Competitions
• Tournaments
• Richard Gottfried's Minigolf Player Profile

Netflix House Mini-Golf at the King of Prussia Mall in Philadelphia, USA

Netflix House will be home to a mini-golf course.

There will be a mini-golf course at the new Netflix House at the King of Prussia Mall in Philadelphia, USA.

The first of three planned Netflix House locations will have a mini-golf course inside it.

The new Netflix House at the King of Prussia Mall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA opens on Wednesday 12th November 2025.

About Netflix House.

Netflix House is a new entertainment concept from the streaming service, with the physical locations offering people the chance to play and experience branded activities based on TV and film properties.

The first two Netflix House locations are planned for Philadelphia and Dallas in 2025, with a third venue opening in Las Vegas in 2027.

Netflix House is the latest branded entertainment centre that aims to bring together multiple games and activities under one roof.

Top 9 mini-golf at Netflix House

The Netflix House mini-golf at the King of Prussia Mall in Philadelphia will be a high-tech course called "Top 9" and feature nine holes inspired by fan-favourite stories.

One of those hole designs has been announced to be WWE Raw-themed!

Other Netflix shows to be featured on the indoor mini-golf course at Netflix House include Stranger Things, Bridgerton and Squid Game.

It'll be interesting to see what the location looks like and how the mini-golf course plays. I wonder if there are future plans to roll-out Netflix Houses in other countries too...?

Find out more.

Check out the Netflix House website for more information.

A 7-Eleven in Chicago

A look at a gold signed, but closed down, 7-Eleven in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

The closed 7-Eleven at the Heyworth Building on East Madison Street in Chicago

This 7-Eleven had a fancy looking gold sign

Putt U Miniature Golf in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, USA

A Crazy Golf Museum blog post about Putt U Miniature Golf in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, USA.

As the Curator of the Crazy Golf Museum and a BIG fan of minigolf it's always wonderful to see, hear from and learn about different minigolf courses around the world.

One of the first courses we found out about in the USA when our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour travels began in 2006 was Putt U Miniature Golf in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, USA - thanks in part to how active they are at promoting their venue and the wider game and sport of minigolf.

So it was marvellous to recently receive a very nice package of minigolf goodies from Randy Bloch at Putt U Miniature Golf!

Putt U's two mini-golf courses.

Putt U Miniature Golf in Center Valley, Pennsylvania is home to two 18-hole outdoor mini-golf courses - the Blue course and the Red course.

Putt U's Blue course

Putt U's Red course

Putt U scorecards.

The Putt U course scorecards are superb examples - they're high quality, colourful, comprehensive rules, and packed with stats, facts and information!

The history of Putt U Miniature Golf.

Putt U Miniature Golf was established in 1998 and has consistently topped the rankings as the best miniature golf course both locally and in Pennsylvania. The venue has also hosted two National championships and is a real test of putting skill for pro and non-pro players alike - with 20 hazards on each layout.

Each course has an official par of 57 and also has three different tee-off points - one for kids, one for 'normal' play, and one for the pro players!

The Blue course measures slightly longer than the Red course at 1,192 feet to 1,172 feet, with both of the 18-hole courses having a course record of 39 shots.

Minigolf balls, pencils and more.

Check out these photos of the Putt U Miniature Golf items and ephemera Randy kindly sent to us.

A scorecard from Putt U's Red course

Mini-Golf pencils from Putt U

Putt U Mini-Golf balls

A real piece of minigolf ephemera - a Putt U branded envelope

A scorecard from Putt U's Blue course

Now hanging in the Crazy Golf Museum's wardrobe

A BIG thank you to Randy and all the team at Putt U for thinking of us at the museum. It's brilliant to get an insight into the courses and we hope to visit and play at Putt U in the future.

Find out more about Putt U.

Please do check out the Putt U Miniature Golf website, and give the business a follow on Facebook, Instagram and X. And subscribe to the Putt U YouTube Channel. 

One of the things I really like about Putt U, is how they regularly post updates and messages on the sign that is prominently displayed outside the course. And they share these on their social media too.

Have you played at Putt U? If you have, please let us know what you thought of the courses and what you scored there?

We're looking forward to visiting and playing at Putt U Miniature Golf on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Crazy Golf Museum.

I set-up the museum with Crazy Golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies back in July 2010.

Since then we've continued to fill the virtual online museum to make it a treasure trove and archive for all things related to minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf, miniature golf, Putt Putt, and putting.

It's certainly been a very interesting 15 years!

A BIG thank you to everyone who has shared their minigolfing memories, crazy golf items and adventure golf updates over the years. We're looking forward to continuing our promotion of the game for many more years to come.

Find out more about the Crazy Golf Museum across the web.

Happy National 7-Eleven Day

It's National 7-Eleven Day.

Today is National 7-Eleven Day!

7-Eleven convenience stores celebrate National 7-Eleven Day on when else but the 11th July.

The first 7-Eleven Day was held in 2002.

Back to the Future is 40 years old

Back to the Future was released on the big screen 40 years ago today.

Back to the Future was released on the 3rd July 1985.

Cinema audiences in the USA were treated to the first screenings of Back to the Future 40 years ago today!

I got to see a DeLorean time machine at MediaCity in Salford in March 2020

We found a (now lost) video rental shop in Little Lever, Bolton in October 2020. It was stocked with loads of VHS tapes - including Back to the Future Part II. It was like stepping back in time!

I got to see my first DeLorean in real life at the Didsbury & South Manchester Car Show in Didsbury Park in July 2019

Minigolf in Las Vegas

A look at minigolf courses in Las Vegas, Nevada.

PopStroke miniature golf is one of the more recent additions to the minigolf options available in Las Vegas, it's also currently the only outdoor option for playing the game

It's been a few years (14 in fact!) since I last visited Las Vegas. Back in 2011 I won a minigolf tournament, at a now long-lost course, and Emily was runner-up.

I won The Putt Park Annual Mini-Golf Tournament in Las Vegas back in September 2011

Since then Emily has returned several times - most recently in May and September last year - and has been able to check out the new minigolf courses on the Las Vegas strip. And there's been plenty of change since I was last in Vegas.

The Twilight Zone Mini Golf - one of several indoor minigolf venues in Las Vegas

Below are details of the courses we know about in Las Vegas, as well as the lost courses we've been to there on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Minigolf courses in Las Vegas

• Pirate's Bounty (formerly Pike's Pass) Miniature Golf at The Adventuredome at Circus Circus Hotel & Casino - the oldest of the minigolf courses on the Las Vegas strip, this is an indoor 18-hole miniature golf course.
• Twilight Zone Mini Golf at the Horseshoe Hotel & Casino - this is an indoor 18-hole mini golf course.

Emily playing the Twilight Zone Mini Golf course in May 2024

• PopStroke Las Vegas at Town Square Las Vegas - where there are two outdoor 18-hole miniature golf courses.

PopStroke Miniature Golf

• Swingers Crazy Golf course in Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay - home to 5 indoor 9-hole crazy golf courses.

Swingers Crazy Golf

• KISS Mini Golf at The Rio - this is an indoor 18-hole mini golf course.

Kiss Mini Golf

• Rex Center (South Maryland Parkway) - home to an indoor 18-hole mini golf course.
• Atomic Golf - they have a 'Putting District' with different mini golf putting games.

Atomic Golf

Lost minigolf courses in Las Vegas

On my two trips to Las Vegas in 2010 and 2011 I was able to play the following courses that are now sadly closed:

• King Putt (West Lake Mead Boulevard​)
• King Putt (Stephanie Street, Henderson)

King Putt used to have two indoor mini-golf course locations in Las Vegas

• The Putt Park (South Fort Apache)

Playing at The Putt Park in September 2011

• The Swingers Club indoor minigolf course (The Plaza Hotel & Casino)

Emily has also played the KISS by Monster Mini Golf course when it was in its former location on Paradise Road. That location closed, with KISS Mini Golf now at The Rio.

Emily playing at the former KISS Mini Golf course in September 2014

There also used to be a course at Ohana Mini Golf (East Bruner Avenue).

Do you have any minigolf recommendations for Las Vegas or the local area? Do let us know in the comments.

Happy Summerween!

Today is Summerween.

Summerween is celebrated annually on the 22nd June. 

The quirky event is also on the second to last Friday of the month of June. So you get two bites of the cherry (or should that be watermelon) to celebrate it.

Happy birthday Putt-Putt - 71 years old today

Today marks 71 years since the world's first Putt-Putt course opened.

The first Putt-Putt Golf course was set-up by Don Clayton in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA on this day back in 1954.

Putt-Putt is the only patented game of miniature golf and began in Fayetteville, North Carolina in 1954. In the 1960's Putt-Putt franchises began opening outside of the US, in locations such as South Africa, Australia and Japan. There were also courses in the UK, the first of which opened in Sunderland in 1968. Others followed at Flamingo Land in Yorkshire and in Buxton, Derbyshire. However, information on these UK courses is limited. You can read the Putt-Putt story on the Putt-Putt Fun Centres website.

The Putt-Putt miniature golf course in Three Anchor Bay in Moullie Point / Sea Point, Cape Town, South Africa. Photo by PJ Goedhals

Ephemera from the Putt-Putt Golf centre at Moullie Point in South Africa. From PJ Goedhals

A Putt-Putt Postcard from South Africa

A selection of Putt-Putt tokens

On the competitive side of the game, Putt-Putt tournaments have been played since 1959. You can read about the history of the PPA and APA on the Professional Putters Association website.

A Putt-Putt Puzzle of a very crazy Miniature Golf course. Published by Hallmark Cards Inc. Many thanks to our friend 'Hacksaw' Jon Drexler for sending it across the pond to live in the Crazy Golf Museum

Check out the Putt-Putt Golf website for more information on Putt-Putt brand minigolf. You can find out more information about Putt-Putt tournaments on the Professional Putters Association (PPA) website.