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.

The Original Crazy Golf course on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire (May 2011)

The site of England's first-ever Crazy Golf course is now home to a hotel.

A new Travelodge hotel and Starbucks drive-thru are now open on the location of England's first Crazy Golf course.

The Original Crazy Golf course on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire had been derelict since 2018.

England's first 'Crazy Golf' course opened on South Parade in Skegness in 1926 and the game is widely known by that name in the UK. Crazy Golf is seldom, if ever, used overseas except in tourist spots popular with UK holidaymakers.

In May 2015 The Original Crazy Golf course became the 363rd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We'd first visited the course in 2011.

We've also got some nice old postcards of the course in our collection.

Related blog posts:

• Crazy Golf history: from a minigolf course to a hotel
• Skegness
• Postcards
• Lincolnshire
• Crazy Golf

A minigolf postcard from Ostend, Belgium

A look at an old Tom Thumb minigolf postcard from Ostend, Belgium.

Minigolf Postcard - Ostende Golf miniature. Oostende Klein Golfspel. Ostend Tom Thumb Golf. ARTCOLOR BRUXELLES. 17. Posted on the 19th July 1955

Related blog posts:

• Postcard
• Ephemera
• Ostend
• Belgium
• Tom Thumb Golf

A minigolf postcard from Knokke-Zoute, Belgium

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Knokke-Zoute, Belgium.

Minigolf Postcard - 72 - Knokke-Zoute - Kleine Golf. Golf miniature. Miniature Golf. Minigolf. Anciens Ets Ern. Thill s. a. - Bruxelles. Photo Véritable. Unposted. Undated

Related blog posts:

• Postcard
• Ephemera
• Knokke-Zoute
• Belgium

A minigolf postcard from the Hotel Britannique in Knokke-Zoute, Belgium

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Knokke-Zoute in Belgium.

Minigolf Postcard - HOTEL BRITANNIQUE. Belgium. Knokke-Zoute - Golf miniature. Kleine Golf. Photothill, Bruxelles. Unposted. Undated

Related blog posts:

• Postcard
• Ephemera
• Knokke-Zoute
• Belgium

A minigolf postcard from Ostend, Belgium

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Ostend, Belgium.

Minigolf Postcard - Ostende Le Golf miniature, la nuit. Oostende Klein Golfspel bij nacht. Ostend Tom Thumb Golf at night. Ern. Thill, Bruxelles, No. 28. Unposted. Dated 1952

Related blog posts:

• Postcard
• Ephemera
• Ostend
• Belgium

A minigolf postcard from Noordwijk aan Zee in Holland

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Noordwijk aan Zee in Holland.

Minigolf Postcard - NOORDWIJK AAN ZEE HOLLAND Midget Golf ,,Huis ter Duin''. Posted to Hinkley, Leicestershire in 1974

Related blog posts:

• Postcard
• Ephemera
• Netherlands
• Holland

A minigolf postcard from Blankenberge, Belgium

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Blankenberge in Belgium.

Minigolf Postcard - BLANKENBERGE. Miniatuurgolf en tennis. Golf miniauture et tennis. Miniature golf and tennis. Minigolf und Tennis. 1012. Edicionnes FISA. Printed in Spain. Unposted. Undated

Related blog posts:

• Postcard
• Ephemera
• Belgium
• Blankenberge

A minigolf postcard from Middelkerke, Belgium

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Middelkerke, Belgium.

Minigolf Postcard - MIDDELKERKE. Tennis en miniatuur-golf. Tennis et golf miniature. Lawn-tennis and golf miniature. Tennis und Golf Miniatur. Uitgever VAN MIEGHEM A. Oostende Posted on the 18th June 1978

Related blog posts:

• Postcard
• Ephemera
• Middelkerke
• Belgium

A minigolf postcard from Blankenberge, Belgium

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Blankenberge, Belgium.

BLANKENBERGE. Tennis en Miniatuur Golf. Tennis courts and Miniature Golf sites. Tennis et Golf Miniature. Tennis- und Minigolf - Plätze. KRUGER 95912. Unposted. Undated

Related blog posts:

• Postcard
• Ephemera
• Blankeberge
• Belgium

A minigolf postcard from Knokke-Zoute in Belgium

A look at an old minigolf postcard from Knokke-Zoute, Belgium.

Minigolf Postcard - Knokke-Zoute - Golf miniature. Kleine Golf. Photothill, Bruxelles. No. 72. Unposted. Undated

Related blog posts:

• Postcard
• Ephemera
• Belgium
• Knokke-Zoute

The Masters Putting Green in Southport - celebrating 60 years in 2025

The Masters Putting Green crazy golf course in Southport, Merseyside is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year.

The Masters Putting Green Crazy Golf course at King's Gardens in Southport in 2016

The 18-hole crazy golf course opened for business back in 1965.

The course on a very busy Miniature Golf Day in 2019

The Masters Putting Green in Southport is of the Arnold Palmer Putting Course variety, and opened under the Arnold Palmer branding in 1965.

Playing The Masters Putting Green at King's Gardens in Southport back in September 2009

Find out more.

You can find out more about The Masters Putting Green on the Southport Crazy Golf website.

The Masters Putting Green in Southport, 23rd November 2016

Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

The Masters Putting Green in Southport was the 150th course we played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour. We've revisited the course in October and November 2016, January and October 2018, and September 2019.

September 2009

October 2016

November 2016

A revisit is long overdue!

The Windmill at The Masters Putting Green in Southport, 23rd November 2016

Winning a FREE GAME at The Masters Putting Green Crazy Golf course at King's Gardens in Southport, 4th September 2009

Winning a FREE GAME at The Masters Putting Green Crazy Golf course at King's Gardens in Southport, 4th September 2009

The Masters Putting Green Crazy Golf at King's Gardens in Southport, 1st January 2018

The Masters Putting Green Crazy Golf at King's Gardens in Southport, 1st January 2018

Arnold Palmer Putting Courses.

Arnold Palmer Putting Courses are a design classic and include all the elements that make a Crazy Golf course great – the Windmill, the Waterwheel, an Obelisk, ledges, bunkers, traps, flat loops, hills and plateaus – everything laid out to make a course interesting, testing and most of all fun!

They're my favourite type of minigolf course and I've visited most of those that still remain in the UK.

The Arnold Palmer branded miniature golf courses were part of the Arnold Palmer Enterprises empire set-up in 1961 that saw the legendary golfer's name licensed and franchised to a wide-range of activities and products including Dry Cleaning centres and an Arnold Palmer brand foot detergent.

By 1966 there were 130 Arnold Palmer Putting Courses in the USA, with ten in Japan and some in South Africa.

Southport's Crazy Golf course lays claim to being the first Arnold Palmer Putting Course in the UK (there is also some information that a course in Coventry opened as the first in 1965 and was part of an Arnold Palmer Driving Range in the city). An Arnold Palmer Putting course was also located at a Driving Range in Sheffield.

Take a look at my blog post about "Arnold Palmer Putting Courses in the UK" for further information.

Happy 15th birthday to the Crazy Golf Museum

The Crazy Golf Museum is 15 years old today.

Many happy returns to the Crazy Golf Museum as it marks its 15th birthday today.

I set-up the museum with Crazy Golf legend Tim 'Ace Man' Davies back on the 15th 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.

Visit the Crazy Golf Museum's website, like the Page and join the Group on Facebook, check it out on X, LinkedIn, and see Instagram for information, photos, items, ephemera, stories, videos, postcards, games and more...

If you'd like to contribute any items, merchandise, course history, current developments or guest blog posts please do get in touch.

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.

A Crazy Golf postcard from Skegness

A look at a Crazy Golf postcard from Skegness, Lincolnshire.

The course in the photo is in the same location as England's first Crazy Golf course.

This particular postcard was sent in 1972.

CRAZY GOLF. SKEGNESS. A Sapphire Card. LS2225. Posted from Skegness to New Basford, Nottingham in 1972

The first Crazy Golf course in England opened on South Parade in Skegness in 1926.

In May 2015 the course became the 363rd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Sadly the course was removed and the area has had a hotel and drive-thru built on it.

A Craz-e-Golf postcard from Skegness

A look at a Craz-e-Golf postcard from Skegness, Lincolnshire.

The course in the photo is in the same location as England's first Crazy Golf course.

Craz-e-Golf is an interesting name for the game and not one we'd seen before

The card was posted to Liverpool from Skegness on the 21st June 1977 (a Tuesday). Note the nice postcard cancellation on the card too

The first Crazy Golf course in England opened on South Parade in Skegness in 1926.

In May 2015 the course became the 363rd played on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Sadly the course was removed and the area has had a hotel and drive-thru built on it.

Follow the Crazy Golf Museum

Do you follow the Crazy Golf Museum?

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.

For information, photos, items, ephemera, stories, videos, postcards, games and more follow the Crazy Golf Museum's website and social media. 

If you'd like to contribute any items, merchandise, course history, current developments or guest blog posts please do get in touch.

Playful Putters: The History of Miniature Golf at The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York

The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York has a miniature golf exhibition taking place.

As big fans of minigolf, and curators of the Crazy Golf Museum, it's always interesting seeing minigolf/museum crossovers.

Playful Putters: The History of Miniature Golf at The Strong Museum in Rochester, New York, USA opened in May last year and runs until the 1st September 2025.

The mini golf exhibition features a 9-hole indoor course and leads visitors on a journey through the history and evolution of miniature golf in the USA.

Find out more about the Playful Putters: The History of Miniature Golf on The Strong Museum website.

Blockbuster Video store in Nuneaton - May 2021

The old sign at the former Blockbuster Video store on Regent Street in Nuneaton was uncovered when a tenant of the building moved out. This is how the store looked on the 2nd May 2021.

Blockbuster Video store locations we've visited on our travels

Our interest in lost brands and retail history has taken us to several former Blockbuster stores:

• Abingdon, Oxfordshire
• Ashton, Bristol
• Barnsley, South Yorkshire
• Basingstoke, Hampshire
• Billingham, Teesside
• Cheadle Hulme, Greater Manchester
• Chester, Cheshire
• Chorley, Lancashire
• Clacton-on-Sea, Essex
• Colne, Lancashire
• Failsworth, Manchester
• Fallowfield, Manchester
• Felixstowe, Suffolk
• Filton, Bristol
• Great Moor, Stockport, Greater Manchester
• Hastings, East Sussex
• Leigh, Greater Manchester
• Luton, Bedfordshire
• Marple, Greater Manchester
• Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
• Nuneaton, Warwickshire
• Oldham, Greater Manchester
• Prescot, Lancashire
• Shanklin, Isle of Wight
• Southampton, Hampshire
• Telford, Shropshire
• Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex
• Wisbech, Cambridgeshire
• Wythenshawe, Manchester

Minigolf did you knows...?

Did you know these things about minigolf?

• The world's first miniature golf course was set-up at St Andrews, Scotland in 1867.
• James Barber opened the first minigolf course in the USA in 1916. The 'Lilliputian' miniature golf course was called 'Thistle Dhu' and located in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
• A Miniature Golf contest was part of the Olympic Games at the 1904 St Louis Games in the USA.
• Crazy Golf is 99 years old in 2025. The first course using the name 'Crazy Golf' opened on South Parade in Skegness, Lincolnshire, England in 1926.
• 1926 also saw the first artificial miniature golf course open in the USA. Garnet Carter opened the 'Tom Thumb' miniature golf course near Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
• The first National Tom Thumb Golf Championship took place on the 23rd October 1930.
• The first Putt-Putt brand miniature golf course was set-up by Don Clayton in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA in 1954.
• There are several Guinness World Records for achievements in Minigolf, Miniature Golf, Crazy Golf, Adventure Golf, and Putt-Putt. The 2024 edition of the Guinness World Records book featured a whole page about minigolf and you can find details of the records on the Guinness World Records website.
• There are approximately 1,370 miniature golf courses in the British Isles.
• Our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour is 19 years old in 2025! In that time we've visited over 1,000 courses.
• The Crazy Golf Museum is 15 years old in 2025. The virtual online museum is a treasure trove and archive for all things related to minigolf, crazy golf, adventure golf, miniature golf, Putt Putt, and putting.
• There are two 'miniature golf days' each year. 'National Miniature Golf Day' is always on the second Saturday in May. In 2025 that will be Saturday 10th May. The other minigolf day, 'Miniature Golf Day', is always on the 21st September. In 2025 that will fall on a Sunday.

Do you have any other interesting minigolf facts or stats? If you do, get in touch and let us know what they are.