A look at names for the game of miniature golf.
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| Minigolf Miraflores in Mallorca, Spain in May 2023 |
There are a number of different names for the game of minigolf. While there are some design standards for courses, most would be regarded as 'fantasy' courses where the end result is limited only by imagination, building regulations and budgets.
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In the UK many people would refer to 'minigolf' as 'crazy golf'. This is me and the sign for 'The Original Crazy Golf' course (established in 1926) in Skegness, Lincolnshire back in May 2015
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Here's a look at the common names for the game of putting:
Minigolf (also Mini Golf, Mini-Golf, Miniature Golf) –
Minigolf is a catch-all name for the game and can be used to describe every type of course no matter its make-up or design.
Some
Pitch & Putt and
Par-3 Golf courses also describe themselves as
Minigolf /
Miniature Golf.
Adventure Golf –
Adventure Golf is a relatively new name for the game and mostly describes a course with theming such as pirates, jungles, dinosaurs and space.
Crazy Golf –
Crazy Golf is a name most commonly used in the UK. It is seldom, if ever, used overseas except in tourist spots popular with UK natives.
An equivalent name in the USA would be
Goofy Golf.
Mini-putt –
Mini-putt courses are similar in appearance to
Putt-Putt courses however they have distinct standardised hole designs and are particular to Canada.
"Mini-putt" is the Québécois term for the game of minigolf, thanks largely to the popularity of the Quebec cable sports show 'Défi mini-putt' in the 1970s and 80s.
Pitch & Putt – Sometimes
Pitch & Putt courses will use the name
Miniature Golf or
Minigolf.
Putt-Putt –
Putt-Putt is a trademark and denotes specific patented types of miniature golf courses. Most courses can be found in the USA, with some still in operation in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Putt-Putt is sometimes incorrectly used as a catch-all / interchangeable name with
Minigolf to describe a course or the game.
Putting –
Grass Putting courses and
Putting Greens are a type of minigolf and are often found at the seaside or in parks and gardens.
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| Crazy Golf at the Yorkshire Ice Cream Farm Hatfield, Doncaster |
What do you call the game? Do let us know in the comments.
Number of holes on a miniature golf course
Most minigolf courses consist of either 9 or 18 holes. There are also a number of 12-hole courses. Some venues have two, three or four separate 9-hole or 12-hole courses to create 36-hole centres.
Some courses classify themselves as 19-hole courses by including a Lucky Last Hole where a free game can be won.
Pop-up miniature golf
There are also a growing number of pop-up minigolf courses created for retailtainment activity and promotions, sports tasters, marketing events, art installations and more.
Miniature Golf competitions and tournaments
As well as being played as a fun, leisure activity there is also an official competition side to the game.
Tournament play is more established in continental Europe, although the UK and USA have governing bodies and hold a number of competitions each year.
The World Minigolf Sport Federation
The World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) is the governing body for minigolf and has member nations around the world.
Players competing in official WMF tournaments tend to use putters specially designed for the needs of minigolfers as well as minigolf balls made of rubber and designed with competition players in mind, allowing them to find the best hole-in-one shot.
Tournaments are held on four types of minigolf courses and the WMF has its own definitions:
Feltgolf –
Feltgolf courses (also known as
Swedish Felt) are a type of course made of a felt covered wooden base consisting of 18 holes from a selection of 32 standardised designs.
Concrete –
Concrete courses (also known as
Beton) are a type of course made of a concrete base with metal rails as borders. They consist of 18 standardised holes. Some courses have a mirror-image of certain designs.
Miniaturegolf –
Miniaturegolf courses (also known as
Eternit) are a type of course made of a thin concrete material consisting of 18 holes from a selection of 28 standardised designs.
Minigolf Open Standard (MOS) – these are courses that do not fit into the above standard types and would be more recognisable to most players in the UK and USA.
MOS courses include
Adventure Golf courses,
Crazy Golf layouts and
Minigolf courses that take inspiration from regular golf. Each hole on a WMF-sanctioned MOS course can range from 3 to 40 metres in length.
Competitions are also held on the
Stern Golf and
Cobi Golf systems, although these types of courses are not well known outside of Germany.
I’m a Champion Miniature Golfer on a tour of the UK’s minigolf and crazy golf courses. Coeliac living a gluten free life. Train nerd. Retro gamer. Urban explorer.
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