View source for Miniature golf

{{Short description|Offshoot of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect}}
{{About|the sport|the video game|Miniature Golf (1979 video game)}}
{{Redirect|Mini-Putt|the video game|Mini-Putt (video game)|the video game series|Putt-Putt (series)}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Infobox sport
| name       = Miniature golf
| image      = Minigolf.jpg
| imagesize  =
| caption    =
| union      = [[World Minigolf Sport Federation]]
| first      = {{circa}} 1912
| firstlabel =
| country/region =
| registered =
| clubs      =
| contact    = No
| team       =
| mgender    = No, except mixed multiples
| category   = Club sport
| equipment  = putter, ball, artificial course
| venue      =
| obsolete   =
| olympic    = No
| paralympic =
| IWGA       = [[1989 World Games|1989]] (invitational)
}}

'''Miniature golf''' (also known as '''minigolf''', '''putt-putt''', '''crazy golf''', and by [[#Nomenclature|several other names]]) is an offshoot of the sport of [[golf]] focusing solely on the [[putting]] aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played on courses consisting of a series of holes (usually a multiple of 9) similar to those of its parent, but the holes are short (usually less than 10 metres from tee to cup).

The game uses artificial putting surfaces (such as carpet, [[artificial turf]], or [[concrete]]), a [[geometric]] layout often requiring non-traditional putting lines such as bank shots, and artificial obstacles such as tunnels, tubes, ramps, moving obstacles like windmills, and walls made of concrete, metal, or fiberglass. When miniature golf retains many of these characteristics but without the use of any props or obstacles, it is purely a mini version of its parent game.

[[File:Boys playing miniature golf in Alameda County, California, 1963.jpg|thumb|right|Boys playing miniature golf in [[Alameda County, California]], 1963]]
[[File:Cape_May_Mini_Golf.jpg|thumb|150px|right|A miniature golf course in [[Cape May, New Jersey]]]]

==Nomenclature==
While the [[World Minigolf Sport Federation]] (WMF)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.minigolfsport.com/ |title=MINIGOLFSPORT.COM :. – World minigolf sport federation |access-date=August 18, 2004 |archive-date=January 10, 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050110012604/http://www.minigolfsport.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> prefers to use the name ''minigolf'', the game has several other names which vary between countries, including ''mini-golf'', ''midget golf'', ''goofy golf'', ''shorties'', ''extreme golf'', ''crazy golf'', ''adventure golf'', ''mini-putt'', and ''putter golf''. The name [[Putt-Putt Fun Center|Putt-Putt]] is the [[trademark]] of an American company<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.puttputt.com/ |title=Welcome to Putt Putt Fun Centers! |access-date=April 7, 2010 |archive-date=March 25, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325132207/http://www.puttputt.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> that builds and franchises miniature golf courses in addition to other family-oriented entertainment. The term ''putt-putt'' is sometimes used colloquially to refer to the game itself. The term ''minigolf'' was formerly a registered trademark of a Swedish company{{who|date=July 2024}} that built its own patented type of minigolf courses.{{citation needed|date=July 2024}}

==History==
Geometrically shaped minigolf courses made of artificial materials (carpet) began to emerge during the early 20th century. The earliest documented mention of such a course is in the June 8, 1912, edition of ''The Illustrated London News'', which introduces a minigolf course called the Gofstacle.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.miniaturegolfer.com/gofstacle.html |title=''The Illustrated London News'' June 8, 1912 |access-date=February 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304195544/http://www.miniaturegolfer.com/gofstacle.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author1=Swingers | title=A Brief History of Miniature Golf &#124; the Edition by Swingers Golf | work=The Edition &#124; Swingers The Crazy Golf Club &#124; London, DC, NYC | date=September 19, 2023 | url=https://edition.swingers.club/us/a-brief-history-of-miniature-golf/ }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Miniature golf history, the Crazy Golf Museum | url=http://www.crazygolfmuseum.info/miniature_golf_history.html }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=The history of minigolf: From entertainment for the elite to a global phenomenon | date=October 16, 2024 | url=https://www.minigolfpark.cz/en/post/the-history-of-minigolf-from-entertainment-for-the-elite-to-a-global-phenomenon?srsltid=AfmBOoptrt3oQrNDHm6H9fSDmMwiiOK1JP-8jI5aPQc0dSqI5bMyONRV | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250421055902/https://www.minigolfpark.cz/en/post/the-history-of-minigolf-from-entertainment-for-the-elite-to-a-global-phenomenon?srsltid=AfmBOoptrt3oQrNDHm6H9fSDmMwiiOK1JP-8jI5aPQc0dSqI5bMyONRV | archive-date=April 21, 2025 }}</ref>

The first standardized minigolf courses to enter commercial mass-production were the Thistle Dhu ("This'll Do") course in 1916 in [[Pinehurst, North Carolina|Pinehurst]], [[North Carolina]],<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=FykDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA84 84–86 Wiswell, Edward H. "The Golf Course of Thistle Dhu: A Miniature Course that Demands All the Skill of An Expert Golfer." Popular Science Monthly 95, No. 2, August 1919.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116131600/https://books.google.com/books?id=FykDAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA2&pg=PA84&hl=en |date=November 16, 2022 }}.</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|last=Keeler|first=O.B|title=It's a Shriving Test: It's Hard to Tell What You'll Do at Thistle Dhu|magazine=The American Golfer|volume=XXXI|issue=6|date=March 1928|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807015844/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1928/ag316f.pdf|pages=8, 40|access-date=August 18, 2022| url-status=dead|url=http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/AmericanGolfer/1928/ag316f.pdf|archive-date=August 7, 2010}}</ref> and the 1927 Tom Thumb patent of [[Garnet Carter]] from [[Lookout Mountain, Tennessee]]. [[Thomas McCulloch Fairbairn (inventor)|Thomas McCullough Fairbairn]], a golf fanatic, revolutionized the game in 1922 with his formulation of a suitable artificial green—a mixture of cottonseed hulls, sand, oil, and dye. With this discovery, miniature golf became accessible everywhere; by the late 1920s there were over 150 rooftop courses in [[New York City]] alone and tens of thousands across the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xSgDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Science+1931+plane&pg=PA22|title=Why Midget Golf Swept The Country|page=22|work=Popular Science|first=Bonnier|last=Corporation|date=November 13, 1930|publisher=Bonnier Corporation|via=Google Books}}</ref>  This American minigolf boom of early 20th century came to an end during the [[Great Depression]] in the late 1930s. Nearly all minigolf courses in the United States were closed and demolished before the end of the 1930s.<ref name="haeber">{{Cite web |url=http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~haeber/creations/minigolf.html |title=History of Miniature Golf |access-date=September 1, 2005 |archive-date=February 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100227093020/http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~haeber/creations/minigolf.html |url-status=live }}</ref>  A rare surviving example from this period is the [[Parkside Whispering Pines Miniature Golf Course]] located near [[Rochester, New York]], and listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] in 2002.<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref>

The first miniature golf course in [[Canada]] was at the Maples Inn in [[Pointe-Claire]], [[Quebec]]. The "Mapes" was constructed as a summer home in the 1890s but was renovated into a club in 1902, opened to the public in 1914, and had a miniature golf course in 1930. The popular nightspot burned in 1985.<ref>''West Island Chronicle'', June 29, 2008.</ref>

===European origins===
[[File:Minigolf Ascona.jpg|thumb|right|Minigolf Ascona, opened in 1954]]
One of the first documented minigolf courses in mainland [[Europe]] was built in 1926 by a man surnamed Schröder in [[Hamburg, Germany]]. Schröder had been inspired by his visit to the United States, where he had seen minigolf courses spreading across the country.<ref name="bganormy">{{Cite web|url=http://www.minigolfsport.se/bganormy.htm#ty|title=BANGOLF – Bangolf – bangolf – UPPKOMST OCH UTVECKLING|date=October 5, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005232135/http://www.minigolfsport.se/bganormy.htm#ty |archive-date=October 5, 2007 }}</ref>

In 1930 Edwin O. Norrman and Eskil Norman returned to Sweden from the United States, where they had stayed for several years and witnessed the golden days of the American minigolf boom. In 1931 they founded the company "Norman och Norrmans Miniatyrgolf" and began manufacturing standardized minigolf courses for the Swedish market. During the following years they spread this new leisure activity across Sweden, by installing minigolf courses in public parks and other suitable locations.<ref name="bganormy"/>

Swedish minigolf courses typically had a rectangular wooden frame surrounding the playing area made of tennis field sand;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.citygolf.se/english/history.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416223357/http://www.citygolf.se/english/history.html|url-status=dead|title=The history of minigolf|archivedate=April 16, 2008}}</ref> in contrast, American manufacturers used newly developed and patented felt as the surface of their minigolf courses. Felt did not become popular as a surface material in Sweden until in the mid-1960s—but since then it has become practically the only surface material used in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, due to its favorable playing qualities in wet weather. Minigolf courses with a felt surface can be played in rainy weather, because water soaks through the felt into the ground. The other commonly used surface materials, [[concrete]] and [[Fibre cement|fibre-cement]], cannot be used in rainy weather, because the rainwater pools on them, stopping the ball from rolling.

The Swedish Minigolf Federation (Svenska Bangolfförbundet)<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bangolf.se/ |title=Svenska Bangolfförbundet |access-date=April 7, 2007 |archive-date=April 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070406094112/http://www.bangolf.se/ |url-status=live }}</ref> was founded in 1937, making it the oldest minigolf sport organization in the world. National Swedish championships in minigolf have been played yearly since 1939.<ref>[http://www.minigolfsport.se/historik/bgresumy.htm]{{dead link|date=June 2013}}</ref> In other countries minigolf sport federations were not founded until the late 1950s, due to the post-war economical depression.

In 1954, the minigolf course in [[Ascona]], Switzerland, opened. It is the oldest course in the world which follows the norms of Paul Bongni.

===Competitive games===
The earliest documented minigolf competitions were played in the United States. The first National Tom Thumb Open minigolf tournament was arranged in 1930, with a total cash purse $10,000 (the top prize being $2,000). Qualification play-offs were played in all of the 48 states, and the final competition on [[Lookout Mountain]], Chattanooga, Tennessee, attracted over 200 players representing thirty states.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://prominigolf.com/history.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723081554/http://prominigolf.com/history.html|url-status=dead|title=Welcome to US ProMiniGolf Association – The Official Internet Site For Prominigolf|archivedate=July 23, 2012}}</ref> After the Depression ten years later, minigolf died out as a competition sport in America, and has begun to recover only during the most recent decades.{{cn|date=December 2024}} The American minigolf sport boom of the 1930s inspired many European countries, and the sport of minigolf lived on in Europe even after the American game fell into Depression.

===Post-depression U.S.===
[[File:Miniature-golf_course_labeled_in_newspaper_feature_photo,_1930.jpg|thumb|350px|right|Golf layout from the ''[[Los Angeles Evening Express|Evening Express]],'' Los Angeles, California, 1930]]
[[File:Monster_Mini_Golf_Glow_in_the_Dark_Golfer.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Golfer golfing at [[Monster Mini Golf]], an indoor glow in the dark mini golf course]]
In 1938 Joseph and Robert Taylor from [[Binghamton]], [[New York (state)|New York]], started building and operating their own miniature golf courses. These courses differed from the ones in the late 20s and early 30s; they were no longer just rolls, banks, and curves, with an occasional pipe thrown in. Their courses not only had [[landscaping]], but also obstacles, including [[windmills]], [[castles]], and [[wishing well]]s.

Impressed by the quality of the courses, many customers asked if the Taylors would build a course for them. By the early 1940s, Joe and Bob formed Taylor Brothers, and were in the business of building miniature golf courses and supplying obstacles to the industry. During both the [[Korean War|Korean]] and [[Vietnam War]]s, many a G.I. played on a Taylor Brothers [[prefabricated]] course that the U.S. [[Military]] had contracted to be built and shipped overseas. In the 1950s, Don Clayton invented the Putt-Putt brand with a focus on treating minigolf seriously, emphasizing skill and player improvement. Most of the Putt Putt routes were 2-par holes involving ramps or angled blocks that could be mastered in one go through practice.<ref>Greenbaum, Hilary. “Who Made Mini-Golf?”, The New York Times, April 6, 2012.</ref><ref>McMillan, Libby. “Putt-Putt’s 60th Puts Spotlight on Mini-Golf,” USA Today, June 11, 2014.</ref>

By the late 1950s, almost all supply catalogs carried Taylor Brother's obstacles. In 1961, Bob Taylor, Don Clayton of Putt-Putt, and Frank Abramoff of [[Arnold Palmer]] Miniature Golf organised the first miniature golf association known as NAPCOMS (or the "National Association of Putting Course Operators, Manufacturers, and Suppliers"). Their first meeting was held in [[New York City]]. Though this [[organization]] only lasted a few years it was the first attempt to bring miniature golf operators together to promote miniature golf.

In 1955, Lomma Golf, Inc., founded by Al Lomma and his brother [[Ralph Lomma]], led the revival of wacky, animated trick hazards. These hazards required both accurately aimed shots and split-second timing to avoid spinning windmill blades, [[rotation|revolving]] [[statuary]], and other careening obstacles.{{Citation needed|date=November 2018}}

The book, ''Tilting At Windmills: How I Tried To Stop Worrying And Love Sport'', by Andy Miller tells the story of the formerly sports-hating author attempting to change by competing in miniature golf, including events in [[Denmark]] and [[Latvia]].

In the [[United States]], National Miniature Golf Day is held yearly on the second Saturday of May. The event had its [[inaugural]] [[party|celebration]] on May 12, 2007, and was officially recognized and published in 2008's edition of ''[[Chase's Calendar of Events]]''.

===Other countries===
By the 1950s the American Putt-Putt company was exporting their minigolf courses to South Africa, Australia, Japan, Korea, India, Iran, Italy, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, and the Eastern Bloc.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.minigolfsport.se/bganormy.htm#us|title=BANGOLF - Bangolf - bangolf - UPPKOMST OCH UTVECKLING|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071005232135/http://www.minigolfsport.se/bganormy.htm#us |archive-date=October 5, 2007 }}</ref>

==Governing body==
{{Infobox organization
| name                = 
| image               = 
| size                = 150px
| abbreviation        = WMF
| type                = [[List of international sports federations|Sports federation]]
| formation           = 1993
| headquarters        = [[Bern]], {{SUI}}
| membership          = 40 to 63 (March 2025)
| leader_title        = 
| leader_name         = 
| website             = http://www.minigolfsport.com/
}}
===History of WMF===
The sport of miniature golf is governed internationally by the [[World Minigolf Sport Federation]] ([[World Minigolfsport Federation|WMF]]), headquartered in [[Göteborg]], [[Sweden]]. The WMF was a member of [[Global Association of International Sports Federations]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=btcom |title=GAISF » Members |url=https://gaisf.sport/members/ |access-date=April 25, 2023}}</ref> before its dissolution, and within it, of the [[Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport]] ([[Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport|AIMS]]).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Members – AIMS |url=https://aims.sport/members/ |access-date=April 25, 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> WMF is also member of The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA).<ref>{{Cite web |title=International Members {{!}} TAFISA |url=http://tafisa.org/international-members |access-date=April 25, 2023 |website=tafisa.org}}</ref>

Track golf developed, at a competitive level, quite rapidly in the countries of central and northern Europe starting from the mid-fifties: the costs were low and the game was played with only a golf ball (European Championship of 1959). Then, in the European Championship of 1961, an Italian team signed up (Miglietti was there and there was no obligation to join any Federation) and showed up with two balls that were not "golf balls", but lacquered balls that were later used as an experiment by Willy Korn who built a machine in 1963 to lacquer the rough balls arriving from Japan. Later (1965) the balls treated with acetone and the "plastics" arrived. With the manufacture of soft balls by N. Wagner of Ingolstadt there was a notable leap in quality and "bounce". Demand increased rapidly and supply improved all sports equipment by providing new clubs (putter in English and schläger in German), ball bags and increasingly sophisticated balls that continued to diversify in terms of weight, hardness and bounce, making more than 20,000 different models available to players that progressively improved performance on the course.

In the meantime, at the federal level, 2 different international federations had been established: one for minigolf and one for miniature golf. With the unification of the two federations, cobigolf, sterngolf and filzgolf also entered the specialties of the International European federation I.B.G.V. (Internationale Bahnen Golf Verband).

Minigolf courses flourished in Austria in the 1950s. In 1962, the Austrian Minigolf Association (ÖMSV) was founded, followed the following year by the Miniature Golf Sports Federation. The first miniature golf tournaments were also held that year.

In 1976, the Austrian Minigolf Association (ÖBGV) governed the sport, but since 1980, a parallel federation, the International Minigolf Federation (IBVG), has existed.

In 1993, the IBGV became the World Minigolf Federation (WMF). Since then, new representatives from the continent, such as the United States and Japan, have been integrated into the WMF.

It organizes World Championships for youth and elite players, and Continental Championships in Europe, Asia and the United States, held in alternate years.

The WMF organizes World Championships, which take place every two years, and World Junior/European Open Championships, each held annually.

Minigolf was a demonstration sport at the 1989 World Games in Karlsruhe.

===WMF Members===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Nation !! Governing body
|-
| {{flag|Australia}} || Australian Mini Golf Association
|-
| {{flag|Austria}} || Österreichischer Bahnengolf-Verband
|-
| {{flag|Belgium}} || Union Belge de MiniGolf — Belgische Verbond voor MidgetGolf<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.minigolf.be/|title=minigolf.be|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030922163619/http://www.minigolf.be/ |archive-date=September 22, 2003 }}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|China}} || China Minigolf Sport Federation
|-
| {{flag|Croatia}} || Croatian Minigolf Federation
|-
| {{flag|Cyprus}} || City Mini Golf
|-
| {{flag|Czech Republic}} || Český minigolfový svaz
|-
| {{flag|Denmark}} || Dansk Minigolf Union<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://minigolf.dk/|title=Dansk Minigolf Union|website=minigolf.dk}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|Estonia}} || Estonian Minigolf Association
|-
| {{flag|Finland}} || Suomen Ratagolfliitto
|-
| {{flag|France}} || Fédération Française de Minigolf
|-
| {{flag|Germany}} || Deutscher Minigolfsport Verband<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.minigolfsport.de/|title=Deutscher Minigolfsport Verband - Minigolf und mehr|website=www.minigolfsport.de}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|Great Britain}} || British Mini Golf Association
|-
| {{flag|Hungary}} || Magyar Minigolf Országos Szakszövetség
|-
| {{flag|India}} || Minigolf Federation of India
|-
| {{flag|Indonesia}} || Persatuan Mini Golf Indonesia
|-
| {{flag|Iran}} || Iran Minigolf Society
|-
| {{flag|Israel}} || Israeli Minigolf Association (R.A.)
|-
| {{flag|Italy}} || Federazione Italiana Golf su Pista
|-
| {{flag|Japan}} || Japan Mini Golf Association
|-
| {{flag|Kosovo}} || Federata e Minigolfit e Kosovës
|-
| {{flag|Latvia}} || Latvian Minigolf Clubs Association
|-
| {{flag|Liechtenstein}} || Liechtensteiner Minigolf-Sport-Verband
|-
| {{flag|Luxembourg}} || Fédération Luxembourgeoise de Golf sur Pistes
|-
| {{flag|Malaysia}} || Malaysian Minigolf Sport Association (MMGSA)
|-
| {{flag|Mexico}} || Federacion Mexicana de Minigolf
|-
| {{flag|Moldova}} || National Golf Federation of Moldova
|-
| {{flag|Mongolia}} || Mongolian Amateur Minigolf Federation
|-
| {{flag|Netherlands}} || NMB = Nederlandse Minigolf Bond<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://minigolfbond.nl/Home/|title=Nederlandse Minigolf Bond - Home|website=minigolfbond.nl}}</ref>
|-
| {{flag|New Zealand}} || MiniatureGolf Association
|-
| {{flag|Norway}} || Norges Minigolf Forbund
|-
| {{flag|Philippines}} || Philippine MiniGolf Association
|-
| {{flag|Poland}} || Polski Związek Minigolfa
|-
| {{flag|Portugal}} || Federacão Portuguesa de Minigolfe
|-
| {{flag|Romania}} || Club Sportiv Minigolf Riviera
|-
| {{flag|Russia}} || Russian Golf Association
|-
| {{flag|Serbia}} || Serbian Minigolf Association
|-
| {{flag|Singapore}} || Miniature Golf Association (Singapore)
|-
| {{flag|Slovakia}} || Slovenský zväz dráhového golfu
|-
| {{flag|Slovenia}} || Mini Golf Zveza Slovenije
|-
| {{flag|South Korea}} || Korea Newsports Association
|-
| {{flag|Sweden}} || Svenska Bangolfförbundet
|-
| {{flag|Switzerland}} || Swiss Minigolf
|-
| {{flag|Chinese Taipei|name=Taipei}} || Minigolf Sport Association
|-
| {{flag|Thailand}} || Minigolf Association Thailand
|-
| {{flag|Turkey}} || Uluslararasi Minigolf & Tuna Minigolf
|-
| {{flag|Ukraine}} || Ukrainian Golf Federation
|-
| {{flag|UAE}} || Emirati Mini Golf
|-
| {{flag|USA}} || United States ProMiniGolf Association (USPMGA)
|-
| {{flag|Vietnam}} || Vietnam Minigolf Foundation
|}

==Events==
Source:<ref>{{Cite web | title=Minigolfnews - A Minigolfnews Announcement | url=http://www.minigolfnews.com/ | access-date=2025-10-05 | website=www.minigolfnews.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Other Minigolf News | url=https://gov.minigolfsport.com/bulletin/other-minigolf-news }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=International Championships | url=https://gov.minigolfsport.com/events/international-championships }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Minigolfnews | url=https://newsarchiv.minigolfsport.com/?p=results }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Minigolfnews | url=https://newsarchiv.minigolfsport.com/?p=events }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=Minigolfnews | url=https://newsarchiv.minigolfsport.com/?p=information&page=1 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=58. Internationale Osterturnier - 38. Ernst Strauß-Gedächtnisturnier | url=https://gov.minigolfsport.com/calendar/i-2-26jiurlptentg0q9ccc6gpcm51_20250419 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=World Minigolf Sport Federation | work=Guinness World Records | url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/partners/organisations/world-minigolf-sport-federation }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=WMF Official Announcements | url=https://gov.minigolfsport.com/bulletin/announcements }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=World Minigolf Sport Federation | url=https://gov.minigolfsport.com/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250421060335/https://gov.minigolfsport.com/ | archive-date=April 21, 2025 }}</ref>

* [[World Crazy Golf Championships]] (2003)
* [[World Adventure Golf Masters]] (2011)
* World Championship (16th World Championship - Stroke Play and Match Play 2019 in China)<ref>{{cite web | title=Results | url=https://wc2019.minigolfsport.com/results-world-championships }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title=The 16th minigolf world championship | format=JPG | url=https://archiv.csit.tv/en/getpic/ZEX.Y.V3qHDGw?.jpg | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250519182641/https://archiv.csit.tv/en/getpic/ZEX.Y.V3qHDGw?.jpg | archive-date=2025-05-19}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=WMF – World Minigolf Sport Federation | url=https://archiv.csit.tv/en/newsshow-wmf-8211-world-minigolf-sport-federation?return=13 }}</ref>
* Youth World Championship (2024 in Austria)
* European Championship
* Asian Championship
* Champions League <ref>{{Cite web | title=European Minigolfsport Federation | url=https://www.minigolf-europe.org/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110421002412/http://www.minigolf-europe.org:80/ | access-date=2025-10-05 | archive-date=2011-04-21}}</ref>
* Nordic Championships (2025 in Latvia)

==Course types==
[[Image:Minigolfanlage.jpg|thumb|upright|Eternite miniature golf course]]
[[Image:Bulltoftaparken, Minigolfbanan.jpg|thumb|Felt course (front) and eternite course (rear), in [[Malmö]]]]
All competitions approved by World Minigolfsport Federation are played on standardized courses, whose design has been checked to be suitable for competitive play. The WMF currently approves four different course types:
* [[Concrete|Beton]]<ref name=autogenerated6>{{cite web|url=http://www.minigolfpics.com/html/courses_italy_vergiate.html |title=Minigolfpics |date=December 21, 2007 |access-date=June 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114193735/http://www.minigolfpics.com/html/courses_italy_vergiate.html |archive-date=January 14, 2013 }}</ref> (abbreviated B, sometimes called "Bongni" and named after Paul Bongni of Geneva, Switzerland, "Minigolf" or "Abteilung 1")
* [[Eternit]]e<ref name=autogenerated5>{{cite web|url=http://www.minigolfpics.com/html/courses_luxembourg_luxembourg.html |title=Minigolfpics |date=December 21, 2007 |access-date=June 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116035221/http://www.minigolfpics.com/html/courses_luxembourg_luxembourg.html |archive-date=January 16, 2013 }}</ref> (abbreviated E (in Sweden EB), sometimes called "Europabana", "Miniaturgolf" or "Abteilung 2")
* [[Felt]]<ref name=autogenerated3>{{cite web|url=http://www.minigolfpics.com/html/courses_sweden_ornskoldsvik.html |title=Minigolfpics |date=December 21, 2007 |access-date=June 14, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221215350/http://www.minigolfpics.com/html/courses_sweden_ornskoldsvik.html |archive-date=December 21, 2007 }}</ref> (abbreviated F or SFR, sometimes called "Swedish felt runs"), and
* Minigolf Open Standard<ref name=autogenerated1>{{Cite web |url=http://www.miniaturegolfer.com/belfast.html |title=Belfast, Adventure Golf – The Captain's Challenge |access-date=February 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304064135/http://www.miniaturegolfer.com/belfast.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> (abbreviated "MOS"). The latter non-standardized playing system, MOS, covers all minigolf courses that the three standardized systems (B, E, F) do not cover.

== Course features ==
The final holes (often the 18th hole or a bonus {{vanchor|19th hole}}<ref name="mini golf">{{cite web |title=Mini Golf and putting terminology |url=http://www.miniaturegolfer.com/miniature_golf_terminology.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161029144636/http://www.miniaturegolfer.com/miniature_golf_terminology.html |archive-date=2016-10-29 |access-date=2019-11-04 |website=miniaturegolfer.com}}</ref>) of many miniature golf courses are designed to capture the ball, effectively preventing the player from playing additional rounds without purchasing another game. This may be accomplished with a "drain" or trap-door hole setup that channels the ball to a lockbox.

The 19th hole on miniature golf courses is often a hole in which if a hole-in-one is scored, one receives a free game.<ref name="mini golf" /> One popular method of theming the 18th hole in the United States is to use a gated, ramped target area depicting the face of a [[clown]]; if the ball lands "in" the clown's nose, a bell may sound and the player would win a discount ticket for another game. Another method for capturing the ball incorporated by various adventure golf courses involves a tube that sucks and propels the ball with pressurized air to a collection area or another area of the course typically on a higher elevation.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

==Competitions==
The world record on one round of minigolf is 18 strokes on 18 holes. More than a thousand players have officially achieved this score on eternite. On other playing systems, a perfect round of 18 holes-in-one is extremely rare, and has never been scored in an official national or international tournament. Unofficial 18-rounds on concrete and felt courses have been reported in Sweden.<ref name="autogenerated2" />

Nearly all European countries have an official national federation for promoting minigolf as a competition sport. The bi-annual European Championships attract competitors from more than twenty European countries. As of 2012, Chris Beattie has been the holder of the European Championship title.<ref name="results">{{Cite web|url=http://www.minigolfsport.com/results.php|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174556/http://www.minigolfsport.com/results.php|url-status=dead|title=World minigolf sport federation|archivedate=March 3, 2016}}</ref> Outside Europe only a small number of countries have participated in international minigolf competitions. These countries include the United States, Japan, China, India and Taiwan. A national minigolf federation exists also in Moldova, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, but none of these countries has ever participated in international competitions, and probably are not arranging many domestic competitions either.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.minigolfsport.com/members.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160118013641/http://www.minigolfsport.com/members.html|url-status=dead|title=World minigolf sport federation|archivedate=January 18, 2016}}</ref>

World Minigolfsport Federation represents some 40,000 registered competition players from 37 countries.<ref name=autogenerated4>{{Cite web |url=http://www.miniaturegolfer.com/minigolf_olympics.html |title=Minigolf: From Summer Holidays to the Summer Olympics |access-date=February 9, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160210044742/http://miniaturegolfer.com/minigolf_olympics.html |archive-date=February 10, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The national minigolf federation of Germany has 11,000 members with a competing license,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.minigolfsport.de/download/bundesliga2007.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151105185508/http://www.minigolfsport.de/download/bundesliga2007.pdf|url-status=dead|title=1.4. Mainz-Hartenbergpark 29.4. Kiel-Gaarden 13.5. Bamberg 3.6. Nümbrecht 1.7. Brechten 28.7. Bad Sobernheim|archivedate=November 5, 2015}}</ref> and the Swedish federation has 8,000 registered competition players.<ref name=autogenerated2>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bangolf.se/t2.aspx?p=112569 |title=Svenska Bangolfförbundet |access-date=April 8, 2007 |archive-date=May 5, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070505103330/http://www.bangolf.se/t2.aspx?p=112569 |url-status=live }}</ref> Other strong minigolf countries include Austria and Switzerland, each having a few thousand licensed competition players. Also Italy, Czech Republic and Netherlands have traditionally been able to send a strong team to international championships, even if they cannot count their licensed players in thousands.

The sceptre of competitive minigolf rests quite firmly in mainland Europe: no player from other countries (such as UK, the United States, Japan et cetera) has ever reached even the top 50 in World Championships (in men's category).<ref name="results"/> Nearly all national federations outside Europe were founded only quite recently (within the last ten years), and it will take time before the players of these countries learn all secrets of the game. The United States has a longer history of minigolf competitions, but the standardized European competition courses are practically unknown in the United States, and therefore the American players have been unable to learn the secrets of European minigolf. On the traditional American courses the best American players are able to challenge the European top players into a tough and exciting competition.<ref>[http://www.minigolftraining.com/Results%20documents/2006%20USPMGA%20Master.doc] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620150016/http://www.minigolftraining.com/Results%20documents/2006%20USPMGA%20Master.doc|date=June 20, 2007}}</ref>

The British Minigolf Association (BMGA) has an additional problem on their way to greater success in competitive minigolf. While the minigolf federations in mainland Europe receive annual funding from the government, in England the national sports organization [[Sport England]] has refused to accept BMGA as its member – which means that BMGA is left without the public funding that other forms of sports enjoy. The rules of Sport England declare that only one variant of each sport can be accepted as member – and minigolf is interpreted as a variant of golf.<ref name=autogenerated4 />

The most prize money is paid in the United States, where the winner of a major competition may earn up to $5,000. In mainland Europe the prize money generally quite low, and in many cases honor is the only thing at stake in the competition. International championships usually award no prize money at all.

In the US there are two organizations offering national [[tournament]]s: the [[Professional Putters Association]] and the US Pro Mini-Golf Association (USPMGA). The USPMGA represents the United States in the World Minigolfsport Federation, having been an active member since 1995. USPMGA President Robert Detwiler is also the WMF representative for [[North America|North]] and [[South America]].

The New Israeli Minigolf Association was established in February 2010 in Israel. Setting up, for the first time, league play according to the rules of WMF and USPMGA. Now, a series of lush and inviting minigolf parks in prime locations are being built around Israel.

===International===

World Minigolfsport Federation (WMF), a member of [[AGFIS]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.agfisonline.com/|title=AGFIS - General Association of International Sports Federations : Home|url-status=dead|access-date=April 8, 2007|archive-date=April 10, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070410012742/http://www.agfisonline.com/}}</ref> organizes World Championships biennially (on odd-numbered years), while the continental championships in Europe and Asia are organized on even-numbered years. Many of these competitions are arranged for three age groups: juniors (under 20 years), adults (no age limit), and seniors (over 45 years).<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.minigolfsport.com/rules/3_1_060730.pdf | title=The Game - Worldwide international sport regulations | access-date=April 8, 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070620150016/http://www.minigolfsport.com/rules/3_1_060730.pdf | archive-date=June 20, 2007}}</ref> Men and women compete separately in their own categories, except in some team competitions and pair competitions. The difference in the playing skills of men and women is very small at the top level. Sometimes the best player in a major international tournament is female. Typically the winner in women's category would be very close to medals also in men's category.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oebgv.at/index.php?page=ergebnisse_international|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927064523/http://www.oebgv.at/index.php?page=ergebnisse_international|url-status=dead|title=Österreichischer Bahnengolfverband – Internationale Minigolfergebnisse|archivedate=September 27, 2007}}</ref>

World and European Championships have so far never been arranged on MOS courses (which are popular in the United States and UK, and were approved by WMF for competition use only a few years ago). International competitions are typically arranged on two courses of 18 holes, of which one course is eternite, and the other course is usually concrete, less commonly felt. In the future, the WMF is expected to use also MOS courses in international championships – which will give American and British players a chance to show their skills on their own traditional course types.{{cn|date=December 2024}}

==See also==
* [[Variations of golf]]
* [[Golf (billiards)]]
* [[Clock golf]]
* ''[[Défi mini-putt]]'', a 1990s [[Réseau des sports|RDS]] televised minigolf series from [[Quebec]]
* [[European Minigolf Sport Federation]]
* [[M.C. Mini Masters]], a unique annual amateur miniature golf tournament
* [[Pitch and putt]]
* [[Professional Putters Association]]
* [[TGL (golf league)]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.minigolfsport.com/ WMF] – World Minigolfsport Federation (WMF)
* {{Cite web | title=Minigolfnews | url=https://newsarchiv.minigolfsport.com/ | access-date=2025-10-05 | website=newsarchiv.minigolfsport.com}}
* {{Cite web | title=Minigolfnews - A Minigolfnews Announcement | url=http://www.minigolfnews.com/ | access-date=2025-10-05 | website=www.minigolfnews.com}}
* {{Cite web | title=World Minigolf Sport Federation | url=https://gov.minigolfsport.com/ | access-date=2025-10-05 | website=gov.minigolfsport.com}}
* {{Cite web | title=E M F - European Minigolfsport Federation | url=http://www.europeanminigolfsport.com/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051223083638/http://www.europeanminigolfsport.com:80/ | access-date=2025-10-05 | archive-date=2005-12-23}}
* {{Cite web | title=European Minigolfsport Federation | url=https://minigolf-europe.org/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110421002412/http://www.minigolf-europe.org:80/ | access-date=2025-10-05 | archive-date=2011-04-21}}

{{golf}}
{{Sports of the World Games program}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Miniature Golf}}
[[Category:Miniature golf| ]]
[[Category:Forms of golf]]
[[Category:Ball and bat games]]