Who Made Mini-Golf?
By HILARY GREENBAUM and DANA RUBINSTEIN
There are conflicting accounts as to what prompted Garnet Carter, who already owned a real golf course, to open a miniature one in the late 1920s. His wife, Frieda, believed it was meant to distract “golf widows” — much as the Ladies Putting Club, built in 1867, did at the renowned St. Andrews links in Scotland. But Carter, who owned the Fairyland Inn, a hotel outside Chattanooga, Tenn., created more than a distraction. His course was different from other forays into mini-golf. It had hollowed-out tree trunks and gnomes. It was, John Margolies writes in “Miniature Golf,” “a way of reinforcing the Never Never Land atmosphere the inn strove to create.”
Carter’s brainchild became a fad. In August 1930, the Commerce Department estimated that of the 25,000 mini-golf courses in the country, more than half had been built since January. A Popular Science Monthly article, “Why Midget Golf Swept Country,” credited Carter’s “theatrical appeal.”
In those early days, builders used green-dyed cottonseed hulls, or sometimes asbestos, to make the courses. The habitués, Collier’s magazine reported, included everyone from “society women” to “truck drivers” to “girls and boys of 8 or 10.” Soon, players hit balls through mini-jungles, and occasionally past the claws of caged bear cubs. There were Wild West courses. Mary Pickford (“America’s Sweetheart”) opened Wilshire Links in Los Angeles.
The initial craze died down, in part from oversaturation, but the baby boom sparked a resurgence. In the 1950s, Don Clayton created the Putt-Putt brand, which eschewed gimmicks; and Ralph and Alphonse Lomma built Lomma Enterprises, which embraced them (see “Playing Through”). Bob Detwiler, the president of the United States Pro Minigolf Association, estimates that there are now only about 5,000 mini-golf courses nationwide. Fifty or so are in Myrtle Beach, S.C., the mini-golf capital of the world. This includes Detwiler’s own Hawaiian Rumble, which has a 40-foot volcano that spews fire every 20 minutes. He has high hopes for the sport’s renaissance. “All we need is for a title sponsor to see what we’re doing,” he says, “and we’re gonna be off to the races.”
LITTLE BIG LEAGUE
In November, Jay Klapper won first prize at the U.S. Pro Minigolf Masters, one of the sport’s most prestigious events. Here, he explains his passion.
How did you get involved in mini-golf? In 1971,a Putt-Putt course was built really close to our house, and we went out there to play. The owner accidentally poured some cement on my shoe. He felt real bad and gave me 25 free games. By 15, I had already gone professional.
Who’s your biggest rival? I actually beat a 16-year-old girl from the Czech Republic in the U.S. Masters. I’ve been playing against her since she was about 10, and she’s really hard to beat. She really is. I felt bad.
Any advice for beginners? The biggest thing is have fun. If you hit a bad putt and you get mad, you’re probably going to continue to mess up.
Do you ever lose your temper on the course? I used to be pretty bad about it, but the more positive you are, the better you’re going to play. I had cancer in ’94. It gave me a new perspective once I started playing again.
What’s your perspective now? A lot of times when people do articles on us, they poke fun at us. And, of course, you’ve got to laugh at yourself.
