II.6. MINIATURE GOLF
Miniature golf is another form of free-time entertainment. At first glance the game looks similar to golf, although the size of the court is far smaller (hence the prefix “mini-“) and the rules are also quite different. Miniature golf is a widely known and popular sport, but very few people know its details. Many people have memories of the game played on colourful courses during holidays with rubber golf clubs and simple balls, not knowing that it is also a competitive sport. Easy accessibility, either on an amateur or on a professional level, is the main virtue of this game. Miniature golf has huge popularity in many parts of Europe and in some countries it is one of the most popular free time activities. Conditions are getting more and more promising in Hungary for the game to become a grassroots sport.
(http://sportaglexikon.hu/sportagak/minigolf/)
The first records about the origins of the game are from the United States, but there are data referring to its European career, too, from the second half of the 1920s. Practically speaking, miniature golf evolved from golf, which was accessible only in few places for the public. Yet, more and more people wanted a version of the game with more moderate demands in playing area. That’s how the first lanes, mostly resembling the “green course”, were built. Soon, these artificial courses proved to be too simple and there was a need for obstacles. This started a rapid evolution of the game. In the United States only the witty, imaginative recreational lane-creations were spawning, while at the same time in Europe some started to think there is a need for a standardized regulation that makes different results achieved on different lanes commensurable.
Gameplay demo in the video below: