Miniature Golf - Crazy Golf
If you ask a lot of people whether they have ever played golf before the answer will probably be a no from most quarters. But it all changes if you ask them if they have played crazy golf or mini golf as it is known in some places. Most people have at one time or the other played the game of crazy golf. For those that don’t know, crazy golf is a miniature version of the actual game of golf played on a much smaller course. But what is really interesting is the story of how crazy golf came to be and also why it came to be.
It seems to have all started in the great country of Scotland. Wikipedia tells us this about this cool game’s origin, “Probably the best candidate as the first minigolf course in the world is the MENS' Putting Club of St. Andrews in Scotland, which was founded in 1867, and still today is operating and open for public. This 18-hole course of putting greens, called "the Himalayas", was founded by some members of the notable Royal & Ancient Golf Club in St. Andrews” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minigolf).
It is very interesting that the first crazy golf course in the world was actually a putting green course. It seems to be that people at the time devised a putting green only course instead of the full course probably to practise their putting skills on different holes. This is a far cry from the elaborate and theatrical elements of the crazy golf courses around the world today. Some crazy golf courses have windmills that the ball needs to be hit through; some have elaborate water features that need to be avoided. A lot of them are simply scaled down mini versions of the actual game without all the theatrics and gadgets. They are simply putting greens with a bit raised here or a little hump there. The object of the game is the same as its bigger brother; each hole has a par and the objective is to complete the course in the least shots as possible. This version of the game is a lot more light hearted and fun than the full sized one.
Another interesting thing to note about the origin of the game is that it seems to have been invented as a game for women. “Women had become interested in [the] golf game, but the conservative social norms of the era deemed it unacceptable for women to publicly perform such violent movements that a golf swing requires. Therefore an 18-hole course of short putting greens was constructed for women – apparently the first "miniature golf course" in the world,” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minigolf). So basically it was the men at the time that deemed it acceptable for the women to play a smaller version of the real game. Even though this may infuriate most women out there but that was the nature of the time and there is nothing that can be done about it. At least solace can be taken from the fact that this act lead to the invention of one of the most fun games on the planet today. Also the fact that there are some amazing women golfers out there today should warm the hearts of any woman out there.
So that is how the game came about, and it seems to have been a combination of finding a way for men to practice their putting habits and also a way for women to enjoy a version of the game. But how did this crazy version of that game come about. How did it go from being just putting greens to having windmills and water features in it? Some mad innovator probably thought that the game could mint him/her some money and designed a course and handed out some putters at a carnival or fair and watched the money pour in. Even these days one of the most played games at a carnival or fair is crazy golf and no carnival can be found that doesn’t have one.
From such humble beginnings, maybe a little sexist in nature but nonetheless, to go to being such a popular game all over the world is a fact that the game can be proud of.
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