the first miniature golf course was built at myrtle beach, south carolina.
the first miniature golf course was built at myrtle beach, south carolina.
where was the first miniature golf course built?
myrtle beach, south carolina
the first standardized minigolf courses to enter commercial mass-production were the thistle dhu ("this'll do") course 1916 in pinehurst, north carolina, and the 1927 tom thumb patent of garnet carter from lookout mountain, tennessee. 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. this american minigolf boom of early 20th century came to an end during the economic depression in the late 1930s. nearly all minigolf courses in the united states were closed and demolished before the end of the 1930s. 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.
miniature golf
fascinated with mom-and-pop culture, reidelbach co-authored "miniature golf" (abbeville press, 1987), the only book ever bound in artificial turf, and in 2004, she teamed with the artist ken brown to create goofy garden golf, a decorative miniature golf course at pier 2 (west of north moore street) in manhattan's hudson river park. goofy garden golf was planned as a tribute to frieda carter, who designed the first miniature golf course at lookout mountain, tennessee, in 1928.
maria reidelbach