Selects: How Miniature Golf Works

What It Covers

The evolution of miniature golf from its 1867 origins at Scotland's St. Andrews Ladies' Putting Club through the 1920s boom to modern franchises like Putt Putt, including course design innovations and competitive play.

Key Questions Answered

• •1920s Boom Economics: In August 1930, the US had 25,025 miniature golf courses with half built in just six to eight months, creating massive job growth during the transition from the Roaring Twenties to the Depression era.
• •Putt Putt Business Model: Don Clayton invested $5,200 in 1954 to build his first course and recovered 100% of investment in 29 days with 20,800 customers at 25 cents per game, proving the franchise viability of skill-based miniature golf.
• •Perfect Game Rarity: Only three perfect games scoring 18 have been recorded in Putt Putt's 65-year history despite millions of games played, demonstrating the deceptive difficulty of standardized par-two courses designed for competitive skill development.
• •Geographic Concentration: Myrtle Beach's Highway 17 contains over 50 miniature golf courses within a 30-mile stretch, establishing it as the world capital of miniature golf with both indoor and outdoor themed attractions like Hawaiian Rumble's functioning volcano.