ftw.usatoday.comImage: ftw.usatoday.comLarry Stottlemeyer,owner of Frederick Putt-Putt on Thomas Johnson Drive,closed the mini-golf courseafter 24 years of business and will open a new large entertainment center in New Market next year. FREDERICK — For two decades,Putt-Putt Golf Games has provided teenagers,children and families a place to hang-out and have fun together.

When was Putt-Putt Golf invented?

In 1954 Don Clayton and his Putt-Putt Golf Corporation opened a course in Fayetteville, North Carolina that featured two unique innovations: Each hole was encased by an aluminum barrier, and the carpet players putted on was more expensive, designed specifically to endure the conditions.

How did Putt-Putt survive?

The Putt-Putt Corporation has survived by moving past its name. The company arrives at most of its profits through its “fun centers,” which include some combination of laser tag arenas, restaurants, arcades, bumper cars, go karts and batting cages.

What is the difference between mini golf and Putt Putt?

In short, Putt-Putt is a registered name that is made for players who are interested in the fewest strokes. Mini golf can be fun for the whole family and is more likely to feature obstacles and larger-than-life decorations. Well, that seems a little unfair. Putt-Putt is fun, too.

What is a putt-putt® tournament?

All tournaments are played on Putt-Putt copyrighted courses. Putt-Putt began franchising in the 1950’s and quickly spread across the country and became a brand synonymous with its mission: A safe, clean, affordable entertainment venue for families within their own communities.

What is Mini Golf?

As its name suggests, mini golf is simply a miniaturized version of regular golf, and you can expect to find similar features such as holes, flags, water hazards, sand traps and terrain obstacles.

What is Putt Putt?

Similarly to mini golf, putt putt is another branch of golf, but a less traditional one. Putt putt courses often have obstacles like metal rails, pipes or statues and are generally considered to be more ‘gimmicky’ than mini golf, relying more heavily on thematic features like clowns or animals.

The Differences Between Mini Golf and Putt Putt

The main difference between mini golf and putt putt lies in the way they are played and scored. In mini golf, all players take their first stroke, and then the person furthest from the hole takes their second putt, as in real golf. In putt putt, the first person must complete the hole before the second person can commence their turn.

Where did Tim Shea grow up?

Tim Shea grew up in Saugus and when he heard that Route 1 miniature golf course’s orange dinosaur might disappear he was so upset that he formed a Facebook group to try to save it.

Where is D&D mini golf located?

D&D Miniature Golf in Tennessee sits in complete darkness and is lit only by black lights reflecting off giant statues of giant mythical creatures. A pop-up miniature golf course in Portland forced players to putt through a series of laser beams. A recent turf exhibit in Los Angeles saw architects design a variety of different miniature golf holes, including one that suspended the hole in mid-air with the help of a giant, secured balloon. A miniature golf course in Illinois asks users to putt their ball through a functioning roller coaster. The Toledo Mud Hens converted their AAA baseball stadium into a miniature golf course during the off-season. A pub called Swingers recently opened in London and features a miniature golf course inside an underground World War II bunker.

When did miniature golf start?

Miniature golf as we know it didn’t begin to take shape until the 1950s. In 1954 Don Clayton and his Putt-Putt Golf Corporation opened a course in Fayetteville, North Carolina that featured two unique innovations: Each hole was encased by an aluminum barrier, and the carpet players putted on was more expensive, designed specifically to endure the conditions.

Where is the orange dinosaur?

For more than 50 years a giant orange dinosaur has overlooked a miniature golf course on Route 1 in Saugus, Massachusetts, providing a kitschy splash of color on a normally grey road.

Does miniature golf cut it anymore?

Miniature golf in itself simply doesn’t cut it anymore. Courses survive nowadays by getting weird, and while that may be sordid news to the sentimentalists, it’s given rise to an unprecedented wave of creativity within the industry.

Is mini golf a pie?

Miniature golf has become a smaller slice of a much larger pie, and while golf-only sites used to be the norm within the Putt-Putt Corporation, today they’re few-and-far between. “We’ve had to become more forward-thinking.”. Callahan said.

Is mini golf relegated to the fringes?

Go to a new miniature golf today and you’ll find it has been relegated to the fringes; one part of a larger experience. Mini golf in the age of computers needs to be tricked-up to work, so designers keep pushing it in every direction, trying to offer something so zany that people might actually want to try.