Putt-Putt's 60th puts spotlight on mini-golf

Libby McMillan | 10Best (a division of USA TODAY)

June of 2014 marks the 60th anniversary of a company tied to a treasured American pastime: miniature golf. Since its founding in 1954, the Putt-Putt corporation has provided this popular family entertainment option in destinations across America.

The sport of miniature golf - a derivation of golf, which focuses solely on putting - can be traced back to golf's origins in Scotland. St. Andrews' Ladies Putting Club had the world's first putling-only course in 1867, when the sport of golf - with its full club swing - was still considered unladylike.

Origins in America

From this point until the early 1920s, miniature golf courses began appearing at posh resorts across the USA. The wealthy industrialists who could afford to visit would play these small but beautiful pitch-and-putt, par 3 or executive courses.

The American origin of miniature golf as we think of it today, however, got its start in 1916. The legendary golf Mecca of Pinehurst, North Carolina saw the opening of the Thistle Dhu ("This'll do") course, which was putting only. One enterprising golf fan took notice, and came up with a unique surface comprised of cottonseed hulls, oil, sand and dye. It wasn't long after that when the top of the New York skyline held well over 100 rooftop putting courses.

The patented Tom Thumb course followed in 1927, in the vacation destination of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee (above Chattanooga). The Depression of the 1930s saw the closing of most courses, but somehow the Parkside Whispering Pines Course near Rochester, New York, survived and today is on the National Register of Historic Places. New York played an integral role in miniature golf's beginnings: two brothers named Taylor

Putt-Putt and its competitors

After the second world war ended, America was ready to have fun once again, and in 1954, the Putt-Putt® corporation was founded in Fayetteville, North Carolina, just 44 miles from the site of the old Thistle Dhu course. Putt-Putt made a business decision to take miniature golf seriously, and to this day, its courses place the emphasis on skill and the possibility of improvement.

Counterpart courses have gone the other route, and appear more like a destination, with much more elaborate settings and props - everything from huge jungle animals and pirate ships to large waterfalls and fire elements. But Putt-Putt avoids course gimmicks which add the element of luck to a hole: each of its par 2 holes can be aced with an accurate putt which can be practiced over time.

This doesn't make the holes easy. To the contrary, a Putt-Putt course has obstacles including hills, rails, ramps and angled blocks, which increase the degree of difficulty on its course. This is in contrast to a miniature golf course, where a ball might suddenly be knocked off course by a moving object like a windmill or a chomping alligator. The similarities in both types of courses include the area of play (typically 10 yards or less per hole) and the length of the course (usually 9 or 18 holes). Surfaces will vary in miniature golf - from concrete to Astroturf - but Putt-Putt players know they will be always be playing the green carpet.

Record-Holders and Putt-Putt® Pros

In Putt-Putt's 60-year history, only three people have ever managed a perfect score of 18 holes-in-one. The latest perfect score came in April 2011, at a professional Putt-Putt tournament in Richmond, Va. in April, 2011. The sport's pro tournaments, which will likely be a surprise to some readers, began early. The first National Tom Thumb Open mini golf tournament took place in 1930, with an alleged cash purse of $10,000, which included $2,000 for the winner.

Putt-Putt held its first pro tourney in 1959 and to date, has awarded more than $8,000,000 in prize money. At 2013's National Championship in Lynchburg, Virginia, $50,000 in prize money was awarded.

Putt-Putt:Course locations

Related: 10Best mini-golf courses in Myrtle Beach