Saturday, June 21, 2008

Miniature Golf, Anyone?

Children love miniature golf. The game was patented by Garnet Carter in 1927 at Lookout Mountain, Tennessee. His “Tom Thumb Golf” had a fairytale theme. By 1930 Carter had sold over 3000 franchises. I do not know when the first mini-golf opened on Cape Cod, but the game has been popular here in summer since the Sixties at least. My kids always wanted to play. To their minds, a vacation without mini-golf would not be a vacation. There are fourteen courses listed in the Yellow Pages, including one at the Flea Market in Wellfleet. According to Cape Cod Life, Pirates’ Cove in South Yarmouth is the best miniature golf on the Cape. It has won “Best Kid’s Activity” from 1996-2007. There is a small mini-golf located next to the driving range in Eastham. A game costs $2. The crew at Arnold’s Lobster & Clam Bar recently renovated their miniature golf, also in Eastham. The setting is attractive with waterfalls, shade trees, and rose bushes. You can even learn trivia about the Cape, like this bit of information on Eastham's windmill, below. A game is pricey at $8/person, money well spent on a hot summer’s day like today. Cedar Banks Links Adventure Golf, beside Arnold's, is open 10 am to 10 pm.