From Memorial Day through Labor Day, Americans hit the road in their RVs and other forms of transportation, exploring the diverse offerings throughout America. One of the top entertainment activities for travelers is putt-putt or mini-golf. There are plenty of creatively-designed putt-putt facilities throughout the country, enough to keep everyone entertained, no matter what age.
Bald Mountain Camping Resort – Photo courtesy of resort
According to the latest statistics from the Miniature Golf Association United States, there are an estimated 7,500 to 10,000 existing miniature golf courses in the U.S., including custom design and modular courses. There’s even a National Miniature Golf Day in the United States, held the second Saturday in May.
One of the first standardized mini-golf courses was Thistle Dhu course constructed in 1916 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Recently, the National Golf Foundation estimated that more than 18 million Americans played mini-golf in 2018.
While RVing, travelers have discovered that numerous parks around the country offer mini-golf. A few examples include:
- Candy Cane RV Park in Steelville, Missouri
- Oasis RV Park and Golf Course, Ephrata, Washington
- Gold Country Campground Resort, Pine Grove, California
- Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp Resort, Williamsport, Maryland
- Bald Mountain Camping Resort, Hiawassee, Georgia
The motherlode of mini-golf, however, is the entire state of Florida. The Sunshine State is already home to the Florida Historic Golf Trail. As of this year’s National Miniature Golf Day, the state officially unveiled the Florida Historic Mini-Golf Trail.
Par-King Skill Mini-Golf – Photo via Facebook
As part of the state’s acknowledgment of mini-golf, it has chosen six mini-golf courses that are more than 50 years old, including:
- Putt-Putt Amelia Island in Fernandina Beach
- Goofy Golf in Fort Walton Beach
- Goofy Golf in Panama City Beach
- Goofy Golf in Pensacola
- Polynesian Putter in St. Pete Beach
- Ripley’s Bayfront Mini Golf in St. Augustine
To learn more about the Florida Historic Mini-Golf Trail, visit http://www.floridahistoricgolftrail.com/mini or follow their Facebook page at Florida Historic Golf Trail. Plan your trip and find campgrounds along the way using RV LIFE Trip Wizard!
Rick Stedman is an avid golfer, RVer, and writer who lives in Olympia, Washington. Rick writes a golf column, “The RV Golfer,” which is published every month in rvlife.com. He can be reached at rstedman@gmail.com.
Wawaloam Camground in Richmond RI also has it’s own mini golf course.
And it’s the best CG in Rhode Island !
There is one at the Harper’s Ferry KOA in Harper’s Ferry WV.
The city park in Sayre, OK has a very decent mini golf course. It also has electric and water hookups on 60+ level grass sites for an honor payment of $12.00. I probably shouldn’t give away the secret.
Bill you did it now! Place will be over run cause of you! Ha ha, teasing ya. But its nice to hear tips like that as that’s something I would enjoy and hope to visit Oklahoma some day soon! If your ever around San Antonio I’d love to help guide ya to the better places or ones to avoid!
Steve