A look at how miniature golf has been used in artistic creations.
I've seen the worlds of art and minigolf combine a number of times over the years.
A relatively new term for this combination is 'artainment' - where art and entertainment mix to create immersive visitor experiences at exhibitions, galleries or installations.
A number of art trails have been sprung up recently and they are becoming a popular part of 'retailtainment' and 'shoppertainment' where entertainment options have been added to the high street or shopping malls to help attract and retain customers.
Crazy Golf and art.
There is currently an art installation pop-up Crazy Golf course at Coal Drop's Yard in King's Cross, London, England. It's playable until the 29th March. Club Golf is a combination of sport, art and retail entertainment. Artists Baker & Borowski created the 9-hole themed Crazy Golf layout inspired by the rave culture in the King's Cross area back in the 1980's and 90's.
A visual medium.
Minigolf is a very visual thing and each course is a work of art in its own right. I love seeing time, effort and thought put into the design of a minigolf hole and when they are aesthetically pleasing it's marvellous.
My favourite miniature golf layouts are Arnold Palmer Putting Courses. They are a design classic and look wonderful. They are also a real test of putting skill and incredibly playable today.
The old Arnold Palmer Putting Course from The Rotunda amusement park in Folkestone was actually turned into an art installation in the seaside town back in 2008!
Art and minigolf in the USA.
Our friends Tom and Robin at
A Couple of Putts in the USA have also played on and created a number of art-minigolf holes on their adventures, including Sparkle City Mini Putt in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
The team at
The Putting Penguin have seen and reviewed a number of artist designed courses over the years too.
New art-based minigolf courses in 2020.
This September the Creative Folkestone Triennial in Folkestone, England will play host to an amusement arcade and crazy golf-themed art installation by the artist genuinefake (Rachel Stella Jenkins).
My friend Jack Hurley aka Loud Ribs of Rubbish Seaside fame has also let me know about an art-based Crazy Golf course being created at Saltaire in Bradford, England over the May Bank Holiday weekend.
You can find out more about new art-based minigolf courses and the art-based minigolf courses I've visited on my Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
on my blog.
I'm looking forward to seeing where the next art-based minigolf course pops up.
Richard Gottfried blogs about minigolf at The Ham and Egger Files. He's also the Curator of the Crazy Golf Museum and author of The Minigolfer's Guide to Marketing.
The views expressed in this blog are solely the views of the writer and do not represent the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF), Minigolfnews.com or any other organization that the writer may be associated with unless expressly stated in the blog.