18 holes of mini-golf! Duffers and beginners alike thrill to a round of miniature golfing at the Best Little Roadhouse. The miniature golf course is fun for everyone and is complete with lush greens and water hazards.
Enjoy dining on the patio, by the fireplace if you like, while enjoying the scenery of the garden golf course.
Cost
- $7.99 per person
- $7.49 per person if you dine at Best Little Roadhouse
- Family Fun Day every Saturday from 11am – 3pm: $5.99 per person!
- Contact us for large party discount rates
How did Miniature Golf originate?
Is there a history of miniature golf courses and their development from putting greens to obstacle courses? Miniature golf has been called numerous names since its inception. A few of these names are: goofy golf, midget golf, garden golf, pitch and put golf and shorties. In 1867, at St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland, miniature golf was invented. It was originally intended as a women’s game, because golf was too masculine and inappropriate for women to play. The 18 hole course was called the Himalayas. Miniature golf courses then began to show up at hotels. These courses were designed to be 1/10 the size of actual golf courses. The golf courses played today began to evolve in the 20th century, with the carpet instead of grass.
Modern Day Miniature Golf with carpet instead of grass became popular in 1912. The first Tom Thumb Open miniature golf open was played in 1930. The open had qualifying rounds in 48 states with the final being played in Chattanooga, Tennessee with over 200 players. The purse was $10,000 with $2,000 being paid to the winner. These American Tournaments inspired many European countries to begin their own tournaments. Unfortunately, miniature golf lost popularity during the Great Depression but carried on overseas in many European markets.
Miniature Golfers can actually join the US Pro Mini Golf Tour where there is a Championship held in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in mid-September every year. The tournament hosts six tournaments in this week deciding the top miniature golfers in America and helps determine Team USA. This team represents the US in tournaments around the globe.
How do you make miniature golf competitive and win? Miniature golf is a great family game and can be turned into a friendly competition with winners, losers and some friendly betting. If you want to beat your friends at miniature golf, here are a few friendly hints:
- Practice, practice, practice your putting. If you have a putter at home, you can always set up obstacles in your house or yard to putt at.
- Walk the course before you play it, that way you know what obstacles lay ahead.
- Focus on your game, try not to get distracted by your fellow competitors’ game or antics.
- Save your strokes, take your time lining your ball up and don’t hit the ball to hard.
- Play like you are playing pool, look at your angles and obstacles to determine your best shot.
If you play with these tips and mind, you should be a fierce competitor. Best Little Roadhouse is really happy to have the miniature golf course available to the families and adults in Salem. We take the upkeep, safety and fun that it provides. FORE!