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Virginia Mini Golf

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Tiny Town Miniature Golf
Lynchburg, VA
Tiny Town Miniature Golf has classic vintage features including a windmill, lighthouse, schoolhouse, and pinball machine. This course was most likely created by the Taylor Brothers who were one of the earliest and most prolific designers. The brick/stone work and obstacles are typical of their courses. Another early example of their work is Fairmount Glen in Syracuse, NY.

Putt Putt Golf n Games
Lynchburg, VA
Just down the road from Tiny Town is this Putt-Putt Golf. Putt-Putt courses, founded in 1953, have always focused on challenge rather than fantasy. Don Clayton designed the original courses with skill rather than luck in mind. Emphasis was placed on smooth, level greens and obstacles were positioned to still offer a straight shot at the hole. Today's courses reflect this same philosophy. In the late 1970s, Putt-Putt began adding rides and other amusements to offset declining interest in miniature golf.

This Lynchburg course is no exception with emphasis on cleanliness and simplicity. A few wild animals are scattered around but not as many as later Putt-Putts. The lights suggests that this is an updated course rather than a more modern one. The giant putters also appear in Augusta, GA. For more, see their website.

16th Street Mini Golf
Virginia Beach, VA
16th Street Mini Golf was previously known as Around the Wold Mini Golf and still retains many of the original features and figures. However, the course will soon be replaced with condos. I believe this is the last of the old courses left in Virginia Beach. For more, see their website.

Harrisonburg Mini Golf [gone]
Harrisonburg, VA
Harrisonburg Mini Golf appeared to have been abandoned for at least several years when these photos were taken in 2003. By 2010, the course and sign were gone.

Upton Hill Park Mini Golf
Arlington, VA
The Upton Hill Park Mini Golf was designed by Jim Bryan who designed theme courses for many years and was dubbed the father of mini golf by Sports Illustrated. The holes are both sweet and clever. Hole #10 is a 140' monster and was once the world's longest until Rocky Gorge Golf (and some other newcomers) took the title. The course features waterfalls, streams, and nice landscaping. Also on site are batting cages, a swimming pool and hiking trails. For more, see their website.

Perils of the Lost Jungle
at Woody's Golf Range
Herndon, VA
What fun! Woody's Perils of the Lost Jungle is simply wonderful. It features swinging monkeys, shrunken heads, spitting lizards, hissing gators, dense foliage, a fog machine, and sound effects galore. Oh yeah, and the holes are fun, too. The humor and imagination that went into this course remind me of early Disney. Around 2002, Woody's remodeled its run-down traditional course to what it is today. Most of the props came from Advanced Animation which created the Revenge of the Mummy ride for Universal Studios theme parks. Woody's also has a driving range and batting cages. For more, see these websites: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

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