A Brief History
In 1926, one of the first documented minigolf courses in mainland Europe was built by Fr. Schröder in Hamburg, Germany. Here are the 5 best mini golf courses in Europe in 2019.
Digging Deeper
Bubbeljungle Golf in the Dark, Leiderdorp, Netherlands
If the idea of mini golf is not compelling enough for you to check out the Bubbeljungle, then wait till you see the glow-in-the-dark indoor mini golf course. It is not just about the lighting, it has more to do with the interactive mystery story that the designers have incorporated into it. Famous singer, Diva Laguna has been kidnapped, and you are on a mission to save her. As you putt in the dark, you will collect clues, and deliver justice by knocking the ball into the villain’s mouth.
Hastings Adventure Golf, East Sussex
Hastings is known as the home of mini golf in the UK. It has three courses – an adventure course with poles that spit water as you knock the golf ball around, a pirate-themed course, and a classic course with a windmill and lighthouse. Hastings Adventure hosts the World Crazy Golf championship every year.
Plonk Golf, United Kingdom
Plonk Crazy Golf was developed by a group of designers with experience in the film industry, who embarked on a journey to create the craziest mini golf course ever. The first course located in Haggerston, London, was opened in 2014 and was built from 100% up-cycled materials that were collected from the streets of Hackney. Plonk Crazy Golf has expanded across the UK and Europe, pushing the limits to their ambitious mini golf courses.
You will find Plonk Golf in popular venues, and partnering with award-winning pubs, bars, and museums to create a unique mini golf experience designed to match each venue. You will find Plonk in Hoxton, Islington, Shoreditch, London Zoo, and Camden Market.
Plonk Golf has a series of indoor and outdoor mini-golf courses that offer a different kind of atmosphere of fun. Most of their venues are designed to offer fun for all age groups and abilities. If you would like to know more about Plonk, visit plonkgolf.co.uk.
Jurassic Parrr, Glasgow
Jurassic-themed parks are quite popular, you can be sure to find one in every major city in the world. This thrilling crazy golf course is inspired by dinosaurs and prehistoric fossil. Jurassic Parrr is worth a visit for its display of huge dinosaur replicas and the fantastic course design. The course is quite spacious, so you can go for a long-range if you are in the mood.
Dragon Quest, London
This is an amazing course surrounded by water, but it is not so easy to get the ball in the water except if you give it a fair whack! Considering the skill level of the average crazy golfer, we will not rule it out. But that is the fun of it. The Dragon Quest is a well-designed course that is exciting and fun all the way through.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Hollis, Tim. The Minibook of Minigolf. Seaside Publishing, 2015.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by Paul Gillett of Miniature Golf at Hastings Hastings Adventure Golf, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.