I used to love to play miniature golf. Phoenix had a great course - Green Gables (right next to a restaurant of the same name. They had an armored knight on horseback who would direct your car parking!)

Every hole was unusual with windmills, castles,etc. which would be obstacles to the play. Being in a prime location, it was lost to develpment about 25 yrs ago. My wife and I were two of the last ones to play the course before it was closed.

Since then, every course I have ever played can't compare. Sure, lots of them have fancy waterfall, castles and other items - but they are decorations rather than part of the play.

Are there any good courses out there?

There is a great one in Kings Beach, California (Lake Tahoe) -- it used to be called Boberg's, but it's been sold (I wish they'd told me, I might have bought it!). It's old-fashioned, the obstacles are really obstacles, etc. None of the fancy "castle" stuff.

When I was a child we used to go to the South Green Miniature Golf Course in Longview, Texas. On South Green Street. Not the tacky, put put places you see every where like in Cape Cod or Florida, but miniature golf. I think it was there from when my parents were children in Longview. I am vague about the details but just remember it as being very pretty under lots of very tall pine trees.

I don't know if it is still around though. I'll have to check when I am that way next time I'm there.

Here's a link to an article about Boberg's (including the sale).

Oh, I just remembered another one - but much farther afield - Tommy Golf in Forte de Marmi, Italy. Very homemade, and lots of fun.

<url>http://www.sierrasun.com/article/200...70718009</url>

Here's another one that's very far afield, but it's the most unique mini-golf course I've ever played. It's in Queenstown, New Zealand and is called Caddyshack. It's an indoor minigolf course and each hole is a different miniature setting, such as a carnival where your ball has to go on the ferris wheel or a ski resort where your ball has to go on the chair lift. It's great!

We played on a pretty neat one north of Denver. Can't remember its name or the location, but it wasn't far from Westminster (is that the correct name?)

Yes! There is a wonderful, old (1940's?) miniature golf course in San Antonio on Fredericksburg Road, close to the city, called Cool Crest. It doesn't have all the ecoutrements other miniature golf courses contain, instead, it's a challenging course in a lush, green setting with terrific views of downtown. Classic.

I hope no one minds if I add this cute story about Boberg's +: When my kids were little, we vacationed with a couple of other families every year in Kings Beach, and always played Boberg's. We had kids in two age groups -- 3 in one age group and 4 in a younger age group. My friend (one of the moms) would "keep score" and somehow every year, every time without fail, the three older kids would be tied at the end of 18 holes, and so would the 4 younger kids. Fast forward to college and my son goes mini golfing with a group of college friends, and pulls the same "stunt" -- when they were done, he told all his friends (a group of 12 I believe) that shockingly, hard as it was to believe, they were all tied up. I thought it was cute when my friend did it and even cuter when my son remembered and did the same thing 15 years later!

In Orlando there is a lot of mini golf. In fact Disney has two mini golf courses right on the property. One is called the Fantasia Gardens and is in front of the Boardwalk Hotel near Epcot and the other is called Disney's Winter Summerland and is in front of Blizzard Beach.

Plus if you stay offsite in Orlando you can find numerous mini golf courses right off I-192.