Of Windmills and Water Hazards

     That's a catchy title, isn't it.  You are probably wondering what how windmills and water hazards link as far as the game of golf is concerned. Perhaps I am going to talk about golf courses on the Dutch Coast.  No, that's not what this is about. What I want to do is to explore some of the ways that bring new players into the game of golf. Here goes, and I will make the "Windmills and Water Hazards" connection right off the bat, or driver since we are talking about golf. I want to assure you I haven't lost my mind, although my wife questions my sanity on many occasions.,
     We have talked many times on this blog about how we can grow the game of golf.  In fact, isn't that the purpose of all this? We have talked about the ways we can bring new people into the game. One thing I haven't talked much about is the role that miniature golf, or mini golf or putt-putt golf enters into the "get them playing" discussion.  Most experts will tell you that it is not a factor. The same has been said about what is now known as foot golf, and also the sport of frisbee golf or disc golf.  These experts say there are no facts that support the notion that these "quasi-golf" sports support the game of golf itself.  They are not entry portals into the game of golf. That may be true, but I am going to take issue with that position.
     Let's talk about miniature golf. The first thing you do when you check in to play miniature golf is to get a golf ball, painted a color most of the time, and put a club in your hand--most of the time a putter. The object of the game is to hit the ball with the club and get the ball into a hole, hitting and rolling the ball over a specific course that has obstacles.  Does this sound familiar to any of you?  It should. One of the biggest ways to get people into the game of golf is to put a club and a ball into a persons hand and let them hit the ball into a hole.
     A lot of people find this miniature golf experience a lot of fun. It is a great family activity where the whole family can enjoy the experience and have a ton of fun together. There just is something about hitting a ball around some pretty funny obstacles and trying to get that ball into a small hole that is a challenge and strikes deep into the human psyche. If it weren't a lot of fun many of the miniature golf courses would close.  Yes, you could say that many regular golf courses are closing right now but that is from a variety of reasons. Regular golf is still a lot of fun too.
    Do you think that it is my belief that a person that has never played the game of golf will go out one fine evening, play miniature golf and after their round of miniature golf a bolt of lightning will hit that person and they will suddenly come up with the revelation that they should buy an expensive set of TaylorMades, a dozen ProV1's and if they live in Yuma, Arizona sign up for lessons from Mark Croft? I honestly don't think so.  If that person likes miniature golf, they will come back and play again.  Something may stir in their soul that they really enjoy this hitting this ball into the hole and they may be influenced by other things such as watching golf on TV or having a friend that plays golf. We don't know. The bottom line is, with miniature golf they are still getting a club in their hand to hit a ball and put that ball into a hole.  That's a start, isn't it?
    What I am talking about here is exposure to the game of golf. I don't think that after a round of miniature golf a golf pro is going to run out from behind the windmill after the player sinks their final putt and say, "You have finished your round of miniature golf, now you must proceed to the regular course to begin you regular golf lessons.  It is mandated by the golf gods." No, that's just not going to happen. The same is true about foot golf and disc golf. That same pro is not going to jump out from behind that big oak and demand that players take up the game of golf. That's not going to happen. However, these players are still being exposed to the basic elements of golf.  Who knows.
    Is miniature golf going to directly impact the number of people that take up the game of golf.  I don't think so.  Let's take a look at this from a different perspective. How many people play miniature golf?  How many people play foo golf?  How many play disc or frisbee golf?  I would venture to say a lot of people, probably in the millions. What happens if we get a small percentage of these players into the game of golf?  Many of these players will take up the game of golf, or already have.  I leave you with this one last thought. A huge lake contains a lot of water molecules and these water molecules come from many sources.  That's true with golf.  New golfers can come to golf from a lot of sources, including miniature golf.

Put a club in your hand and hit a ball toward a hole, even on board a ship. Golf is a lot of fun in all its forms. You are still hitting the ball into the hole in as fewest strokes.