Mini-golf is often seen as a fun activity that you can enjoy with your friends on a Friday or Saturday night. However, for some people, mini-golf can be a completely different experience.
The fact of the matter is that mini-golf is much more than just a sport. It’s also a great pastime that anyone can enjoy (regardless of their age or experience).
The mini-golf rabbit hole goes a little bit deeper too. Let’s talk a little bit more about this sport, its classification, and why people love this sport so much.
Is Miniature Golf A Professional Sport?
Not only has the popularity of mini-golf grown, but so has the number of people who play it seriously and extensively.
So you might not have already known this, but mini-golf can certainly be played as a professional sport.
Thanks to the help of the World Minigolf Sport Federation, there are plenty of events and championships that mini-golfers can compete in.
So yes, you can be a professional mini-golfer. Just don’t think that it’s going to be a walk in the park. Both mini-golf and putt-putt at the highest levels come with a serious amount of dedication and competition.
Is Miniature Golf In The Olympics?
At the time of writing this, there have been no instances of miniature golf appearing in the Olympics. So no, mini-golf is not an Olympic sport.
I don’t know what the future holds, so there’s always a possibility that it could show up further down the road. I wouldn’t hold my breath though.
Why Is Miniature Golf Considered A Sport?
Regardless of if you think mini-golf should be classified as a sport or not, there are plenty of reasons why it already is classified as one. Let’s take a look at them now.
1) Similarities To Regular Golf
It would be easy to say that mini-golf is just a smaller version of regular golf, but that wouldn’t exactly be the case. There are a ton of differences when you sit down and compare regular golf vs miniature golf.
However, there are going to be a few similarities. Aside from the fact that there is a cost for playing, a few of the other obvious similarities include:
- Using a putter and a ball (or two or three).
- Learning to read greens (the speed and angles).
- Getting the ball in the hole with the least amount of strokes.
- The player who is further from the hole takes their shot first.
- Competing to win some type of prize (bragging rights, recognition, money, etc).
Speaking of competition, let’s move to the next reason why mini-golf is seen as a sport.
2) Mini Golf Is Highly Competitive
This is something that you don’t usually understand until you first see it for yourself. This is especially true if you’ve only ever gone mini-golfing with a group of friends who most likely don’t mini-golf too often.
As an example, I can remember when I was really young and that I was a great bowler. There I was, walking on cloud 9 with my big head, thinking that I could be a phenomenal bowler.
It wasn’t until I saw professional bowlers on the television, pretty much aiming for perfect games every time. Similar to mini-golf, it’s hard to believe just how stiff the competition can be until you actually see it for yourself.
Golf and mini-golf will come with luck and skill. From my personal experienced, I’ve noticed that the more challenging the competition is, the more skill will come into place (and luck can no longer be used as an excuse) 🙂
Helpful Reading: How To Win More At Mini-Golf.
3) Mini Golf Expresses The Improvement Of Mental Focus
While there are plenty of other games that can easily fit into this specific topic, it’s hard to argue the mentally taxing focus that any type of golf provides. Add in any type of competition, and that mental taxing focus increases sevenfold.
I’ll be the first to say that golf is one of the most challenging sports that you can partake in. I’ll also be the first to admit that miniature golf is nowhere near as challenging as regular golf.
However, you’re still going to have plenty of difficult decisions to make when you’re playing golf. Here are a few random examples to help you get a better idea of the decisions that you’ll have to make:
- Should you go for the hole or risk missing and hit it out of bounds?
- Should you putt a little more aggressively and forget about the break?
- How about your putting backswing, what to do when you only have a few inches?
In the game of golf (and miniature golf), every single decision, break in the green, and even inch can play a huge role in how well you score.
Add that to the fact that you’re going to have many ups and downs, and you’ve got a great recipe for being on the top of your game and absolutely needing to have steely-eyed focus.
So despite the fact that most people play mini-golf just for fun, there’s also the flip side of the equation that revolves around people playing competitively, and even professionally.
Closing Words About The Mini-Golf Sport
Regardless of how you feel about mini-golf being a sport, the fact of the matter that is has gained popularity over time. What’s great about mini-golf is that:
- Anyone can play.
- Your age or experience doesn’t matter.
- It’s not going to break the bank to play (unlike regular golf).
And don’t forget about the fact that mini-golf can be the perfect first date. If you’ve ever gone mini-golfing before, then you’ve probably noticed a few people who are on dates while you are there. Heck, I still go on mini-golf dates with my girl.
And while miniature golf is a ton of fun, there’s always the option to increase the competitiveness and test your luck against other professional mini-golfers.
At the end of the day, you just can’t go wrong when it comes to this enjoyable and fun pastime.
Thank you so much for taking the time to learn more about miniature golf overall, it’s classification as a sport, and if it’s ever been featured in the Olympics.