How to Build an Outdoor Miniature Golf Course
By Bobby Ingram
Mini golf is a fun activity enjoyed by players of all ages. Whether you are looking to build your course for professional reasons as a business, or have a large yard and are looking to create your own course for friends and family, building your own mini golf course can be a very rewarding experience.
Instructions
Difficulty: Moderate
Plan out your entire course before beginning any construction to avoid designing yourself into a corner.
Balance the difficulty of your holes, spreading the more difficult holes throughout the round. Running all of the difficult holes together can lead to a run of high scores and lower the fun factor.
Use the shovel and dirt rake to create the shape of your holes. You can create natural slopes and hills by digging down or building up on holes, but you must be sure to compact the dirt thoroughly to ensure your hole holds its shape before laying your turf.
Use 4x4 beams of wood to create the borders of your holes; 4x4's strike an ideal balance between height to keep balls in play, and not being too tall so as to be obtrusive to players.
Use the PVC piping pieces to construct your holes, with dirt packed tightly around the exterior of the pipe.
Downspout extensions are a great tool for creating tiered greens, as they can be used to carry the ball from one tier to the next below the ground or inside an obstacle.
Utilize natural obstacles, such as large boulders, which can be used for cheap obstacles on holes.
Use wood 2x4's to construct obstacles for your course. One popular design involves a narrow 2x4 bridge which points at the hole which players can hit across; however shots that stray left and right will fall to the side and require two or more extra shots to get to the hole.
About The Author
Bobby Ingram is a professional writer who majored in journalism at The College of New Jersey. In addition to work with eHow.com and GolfLink.com, Bobby has done PR with Major League Lacrosse's New Jersey Pride organization, where he served as the team's beat reporter.
