A Month of Fundays: Day 20 – Play a Round of Miniature Golf or Some Other Lawn Sport

I’m not very motivated today. Currently, I’m watching a crow chase a squirrel around the water tower. No, that’s not code or a euphemism – it’s an actual crow chasing an actual squirrel in actual circles around and around the water tower in my back garden. Are there any good birds? Crows are the bullies of the avian world – or more – since one is currently chasing a squirrel – which the last time I checked, is not a bird. The squirrel seems a little bit stupid too; I don’t know if a tree is really where you want to go when being chased by something with wings who nests in that same tree. Yes, that is what’s currently keeping me from writing today’s blog post.

Onto the topic at hand: I don’t want to take away from your croquet, lawn bowling, cricket, badminton and bocce ball experiences – so post in the comments about any of those lawn games if you prefer. I’m sticking with mini-golf. Although, I have no idea how to play bocce ball so it could be the best sport ever and I’m missing out. This also means I must understand croquet, badminton, lawn bowling and cricket on some level. It’s true – all of those things do make sense to me…scary thought.

Again though, I’m wondering what makes mini-golf fun?
I feel like I’m doing a lot of nostalgic things this month and wondering why those are fun – or why I feel the need to do them right now. Before I get too esoteric, let’s just stick with the art of golf. A sport I find boring to watch, difficult to play, but for some reason can’t help liking. Mini-golf is absolutely more my speed when it comes to participating. And no, I don’t think the two have a lot in common – well, except for the course we like to play at Centennial Lakes which is really just 18 holes of putting greens.

Think about it: Have you ever had a bad time playing mini-golf?

I haven’t. It’s like Christmas, the game changes as you grow up; it starts to mean different things. Did I say I wasn’t going to be obscure? Yes, I guess I could say the same thing about cupcakes and red wagons and bicycles even; but you know what I mean. I hope. Do you?

Mini-golf is kind of iconic: The windmill, the clown face, the chemically enhanced blue water. When you’re little, the putt-putt is magical, family fun; like going to Disney World without the airplane flight. Then you go to Disney World and realize that’s not at all true; but, to a 5-year-old imagination, they are similar (Side note: One of my favorite mini-golf courses is Fantasia Gardens at Disney World – that has to pertain somehow, right?).

Then mini-golf is that thing you do in junior high on your “first date” with a boy you like and a group of your friends. The date your parents let you go on because there’s a gaggle of you and a parent around at all times. The date you think you’re on with one boy and then half-way through the course, whilst trying to sink your ball into a hole on the other side of the castle (Yeah, that’s not a euphemism either; although I can see why you’re confused.) you find yourself holding hands with a different boy.

As an adult, you may take your own children to the putt-putt course to teach them hand/eye coordination and good sportsmanship. I haven’t reached this stage yet but some of my friends have. For Chris and me it’s always been something to do in the summer when we don’t want to go for a walk or bike ride. We’re competitive to a point – the point where he’s better at everything than I am so always wins; I feel successful if I get within 10 strokes of his score.

Part of that childhood magic still must exist for me; I’ve used a run-down mini-golf course as the setting for one of my books. A Middle Grade novel where the golf course holes come to life and the three children trapped in the mini-golf world have to figure out how to play through each hole before exiting – as a MG book there are some life lessons about trust and strength and choices. Huh, maybe I have reached that adult stage.

Nostalgia, life lessons or budding romance – whichever it is – enjoy.

Picture: Your favorite hole. Wow, it is hard to take this post seriously; I keep snickering. The hole in my book that was the most fun to write has to be the pirate ship. Now, if someone could tell me where there is a mini-golf course with a pirate ship, I would be grateful.

Song: I’ve got nothing today. When I think of golf type words: green, ball, hole, club, ball rolling - I end up with Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep”. That seems not so very golfy but can you really go wrong with Adele? I will juxtapose Adele with this Whose Line is it Any Way? video of a golf song compilation…just to mess with you. Really, I think the squirrel brings this post full circle.



Tomorrow: Finding Shapes in the Clouds