Do Michiganiacs Still Enjoy Miniature Golf?
What happened to Michigan’s love affair with miniature golf?
For decades, Michiganders, Michiganians, Michiganiacs...no matter what you call us...enjoyed a few rounds of mini-golf. Many first dates and double-dates were spent at a miniature golf course, complete with pop and other snacks. ..and little by little, more and more of these places began permanently closing.
In 1916, the first miniature golf course in the United States showed up in Pinehurst, North Carolina and during the 1920s, the craze caught on and began growing. For the next 50 uyears, mini-golf was a favorite weekend pastime and date spot.
During the 1970s, mini-golf places started including arcade games as the growth of video games was pushing golf aside and overtaking the interest of young people.
True, there are still a good number of miniature golf courses in Michigan, but not as many as there used to be......WAYYY less, in fact.
Capac Miniature Golf Course, located at 15186 Downey Road in the St. Clair County town of Capac, was one that fell by the wayside. It wasn’t around very long, existing during the 1980s. The little building on site later became a welding shop, and currently it sits alone and seemingly abandoned along Old State Highway 21.
