There’s some great news about one of the all time favourite Myrtle Beach family activities, mini golf. Find out what’s even more fun in the Mini Golf Capital of the World right now.
Myrtle Beach, Mini Golf Capital of the World
Myrtle Beach is the official ‘Mini Golf Capital of the World’, which, apart from being a fun nickname, is a hint at how much mini golf there is in this beachy part of South Carolina.
Along the 60-miles of Atlantic coast known locally as the Grand Strand, over 30 different courses vie for your attention with everything from pirate ships to erupting volcanoes. You’ll find courses themed around Hawaii, courses with lagoons and a few with jungles, as well as enormous courses, and courses made for kids. No surprise that mini golf is one of the top Myrtle Beach family activities. But with all those courses, there’s a lot to get round, and that’s why the new Myrtle Beach Mini Golf Trail is such an amazing idea.
Sign up for your Mini Golf Trail Pass
Just sign up for your Trail Pass at Myrtle Beach Mini Golf Trail and go play, it really is that simple.
Once your pass is downloaded, you check-in digitally at each of the courses and it’s game on. To make it even more exciting, every time you check-in, you also get points which you can swap for prizes like stickers, water bottles, hats and t-shirts. So not only do you have the thrill of testing out as many legendary courses as you want, you get free stuff just for doing something you and your kids love.
One of the favourite Myrtle Beach family activities since 1930
Out of all Myrtle Beach family activities, mini golf wins on history
If you think ‘legendary’ is overstating the courses here, mini golf super-fans from around the world would disagree. The official Mini Golf Capital of the World isn’t just known for a large collection of courses, it’s just as famous for their designs, not least of all because roughly 20 courses here were created by James ‘Poddy’ Bryan, who Sports Illustrated named the ‘Father of Modern Miniature Golf’. Head to Mt. Atlanticus Miniature Golf and you can play the last course he designed in Myrtle Beach, way back in 1998, and still going strong today.
One of the favourite Myrtle Beach family activities since 1930
Mini golf is more than just a game, it’s part of Myrtle Beach’s history. The first course was built here in 1930 and started a competitive design tradition of going bigger, brighter and more thrilling than anywhere else, on earth. Naturally that kind of prowess attracts a bit of international envy, and unsuccessful attempts to better Myrtle Beach. But although it’s been the best now for almost 100 years, nobody takes that for granted; new features are always being added and greater challenges dreamed up. So it’s not surprising that true mini golf experts travel from all over the world to play in Myrtle Beach.
Although it’s not just players that have been paying attention. Over the years Myrtle Beach mini golf has starred in Hollywood movies, including ‘Chasers’, the last film directed by Dennis Hopper and featuring the ‘Hawaiian Rumble’ course, known for its 40-foot high erupting volcano, and now home to the annual Mini Golf Masters tournament. Proof, if you need it, that mini golf is taken more seriously than you probably thought.
Mt. Atlanticus, Myrtle Beach family activities
Our pick of places to play mini golf in Myrtle Beach
Although, at heart, it’s still a fun game to play in the sun, with your kids and that’s really why it wins hands down with families. But now you know the history and all about the new trail, the big question is, where do you begin. For our money, picking a theme is a great way to start, then just choose the course that speaks to you. Alternatively have a look at a few of our favourites and take it from there.
Play with pirates at Captain Hook’s Adventure Golf
Teeing off with pirates makes sense in Myrtle Beach, after all it was once a favourite haunt of none other than Blackbeard.
But real rogues aside, Captain Hook’s Adventure Golf is purely fictional, based on the story of Peter Pan and casts players as the Darling Family. So get ready to fend off alligators who’ve swallowed clocks, battle aboard galleons, putt with the Lost Boys, and do your utmost to rescue Tinkerbell. Even if they don’t believe in fairies, a moment or two in the fearsome Skull Cave could convince your kids that monsters are real.
Head to Mutiny Bay for swashbuckling battles
Sticking with swashbucklers, head to Mutiny Bay to play the 36-hole course that’s famous for staging a pitched pirates of the Caribbean battle every 20 minutes. If you need directions to this one, look out for the enormous galleon: several holes on the course are played inside this impressively large landmark.
Compete to be king of the course at Jungle Safari
Jungles and lagoons are almost as big as pirates on the Myrtle Beach mini golf circuit, and Jungle Safari is the one to beat. Forget game drives and guides, this is all about pitching your wits against lurking wildlife, trying to stay on the safe path, and playing your way into the densest, deepest and darkest habitats, you don’t normally find in sunny South Carolina. A great course for a bit of friendly competition, the aim is to be the King of the Jungle, and much as you love your kids, it’s still game on.
Jurassic Golf puts dinosaurs in play
Did dinosaurs play golf? That question and a million more might come up on a round of Jurassic Golf with kids. But even if the answer is a boring, ‘unlikely’, you can keep that to yourself because this is the type of course where young players imagination knows no limits and the fun is very fierce. Keep your eye on the ball is the first rule, but you also want to keep a look out for prehistoric giants. Ceratopsian, dilophosaurus and T-Rex are just a few of the mighty residents you don’t want to tangle with, or do you?
Face the challenge of Gilligan’s Island Funland
Finding Hawaii at home in Myrtle Beach might not be what you expect, but in the Mini Golf Capital of the World, anything is possible. There are in fact four Hawaiian themed course to play here, but we like Gilligan’s Island Funland because it features two 18-hole courses so it’s a good first timer for younger kids. Plus, once you’ve played your way round the streams, mountains, valleys, lagoons and forests of Hawaii, you can take the Spin-to-Win challenge, try for a hole-in-one and pick up a free game as a prize.
Mirror Maze, Ripley’s Crazy Golf
Go crazy, in a good way, at Ripley’s Crazy Golf
When you want to cool down a little, step inside Ripley’s Crazy Golf where mini-golf has had an extreme makeover and comes with dazzling neon, wild tricks, gravity-defying challenges, and a maze of mind-bending puzzles. It’s 18-holes of outrageously exciting play and there is no other course like it, even on Myrtle Beach.
Fly into a day of fun at Mayday Mountain
So this one starts well, with an exciting flight you and your family have booked on a private plane. Unfortunately, it runs into engine trouble and has to crash land on Mayday Mountain, literally in the middle of nowhere. Now your challenge is to play your way to safety, around two 18-hole courses packed with hazards and pitfalls, rewards and even mountains to climb. Will you make it? There’s only one way to find out.
Playing the legendary Mt. Atlanticus, Myrtle Beach
Play with the history at Mt. Atlanticus Mini Golf
The last course designed by ‘Father of Miniature Golf’, James ‘Poddy’ Brown, Mt. Atlanticus Mini Golf is as mythical as it sounds. Themed around the legend of the Lost City of Atlantis it’s the type of fantasy landscape kids adore and, as an added bonus for parents, you get the best views of the Grand Strand from the 75-foot high mountain golf huts. Don’t forget to take on the famous 19th hole here, beat the challenge and you can play Mt. Atlanticus free, for life.
Now check out the other Myrtle Beach family activities that make holidays such fun
