Portable mini golf

This scaled-down version of real golf is relaxing, a test of skill and patience, and it has the great advantage that it can be played anywhere — all you need is a golf club and a ball and a selection of homemade hazards which you can pack in the boot of the car. A flat sandy beach is an ideal place for playing.

The origins of golf are ancient and linked with Scotland. The game is mentioned in the foundation records of the University of St Andrews in the year 1413. Today, St Andrews is one of the most famous golf courses in the world, the setting for top tournaments.

Mini-golf was a later development and there is hardly a holiday resort in the world which has not got the added attraction of a mini-golf course.

However, for fun, for practice or even to amuse the children and get them interested at an early age in a sport which they may take up in earnest, we show you how to create and play your own version of mini-golf anywhere — in the garden, on the beach, in a park, or even in a large room!

The game
The object is to hit a small ball via a number of hazards into a hole in as few strokes as possible. Mini-golf can be played by young or old, and any number of players can participate. If you're playing just for fun on the beach, all you need is a flat course about 2m x 8m (6ft 6in by 26ft 6in), some golf balls and golf club each. Golf clubs are expensive, but you can make your own quite simply if you're not taking the game too seriously. You will need a piece of wood 80cm (2ft 7½ in) long and l cm (2/5in) by 3cm (just over 1in). At one end, nail a piece of plywood about 4cm x 9cm (l½in x 3½in) from which you have sawn off the corners, so that it has rounded ends. The plywood must be fixed wide side on to the long piece of wood so that it forms a club. The rules: Mini-golf is now recognized internationally as a sport with its own stringent rules, but for our holiday game of mini-golf we are observing only the most important rules of the game.

1 The ball must be driven from the starting point to the goal, or target hole, in the fewest number of strokes — each stroke equals one point.

2 If the ball does not reach the target hole with the first stroke, then it must be played from the place which it has reached.

3 All hazards must be met in the order laid down by the rules.

4 If the ball is driven over the hazard, or outside the limits of the course, then the player has to start from the beginning and receives a penalty point.

5 The target hole must be reached in a maximum of 8 strokes; if a player fails to do so then he or she is penalized by 10 points.

6 If a ball settles in a place from which it cannot be moved with the club, then it may be moved by hand a distance of 10cm (4in).

The course
As we are not taking the rules too seriously, there is no need to be too concerned about the lay-out of the actual "course".

Find a smooth stretch of ground, or if you are playing on sand, smooth the area out as far as possible, but don't worry too much about small ridges and bumps; after all, everyone has the same chance. To make sure that the target hole does not fill up, especially on sandy soil, dig an empty can into the ground, the open top level with the surface. The starting point must be clearly indicated as well as the boundaries of the course.

The hazards
You can make your own hazards or obstacles from firm cardboard which can be folded up and carried in the boot of the car, but cardboard is not a long-lasting material and if you want to play often then it's better to make them from something more durable such as hardboard. Making the various objects is fun and can give you and the children something to do on winter evenings, as you plan your summer holidays.

You will need a screwdriver, a hammer, a saw, a hand drill, scissors, poster paints or oil paints, colored paper, adhesive tape, nails, screws, a ruler and a pencil.

Castle with rampart
Rule of the game: — the ball must go through the gate and over the rampart; if you play a firm stroke this is not too difficult.

To make the castle
Cut a panel for the base 40cm x 50cm (1ft 4in x 1ft 8in) from 4mm (⅛in) thick hardboard. Next cut a piece for the facade of the castle measuring 35cm x 28cm (1ft 2in x 11in). Draw the three towers in pencil — we made a round tower in the centre and two pointed ones on either side — then with a saw carefully cut out the outline; you may have to sandpaper the cut edges to smooth them down. Next mark out a gateway in the centre, measuring 13cm (5in) wide and 10cm (4in) high. Cut this out carefully with the saw; retain the piece you have cut out to make the door. To make the rampart cut a piece of hardboard 30cm x 13cm (12in x 5in). Draw the zigzag top in pencil and cut it out carefully with the saw. Now paint your castle and rampart in bright colors and whatever pattern you want. You can use poster paints or oil paints and make up your own design; use really bright colors because each hazard will have to stand out clearly on the ground. Paint the base panel in a contrasting color. Allow everything to dry thoroughly. Then fix the castle and the rampart to the base panel using small hinges; the distance between them should be 30cm (12in). Fix the castle door, trimmed to 12cm x 9cm (5in x 3½in) to the top of the gateway with adhesive tape. Four triangular pieces of hardboard (two large and two small) are used as supports for the castle and the rampart — these can be hinged onto the base or stuck on with sticky tape and painted to match the castle. Fix them to the back of the castle and ramparts with hooks and eyes.

Moorish gate
Rule of the game: the ball must be driven from one "toll-house" — metal disc — to the next. Use a sheet of 4mm thick (just over ⅛in) hardboard. For the base panel, cut a piece of hardboard 35cm x 70cm (1ft 1¾in x 2ft 3½in). For the gate, you need a piece of hardboard 35cm x 28cm (l ft l¾in x 11in). On this draw the shape of the gate and mark the entrance which should be 10cm wide (4in) and 14cm (5½in) high. We made our entrance rounded, but you may find it easier to make the door rectangular. Cut the shapes out carefully with saw and smooth the edges with sandpaper. Paint the base and the gate in bright colors and allow to dry thoroughly. Then fix the gate with a small hinge to the base. From hardboard make two triangular supports; paint them to match, and fix them to the back of the gate with hooks and eyes and to the base with adhesive tape. Two small metal discs are glued to the front and back of the base panel; these are the "toll-houses" and they must be just large enough for the golf ball to fit easily.

Revolving man
Rule of the game: The ball must be driven at the figure in such a way that he turns round and the ball passes behind him.

To make the revolving man For the base panel you need a piece of chipboard approximately 20cm x 20cm (8in x 8in) and 10mm thick (⅜in). Four small blocks of wood, glued to the corners under the panel, act as feet. Drill a hole in the middle of the board 5mm in diameter (just under ¼in). Next cut out the figure from a piece of 4mm thick (about ⅛in) hardboard, measuring 40cm x 30cm (l ft 4in x 11¾in). If you are not sure of your drawing skill, cut the shape from paper first. Using paper the same size as the hardboard, fold it in half lengthways; draw the outline of half the figure, cut it out, open out the paper and you'll have a pattern for your figure. Place it on the hardboard and cut round it with a saw. Now paint your man following our picture — paint the back and front differently so you know at once that the man has revolved! When it's dry screw in three screw eyes at the back, one at the top, one in the middle, and one near the bottom of the figure. Push a thin metal supporting rod 5mm (about 4in) thick and 45cm (1ft 5¾in) long through the three screw eyes and hold in place at top and bottom with small nuts. The end of the rod is then fixed into the hole in the base and screwed down with a nut and bolt. The figure should now revolve easily on its support.

Tumbling woman
Rule of the game: the ball must be driven at the figure so that it turns over completely at least once and the ball goes past it.

To make the tumbling woman
Hardboard, again 4mm thick (about ⅛in) is used for both the figure and the three-sided support. Cut the figure from a piece measuring about 30cm x 12cm (12in x 5in).

As described above, make a paper pattern of the figure first if you are not too sure of your artistic abilities. Then cut out the shape with a saw and paint in the clothes and features on both front and back. You can either paint the back to look like the back of the first woman, or you can paint another woman with different features and different colored clothes. Leave it to dry and make the support by cutting out two-pieces of hardboard measuring 16cm x 16cm (6¼in x 6¼in) and a piece for the base measuring 15cm x 16cm (6in x 6¼in). Paint the three pieces and leave them to dry. Then screw them together with small hinges. Next fix two screw eyes to the back of the figure, one each side just under the waist. A thin metal rod, 5mm (14in) in diameter and 20cm (8in) long is pushed through the two screw eyes and through two holes drilled through the centre of the two side pieces, near enough to the top edges to allow the little figure to swing freely without touching the base. The wire rod is secured with wing nuts. To keep the figure upright you may need to glue two small weights at the bottom back.

Ramp gate
Rule of the game: the ball must be driven over the ramp and through the gateway, and come to rest on the ground behind it.

To make the ramp gate

The base is a piece of 4mm thick (⅛in) hardboard measuring 50cm x 40cm (20in x 16in). The gate, cut from the same thickness of hardboard, measures 40cm x 26cm (16in x l0¼in).

Cut away a square opening in the middle of the gate — 10cm x 10cm (4in x 4in) and 3.5cm (l½in) in from the bottom edge of the gate. Paint the gate in bright colors and decorate with bright cut-outs of colored paper. Leave to dry and then fix to the base with hinges leaving at least 25cm (l0in) in front to accommodate the ramp. This also is made from hardboard. The top measures 20cm x 10cm (8in x 4in). The side pieces are 20cm (8in) along one edge, to hinge on to the top, but the width varies from 1 cm (⅜in) at one end increasing to 3.5cm (1½in) at the other. This gives the ramp its slope. Fix the sides to the top with hinges. Paint the ramp and fix it to the front of the gateway; fix them onto the back with screws and eyes, and stick them to the base with adhesive tape.

The bell tower
Rule of the game: the ball must be driven through the opening of the bell tower so that it touches the chain and the bell rings.

To make the bell tower

Draw the shape of the bell tower on a piece of hard-board measuring 28cm x 57cm (11in x 1ft 10½in). To get both side towers the same, first draw half of the design on a piece of folded paper as already described — open up the paper and use it as a pattern. Cut out the tower shape with a saw, and sandpaper the edges. Then cut two rectangles out of the tower to make the gateway and the bell tower; the size will depend on what size of bell you have — we used a small cow-bell. Cut out two rectangles from hardboard to make two bases for the tower, and two triangular supports for the back, long enough for the triangle to reach the two smaller towers — the base should be about 12cm (4¾in) long. Paint the bell tower and supports and allow to dry. Then fix the bases on with small hinges. The bell is hung on a screw eye at the back of the central tower low enough to be able to swing and ring freely without touching the bottom of the window. A fine chain is hung from the bell with a small ring at the bottom, hanging freely in the gateway. The supports are fixed to the back with screws and hooks and are secured to the bases with adhesive tape.