Miniature golf became a popular form of entertainment in the 1920s and reached a peak of over 25,000 courses nationally in 1930. The first opened in Ocean City in the early 1930s just off the Boardwalk and many others have come and gone in the years since.
Everyone it seems had a favorite and among those that have vanished several stand out. One of the most popular was Old Pro’s Sports Course on the Pier (with Johnny Unitas of the Baltimore Colts) while others bemoan the closing of Bamboo Golf on Third Street and Philadelphia Avenue with the pink elephant and white rabbit.
Some also recall the Gold Rush Territory on 125th Street with its western theme, while others miss Ice Land Golf on Somerset Street and Philadelphia Avenue featuring polar bears and an igloo (and built on the site of the old Ocean City Ice House). One of the more recent to depart was Lost Galaxy Golf on 34th Street where one-eyed aliens and flying saucers were part of the scenery.
Today 13 miniature golf courses (including six owned by Old Pro Golf alone) exist along Coastal Highway with dragons, pirate ships, wild animals and dinosaurs providing a background to one of Ocean City’s most popular forms of family entertainment.
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Photo courtesy Mike Beatty 1966