JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Lookout Mountain, one of Tennessee’s most well-known scenic mountains, is known for its history and world-renowned tourist attractions, such as Rock City Gardens and Ruby Falls. But, did you know Lookout Mountain is also where miniature golf was born?
During the 1920s, Garnet Carter, the leading founder of Rock City Gardens, first patented the idea to create a smaller scaled version of normal golf. At the time, his newfound and smaller scaled version of golf was called “Tom Thumb Golf”, named after England’s first ever recorded fairy tale character of the same name from 1621. In the tale, the character Tom Thumb is described as “no bigger than his father’s thumb.” The character’s size fueled Carter’s vision of taking a smaller, more fantastical approach to the golf course.
Miniature sized golf courses themselves have existed prior to Carter’s envisioning, dating back to golf’s origins in the late 1800s. At the time, courses smaller in size were utilized for “putting only” games of golf, while also used by golfers as practice courses prior to playing the main game. Carter, meanwhile, took the concept of a miniature-sized golf course and converted it into its own version of the same game, one with obstacles put in place to provide added challenge and overall fun to the experience.
Upon Carter’s vision coming to fruition, miniature golf skyrocketed into popularity during the remaining 1920s and well into the 1930s, becoming a favorite game and pass time for many across America and abroad, even during The Great Depression. Today, the game is looked at as a favorite for many, with different attractions, businesses, and parks featuring entire courses of their own for guests to enjoy playing, all of which made possible by individuals such as Carter who helped pioneer miniature golf to what it is today.
Photos from NOOGAtoday.com, Garnet and Frieda Facebook Page, and cntraveller.com