Favorite Featured Golf Hole #1 - Da Bomb

As anyone who has played mini golf knows, there are just some courses and holes that are so much fun, so creative, beautifully executed, or so challenging that they deserve to be highlighted and shared with the world. As a regular feature of MGE I will share some of my favorite mini golf holes and hope others will share theirs as well.

The first to receive this honor is the Bomb-Themed hole at Novelty Golf in Lincolnwood, IL.


While there are many interesting and unusually designed holes in their two 18 hole courses, many of which could unfortunately use a little TLC (make sure you are up to date with your tetanus immuniazations before reaching into their cups), I chose to share this one for several reasons. First, while mini golf is often infused with day glow colored lighthearted amusements, this hole demonstrates an unabashedly post-WWII, 1950s glorificaiton of American military might. Paris has its Eiffel Tower (so often immemorialized on courses), the Netherlands has its windmills, and the U.S. has its bombs, a somewhat unusual but not necessarily unprecedented mini golf feature.


In addition to its 1950s sensibility, which for me is always a huge plus, I very much enjoy the challenge and design of the hole. It looks deceptively simple; all one has to do is hit the ball straight through the bombs "fins." The hole uses gravity, you have to hit downhill, which is a design element I especially appreciate after living in the flat Midwest for so many years. But the slope also makes it difficult to achieve a straight shot. If you veer off center at all (how merciless!) your ball will slope toward the right to be caught in one of the two depositories on the right. What I find unusual about this hole is the very open sloping design which requires an exacting amount of precision and the straight shot tempts you into thinking you might actually make it through on the first putt.

No big gimmicks with this hole, just a retro-looking, well-designed challenge.

Images: Mini Golf Enthusiast

tags: mini golf | minigolf | miniature golf | pop culture | Novelty Golf | Lincolnwood, IL