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68-508: West Smethwick Park is a public park in the St Pauls ward of Smethwick , England. It opened on 7 September 1895 on land donated by James Timmings Chance . Smethwick – and thus the park – was traditionally in Staffordshire, but has been administered by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council since 1974. Following successful bids for lottery funding, the park underwent a major restoration in

136-451: A 10-minute walk , provides multiple benefits. A park is an area of open space provided for recreational use, usually owned and maintained by a local government. Grass is typically kept short to discourage insect pests and to allow for the enjoyment of picnics and sporting activities. Trees are chosen for their beauty and to provide shade , with an increasing emphasis on reducing an urban heat island effect. Some early parks include

204-452: A bowling green had been laid. In 1912 the park and related endowments were conveyed from the trustees to Smethwick County Borough Council. Three additional lawn tennis courts were laid out in 1913, making six in total. A new entrance lodge was built on the Oldbury side of the park in 1925, and in 1926 a tender was accepted for a new double-gated entrance on Victoria Road. A Sons of Rest shelter

272-461: A cessation of Sunday afternoon boating claiming it was leading to children missing Sunday School . The park trustees after due consideration dismissed concerns for lack of evidence. In the park's early years, ice skating was popular on the frozen lake in Winter, and open-air bathing and fishing in warmer weather. Organised cricket and football matches were played. Annual fêtes were held to raise money for

340-439: A circular gravelled area and an octagonal refreshment pavilion with a stove for heating and a ventilation turret. The Birmingham Post applauded the generosity of the benefactor , James Timmings Chance . It stated the park was a great asset for the district, as the streets of Black Country towns were "unhealthy, narrow and confined", with meagre provision for green spaces. Local streets were decorated with flags and bunting for

408-573: A competing license, and the Swedish federation has 8,000 registered competition players. Other strong minigolf countries include Austria and Switzerland, each having a few thousand licensed competition players. Also Italy, Czech Republic and Netherlands have traditionally been able to send a strong team to international championships, even if they cannot count their licensed players in thousands. The sceptre of competitive minigolf rests quite firmly in mainland Europe: no player from other countries (such as UK,

476-966: A competition sport. The bi-annual European Championships attract competitors from more than twenty European countries. As of 2012, Chris Beattie has been the holder of the European Championship title. Outside Europe only a small number of countries have participated in international minigolf competitions. These countries include the United States, Japan, China, India and Taiwan. A national minigolf federation exists also in Moldova, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, but none of these countries has ever participated in international competitions, and probably are not arranging many domestic competitions either. World Minigolfsport Federation represents some 40,000 registered competition players from 37 countries. The national minigolf federation of Germany has 11,000 members with

544-494: A few years ago). International competitions are typically arranged on two courses of 18 holes, of which one course is eternite, and the other course is usually concrete, less commonly felt. In the future, the WMF is expected to use also MOS courses in international championships – which will give American and British players a chance to show their skills on their own traditional course types. The most prestigious MOS minigolf competitions in

612-517: A geometric layout often requiring non-traditional putting lines such as bank shots, and artificial obstacles such as tunnels, tubes, ramps, moving obstacles like windmills, and walls made of concrete, metal, or fiberglass. When miniature golf retains many of these characteristics but without the use of any props or obstacles, it is purely a mini version of its parent game. While the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) prefers to use

680-503: A major restoration of the park from 2019 to 2023. Improvements included a café and community rooms within a new pavilion building, installation of outdoor gym equipment, landscaping, restoration of the Chance memorial and stone drinking fountain, entrance gates and piers. The park features a memorial, in brick and terracotta , with a bronze bust, to Sir James Timmins Chance , a partner in the nearby glass-making firm, Chance Brothers . The bust

748-502: A member of AGFIS , organizes World Championships biennially (on odd-numbered years), while the continental championships in Europe and Asia are organized on even-numbered years. Many of these competitions are arranged for three age groups: juniors (under 20 years), adults (no age limit), and seniors (over 45 years). Men and women compete separately in their own categories, except in some team competitions and pair competitions. The difference in

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816-698: A minigolf course called the Gofstacle. The first standardized minigolf courses to enter commercial mass-production were the Thistle Dhu ("This'll Do") course in 1916 in Pinehurst , North Carolina , and the 1927 Tom Thumb patent of Garnet Carter from Lookout Mountain, Tennessee . Thomas McCullough Fairbairn , a golf fanatic, revolutionized the game in 1922 with his formulation of a suitable artificial green—a mixture of cottonseed hulls, sand, oil, and dye. With this discovery, miniature golf became accessible everywhere; by

884-488: Is 18 strokes on 18 holes. More than a thousand players have officially achieved this score on eternite. On other playing systems, a perfect round of 18 holes-in-one is extremely rare, and has never been scored in an official national or international tournament. Unofficial 18-rounds on concrete and felt courses have been reported in Sweden. Nearly all European countries have an official national federation for promoting minigolf as

952-609: Is a replacement; the original was removed by thieves sawing through the retaining fixings in April 1987. Chance purchased the land for the park. Beneath the bust is a plaque reading: A stone drinking fountain, installed in June 1905, commemorates John Chance, chairman of Chance Brothers, who died in November 1900. There is also a memorial to Flight Sergeants Cox and Preston, who crashed nearby on 31 July 1944, during World War II . A garden of remembrance

1020-466: Is an offshoot of the sport of golf focusing solely on the putting aspect of its parent game. The aim of the game is to score the lowest number of points. It is played on courses consisting of a series of holes (usually a multiple of 9) similar to those of its parent, but the courses are characterized by their short length (usually within 10 metres from tee to cup). The game uses artificial putting surfaces (such as carpet, artificial turf , or concrete),

1088-449: Is sometimes used colloquially to refer to the game itself. The term minigolf was formerly a registered trademark of a Swedish company that built its own patented type of minigolf courses. Geometrically shaped minigolf courses made of artificial materials (carpet) began to emerge during the early 20th century. The earliest documented mention of such a course is in the June 8, 1912, edition of The Illustrated London News , which introduces

1156-547: The La Alameda de Hércules , in Seville , a promenaded public mall, urban garden and park built in 1574, within the historic center of Seville. The Városliget ( City Park ) in the City of Pest , what is today Budapest, Hungary , was a city property when afforestation started in the middle of the 18th century, from the 1790s with the clear aim to create a public park. Between 1799 and 1805 it

1224-639: The National Register of Historic Places in 2002. The first miniature golf course in Canada was at the Maples Inn in Pointe-Claire , Quebec . The "Mapes" was constructed as a summer home in the 1890s but was renovated into a club in 1902, opened to the public in 1914, and had a miniature golf course in 1930. The popular nightspot burned in 1985. One of the first documented minigolf courses in mainland Europe

1292-546: The United States , National Miniature Golf Day is held yearly on the second Saturday of May. The event had its inaugural celebration on May 12, 2007, and was officially recognized and published in 2008's edition of Chase's Calendar of Events . By the 1950s the American Putt-Putt company was exporting their minigolf courses to South Africa, Australia, Japan, Korea, India, Iran, Italy, Pakistan, Argentina, Brazil, and

1360-602: The Village of Yorkville Park in Toronto , which won an award from the American Society of Landscape Architects. Parks are sometimes made out of oddly shaped areas of land, much like the vacant lots that often become city neighborhood parks. Linked parks may form a greenbelt . There is a form of an urban park in the UK (officially called a "recreation ground", but commonly called a "rec" by

1428-568: The 1950s, Don Clayton invented the Putt-Putt brand with a focus on treating minigolf seriously, emphasizing skill and player improvement. Most of the Putt Putt routes were 2-par holes involving ramps or angled blocks that could be mastered in one go through practice. By the late 1950s, almost all supply catalogs carried Taylor Brother's obstacles. In 1961, Bob Taylor, Don Clayton of Putt-Putt, and Frank Abramoff of Arnold Palmer Miniature Golf organised

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1496-507: The American game fell into Depression. In 1938 Joseph and Robert Taylor from Binghamton , New York , started building and operating their own miniature golf courses. These courses differed from the ones in the late 20s and early 30s; they were no longer just rolls, banks, and curves, with an occasional pipe thrown in. Their courses not only had landscaping , but also obstacles, including windmills , castles , and wishing wells . Impressed by

1564-802: The Eastern Bloc. The sport of miniature golf is governed internationally by the World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF), headquartered in Göteborg, Sweden. The WMF is a member of Global Association of International Sports Federations , and within it, of the Alliance of Independent Recognized Members of Sport (AIMS). WMF is also member of the Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA). It organizes World Championships for youth and elite players, and Continental Championships in Europe, Asia and

1632-593: The UK, with around 2.6 billion visits to parks each year. Many parks are of cultural and historical interest, with 300 registered by Historic England as of national importance. Most public parks have been provided and run by local authorities over the past hundred and seventy years, but these authorities have no statutory duty to fund or maintain these public parks. In 2016 the Heritage Lottery Fund 's State of UK Public Parks reported that "92 per cent of park managers report their maintenance budgets have reduced in

1700-459: The United States and the world, though cow grazing did not end until the 1830s. Around the country, the predecessors to urban parks in the United States were generally rural cemeteries . The cemeteries were intended as civic institutions designed for public use. Before the widespread development of public parks, the rural cemetery provided a place for the general public to enjoy outdoor recreation amidst art and sculpture previously available only for

1768-827: The United States are Central Park in New York, Lincoln Park in Chicago, Mission Bay Park in San Diego. In the early 1900s, according to Cranz, U.S. cities built neighborhood parks with swimming pools, playgrounds and civic buildings, with the intention of Americanizing the immigrant residents. In the 1950s, when money became available after World War II , new parks continued to focus on both outdoor and indoor recreation with services, such as sports leagues using their ball fields and gymnasia. These smaller parks were built in residential neighborhoods, and tried to serve all residents with programs for seniors, adults, teens and children. Green space

1836-676: The United States in the World Minigolfsport Federation, having been an active member since 1995. USPMGA President Robert Detwiler is also the WMF representative for North and South America . The New Israeli Minigolf Association was established in February 2010 in Israel. Setting up, for the first time, league play according to the rules of WMF and USPMGA. Now, a series of lush and inviting minigolf parks in prime locations are being built around Israel. World Minigolfsport Federation (WMF),

1904-517: The United States, Japan et cetera) has ever reached even the top 50 in World Championships (in men's category). Nearly all national federations outside Europe were founded only quite recently (within the last ten years), and it will take time before the players of these countries learn all secrets of the game. The United States has a longer history of minigolf competitions, but the standardized European competition courses are practically unknown in

1972-516: The United States, and therefore the American players have been unable to learn the secrets of European minigolf. On the traditional American courses the best American players are able to challenge the European top players into a tough and exciting competition. The British Minigolf Association (BMGA) has an additional problem on their way to greater success in competitive minigolf. While the minigolf federations in mainland Europe receive annual funding from

2040-418: The United States, held in alternate years. All competitions approved by World Minigolfsport Federation are played on standardized courses, whose design has been checked to be suitable for competitive play. The WMF currently approves four different course types: The final holes (often the 18th hole or a bonus 19th hole ) of many miniature golf courses are designed to capture the ball, effectively preventing

2108-768: The West Smethwick Park Band, which gave regular Sunday and bank holiday concerts during the season. The Smethwick Telephone newspaper conducted a review of Smethwick's parks in August 1908. It said West Smethwick Park was breezy and carried the fumes from several factories, disastrous to some flowers; but the gardeners had learned from experience which plantings would be successful. Plants and flowers on show included Jacoby geraniums , tobacco plant , caster oil plant , perilla , sweet aylssum , echeveria , fuchsia , gladioli , Shirley poppy , ageratum , calceolaria violas , Sweet William and penstemmon . The report noted

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2176-485: The company "Norman och Norrmans Miniatyrgolf" and began manufacturing standardized minigolf courses for the Swedish market. During the following years they spread this new leisure activity across Sweden, by installing minigolf courses in public parks and other suitable locations. Swedish minigolf courses typically had a rectangular wooden frame surrounding the playing area made of tennis field sand; in contrast, American manufacturers used newly developed and patented felt as

2244-490: The confines of a serpentine carriageway, put in place the essential elements of his much-imitated design for Birkenhead Park in Birkenhead . The latter commenced in 1843 with the help of public finance and deployed the ideas which Paxton had pioneered at Princes Park on a more expansive scale. Frederick Law Olmsted visited Birkenhead Park in 1850 and praised its qualities. Indeed, Paxton is widely credited as having been one of

2312-449: The designed landscape as a setting for the suburban domicile (an idea pioneered by John Nash at Regent's Park in London) and re-fashioned it for the provincial town in a most original way. Nash's remodelling of St James's Park from 1827 and the sequence of processional routes he created to link The Mall with Regent's Park completely transformed the appearance of London's West End . With

2380-494: The establishment of Princes Park in 1842, Joseph Paxton did something similar for the benefit of a provincial town, albeit one of international stature by virtue of its flourishing mercantile sector. Liverpool had a burgeoning presence in global maritime trade before 1800, and during the Victorian era its wealth rivalled that of London itself. The form and layout of Paxton's ornamental grounds, structured about an informal lake within

2448-424: The face of a clown ; if the ball lands "in" the clown's nose, a bell may sound and the player would win a discount ticket for another game. Another method for capturing the ball incorporated by various adventure golf courses involves a tube that sucks and propels the ball with pressurized air to a collection area or another area of the course typically on a higher elevation. The world record on one round of minigolf

2516-516: The final competition on Lookout Mountain , Chattanooga, Tennessee, attracted over 200 players representing thirty states. After the Depression ten years later, minigolf died out as a competition sport in America, and has begun to recover only during the most recent decades. The American minigolf sport boom of the 1930s inspired many European countries, and the sport of minigolf lived on in Europe even after

2584-478: The first miniature golf association known as NAPCOMS (or the "National Association of Putting Course Operators, Manufacturers, and Suppliers"). Their first meeting was held in New York City . Though this organization only lasted a few years it was the first attempt to bring miniature golf operators together to promote miniature golf. In 1955, Lomma Golf, Inc., founded by Al Lomma and his brother Ralph Lomma , led

2652-779: The form of walking, running, horse riding, mountain biking, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing; or sedentary activity such as observing nature, bird watching, painting, photography, or picnicking. Limiting park or open space use to passive recreation over all or a portion of the park's area eliminates or reduces the burden of managing active recreation facilities and developed infrastructure. Many ski resorts combine active recreation facilities (ski lifts, gondolas, terrain parks, downhill runs, and lodges) with passive recreation facilities (cross-country ski trails). Many smaller neighborhood parks are receiving increased attention and valuation as significant community assets and places of refuge in heavily populated urban areas. Neighborhood groups around

2720-468: The government, in England the national sports organization Sport England has refused to accept BMGA as its member – which means that BMGA is left without the public funding that other forms of sports enjoy. The rules of Sport England declare that only one variant of each sport can be accepted as member – and minigolf is interpreted as a variant of golf. The most prize money is paid in the United States, where

2788-525: The large amount of open space and natural habitat in the former pleasure grounds, they now serve as important wildlife refuges, and often provide the only opportunity for urban residents to hike or picnic in a semi-wild area. However, city managers or politicians can target these parks as sources of free land for other uses. Partly for this reason, some of these large parks have "friends of X park" advisory boards that help protect and maintain their semi-wild nature. There are around estimated 27,000 public parks in

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2856-642: The late 1920s there were over 150 rooftop courses in New York City alone and tens of thousands across the United States. This American minigolf boom of early 20th century came to an end during the Great Depression in the late 1930s. Nearly all minigolf courses in the United States were closed and demolished before the end of the 1930s. A rare surviving example from this period is the Parkside Whispering Pines Miniature Golf Course located near Rochester, New York , and listed on

2924-463: The minigolf course in Ascona , Switzerland, opened. It is the oldest course in the world which follows the norms of Paul Bongni. The earliest documented minigolf competitions were played in the United States. The first National Tom Thumb Open minigolf tournament was arranged in 1930, with a total cash purse $ 10,000 (the top prize being $ 2,000). Qualification play-offs were played in all of the 48 states, and

2992-413: The name minigolf , the game has several other names which vary between countries, including mini-golf , midget golf , goofy golf , shorties , extreme golf , crazy golf , adventure golf , mini-putt , and putter golf . The name Putt-Putt is the trademark of an American company that builds and franchises miniature golf courses in addition to other family-oriented entertainment. The term putt-putt

3060-567: The need to provide substantial space to congregate, typically involves intensive management, maintenance, and high costs. Passive recreation, also called "low-intensity recreation" is that which emphasizes the open-space aspect of a park and allows for the preservation of natural habitat. It usually involves a low level of development, such as rustic picnic areas, benches, and trails. Passive recreation typically requires little management and can be provided at very low costs. Some open space managers provide nothing other than trails for physical activity in

3128-514: The opening ceremony. A procession of marching bands, civic dignitaries, mounted police, fire brigades, a company from the South Staffordshire Volunteers and representatives of trades unions and other associations made its way from the public hall (now Smethwick Library) to the park, where speeches of thanks were given. In June 1896, a petition was presented to the park trustees by members of local Sunday School Unions , who requested

3196-539: The opening of a crazy golf course in April 1973. In March 1978 a fire destroyed the boathouse and 23 fibreglass boats inside; however, in 1982 boating was reintroduced after a new brick boathouse was built. The Victorian refreshment pavilion fell out of use after a fire in 1982, and following another fire 3 years later was subsequently demolished. Funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund , the Big Lottery Fund 's Parks for People programme and Sandwell Council allowed for

3264-399: The park perimeter and a park keeper's lodge. The stream was used to fill an excavated 5-acre (2 ha) boating lake to an average depth of 4 feet (1.2 m), in the centre of which was an island. Water from a fountain in a smaller pool flowed down fern-covered rocks and under a rustic bridge to the lake. Other features were a boathouse with landing stage, a bandstand in the centre of

3332-404: The park was built was purchased by Richard Vaughan Yates, an iron merchant and philanthropist, in 1841 for £50,000. The creation of Princes Park showed great foresight and introduced a number of highly influential ideas. First and foremost was the provision of open space for the benefit of townspeople and local residents within an area that was being rapidly built up. Secondly it took the concept of

3400-420: The past three years and 95 per cent expect their funding will continue to reduce". Parks can be divided into active and passive recreation areas. Active recreation is that which has an urban character and requires intensive development. It often involves cooperative or team activity, including playgrounds , ball fields, swimming pools, gymnasiums, and skateparks . Active recreation such as team sports, due to

3468-525: The period 2019 to 2023. At the time of its opening on 7 September 1895, a small stream running through the park formed part of the boundary between the urban districts of Smethwick in Staffordshire and Oldbury in Worcestershire. The layout of the park's 50 acres (20 ha) was planned by Birmingham architect, William Henman. Work included a 600-yard (550 m) new road linking St Paul's Road to Holly Lane, 2,000 yards (1,800 m) of steel railings around

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3536-410: The player from playing additional rounds without purchasing another game. This may be accomplished with a "drain" or trap-door hole setup that channels the ball to a lockbox. The 19th hole on miniature golf courses is often a hole in which if a hole-in-one is scored, one receives a free game. One popular method of theming the 18th hole in the United States is to use a gated, ramped target area depicting

3604-416: The playing skills of men and women is very small at the top level. Sometimes the best player in a major international tournament is female. Typically the winner in women's category would be very close to medals also in men's category. World and European Championships have so far never been arranged on MOS courses (which are popular in the United States and UK, and were approved by WMF for competition use only

3672-452: The principal influences on Olmsted and Calvert's design for New York's Central Park of 1857. Another early public park, the Peel Park, Salford , England, opened on 22 August 1846. Boston Common was purchased for public use grazing cows and as a military parade ground and dump in 1634. It first started to get recreational elements in 1728, arguably making it the first municipal park in

3740-504: The public.) and some EU states that have mostly recreation grounds for kids to play within a park, but may also have a duck pond, large grassy zones not meant exclusively for sports, many trees, and several bushy places. When it occurs as a separate facility on its own, without any parkland, at a street corner or by a shop, the play facility is called a playground . Miniature golf Miniature golf (also known as minigolf , putt-putt , crazy golf , and by several other names )

3808-534: The quality of the courses, many customers asked if the Taylors would build a course for them. By the early 1940s, Joe and Bob formed Taylor Brothers, and were in the business of building miniature golf courses and supplying obstacles to the industry. During both the Korean and Vietnam Wars , many a G.I. played on a Taylor Brothers prefabricated course that the U.S. Military had contracted to be built and shipped overseas. In

3876-425: The rainwater pools on them, stopping the ball from rolling. The Swedish Minigolf Federation (Svenska Bangolfförbundet) was founded in 1937, making it the oldest minigolf sport organization in the world. National Swedish championships in minigolf have been played yearly since 1939. In other countries minigolf sport federations were not founded until the late 1950s, due to the post-war economical depression. In 1954,

3944-511: The revival of wacky, animated trick hazards. These hazards required both accurately aimed shots and split-second timing to avoid spinning windmill blades, revolving statuary , and other careening obstacles. The book, Tilting At Windmills: How I Tried To Stop Worrying And Love Sport , by Andy Miller tells the story of the formerly sports-hating author attempting to change by competing in miniature golf, including events in Denmark and Latvia . In

4012-636: The surface of their minigolf courses. Felt did not become popular as a surface material in Sweden until in the mid-1960s—but since then it has become practically the only surface material used in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom, due to its favorable playing qualities in wet weather. Minigolf courses with a felt surface can be played in rainy weather, because water soaks through the felt into the ground. The other commonly used surface materials, concrete and fibre-cement , cannot be used in rainy weather, because

4080-435: The wealthy. In The Politics of Park Design: A History of Urban Parks in America, (Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press, 1982), Professor Galen Cranz identifies four phases of park design in the U.S. In the late 19th century, city governments purchased large tracts of land on the outskirts of cities to form "pleasure grounds": semi-open, charmingly landscaped areas whose primary purpose was to allow city residents, especially

4148-620: The winner of a major competition may earn up to $ 5,000. In mainland Europe the prize money generally quite low, and in many cases honor is the only thing at stake in the competition. International championships usually award no prize money at all. In the US there are two organizations offering national tournaments : the Professional Putters Association and the US Pro Mini-Golf Association (USPMGA). The USPMGA represents

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4216-484: The workers, to relax in nature. As time passed and the urban area grew around the parks, land in these parks was used for other purposes, such as zoos, golf courses and museums. These parks continue to draw visitors from around the region and are considered regional parks , because they require a higher level of management than smaller local parks. According to the Trust for Public Land , the three most visited municipal parks in

4284-524: The world are joining together to support local parks that have suffered from urban decay and government neglect. A linear park is a park that has a much greater length than width. A typical example of a linear park is a section of a former railway that has been converted into a park called a rail trail or greenway (i.e. the tracks removed, vegetation allowed to grow back). Some examples of linear parks in North America include New York's High Line and

4352-453: Was built in 1926 by a man surnamed Schröder in Hamburg, Germany . Schröder had been inspired by his visit to the United States, where he had seen minigolf courses spreading across the country. In 1930 Edwin O. Norrman and Eskil Norman returned to Sweden from the United States, where they had stayed for several years and witnessed the golden days of the American minigolf boom. In 1931 they founded

4420-466: Was erected in 1933. In 1945 a number of prefabricated homes were built in the park. A miniature golf course was opened on 24 July 1950 on an area of the park that had been a football pitch, but in World War II was used for allotments; the land was too unlevel to be remade for football. News reports show the park was the venue for organised cycle races from the late 1960s. Warley Parks Department announced

4488-525: Was of secondary importance. As urban land prices climbed, new urban parks in the 1960s and after have been mainly pocket parks . One example of a pocket park is Chess Park in Glendale, California. The American Society of Landscape Architects gave this park a General Design Award of Honor in 2006. These small parks provide greenery, a place to sit outdoors, and often a playground for children. All four types of park continue to exist in urban areas. Because of

4556-586: Was opened in April 1948 by the Mayor, Councillor A Bradford in memory of local people who lost their lives in World War II. Public park Depending on size, budget, and land features, which varies considerably among individual parks, common features include playgrounds , gardens , hiking, running, fitness trails or paths, bridle paths , sports fields and courts, public restrooms, boat ramps, performance venues, or BBQ and picnic facilities. Park advocates claim that having parks near urban residents, including within

4624-537: Was rented out to the Batthyány family to carry out such a project but the city had eventually taken back control and in 1813 announced a design competition to finally finish the park; works started in 1816. An early purpose-built public park, although financed privately, was Princes Park in the Liverpool suburb of Toxteth . This was laid out to the designs of Joseph Paxton from 1842 and opened in 1843. The land on which

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