For decades, millions of Americans have delighted in games of miniature golf. The game, which combines elements of skill derived from "real" golf with entertainment features aimed at children, has remained popular through the years with players of all ages.

No one is exactly sure who "invented" miniature golf. More than likely, it was developed simultaneously in many different places. Most historians place its origins around the turn of the twentieth century, when wealthy golf enthusiasts began building "golf in miniature" courses on their estates. This early form of the game was called "garden golf" and featured none of the elaborate obstacles that would mark the game in later years.

Originally a pastime of the leisure classes, miniature golf was soon transformed into a profitable business. In 1928, an entrepreneur named Garnet Carter (1883–1954) began charging people ten cents a round to golf on courses he had built...