Oldest mini golf course in continuous operation in the Rochester area
Posted by: 
sagefemme
N 43° 13.702 W 077° 32.804
18T E 293186 N 4789324
Oldest mini golf course in the Rochester area... originally called Tall Maple in 1930, now Whispering Pines.
Buy a kids meal at the Parkside Diner, and you will receive a voucher for one free round.
Waymark Code: WMDDYV
Location: New York, United States
Date Posted: 12/31/2011
Views: 6
... and by no less authority than the National Register of Historic Places nomination form.
It is thought that the first miniture golf course ever built was constructed in 1916 in North Caroline, called "Thistle Dhu", designed by amateur architect Edward H. Wiswell. When Thomas McCulloch Fairburn, a golf enthusiast, tried to build a small course in Mexico, in 1922, he found that growing and maintaining natural grass too difficult, so he formulated an artificial surface that he later patented. From this point on replication was made easy, and over 150 miniature golf courses were set up on New York City rooftops as commercial enterprizes.
Miniature golf as it is known today with structural hazards and curbs that can be used as bumpers was developed in 1926 by Frieda Carter and her husband Garnet. The went on to patent the design, and they secured the rights to the Fairburn artificial turf.
Robert G. Ocorr built a number of miniature golf courses locally, including this one in 1929, owned by Paul Moore. His sons Nelson and Dayne inherited the course when Paul died in 1963, and they continued to run the course until 1982, when they sold the property to Wayne Carney.
According to the National Register of Historic Places nomination form, "Tall Maples is the only survivor of this group" of miniature golf courses laid out by Robert Ocorr and his associate Bob Barrett after he "obtained the prototype".
Are there older continuously run miniature golf courses within the county? within the state? in the country? I don't know and I don't know how to find out, so I shall make the claim made in the nomination form mentioned above: that this is the oldest continuously operated miniature golf course in the Rochester area. But... I've heard biger claims made of it!
Type of documentation of superlative status: National Register of Historic Places nomination application
Location of coordinates: First tee, on the miniture golf course
Web Site: [Web Link]
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