Ideas for Mini Golf Party

Miniature golf is not just a game for children's parties—miniature golf courses can hold adult parties as well. It allows adults to relive their childhood of playing miniature golf. Add in some challenges to make the game unique, with prizes for completing those challenges, for a little good-natured competition.

Instead of playing using traditional scoring at the miniature golf party, use match play. This will challenge the children to beat each of the others in their group on a hole to win a point. A point is given to the player with the lowest score in the group on that hole. If two or more players tie, no points are awarded but the point is added to the award for the next hole. This means if no player wins a hole for three holes in a row, the fourth hole is worth four points if a player wins it.

Play the round of miniature golf just like you normally would. The player with the lowest score wins the round of miniature golf. Award a playing card from a standard deck of cards to any player any time he scores below par for a hole on the golf course. This may require multiple decks of playing cards. At the end of the round of golf, have each player form his best five-card poker hand. The player with the best hand wins a special prize.

During the round of miniature golf at the miniature golf party, keep track of which player gets the most "hole-in-ones." That player receives a special prize at the end of the party. If multiple players tie, the tiebreaker is their overall scores from the round of golf. If a tie remains at that point, use the score from the last nine holes of the game as a tie breaker. If the tie remains at that point, award prizes to both players.

Before the game starts, select certain holes on the course at random to be "prize holes." These are holes that the winner of that hole out of each group of players playing the holes together gets a prize. The prize can be something small for children, such as $1 to $5. For adults, it could be something as large as a gift certificate for a restaurant. If there is a tie, the players involved in the tie compete against each other for the prize until one player involved in that tie scores lower than the others involved in the tie on hole, and that player wins the prize.

Challenge your party guests by requiring them to golf "backwards." This means that right-handed golfers must play using a left-handed golfer's stance and left-handed golfers use a right-handed golfer's stance. By requiring each player to golf in a way unfamiliar to her, it will limit the advantage had by players who golf regularly.