Indoor Mini Golf Party: Fun for the Whole Family!
Get families moving throughout the library with indoor miniature golf! Rent or purchase supplies from a vendor OR get creative with these budget-friendly ideas. Much of the supplies may already be hiding around your library or in a craft closet.
This memorable program works great as a passive or one-time event for all ages. It never disappoints and always brings the dads in, too!
Supplies
Putters
The winter months are a great time to host this program to help families stay active AND it also means local miniature golf centers have putters lying around getting dusty. I called a nearby golf center, and they were willing to lend us their putters for free! I promised to mention their generous donation on our website, Facebook page, and to the program’s attendees. The attendees also signed a thank-you card for the center.
Golf Balls
Ask a local golf center or country club to lend you balls! As an avid golfer, I purchased a couple of sets of brightly colored balls and lent them to the library, knowing I would personally use them over the summer, and by using them, I mean losing them in trees and water hazards. Being avid doesn’t make you good.
Holes
You can purchase a mini golf set (such as this one or this one), but where’s the fun in that?! Challenge your staff or teen volunteers to make them! Our teen volunteers picked themes for each hole, including Diary of a Wimpy Kid (complete with stinky cheese hazard), If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Super Mario, and trains.
Supplies you can use to create holes include:
- Buckets (Dollar Tree often has great choices)
- Cardboard tubes
- Cardboard boxes
- Weeded World Book Encyclopedias or other books
- Toy blocks
- Cardstock paper
- Solo cups
- Lots and lots of duct tape
Solo cups were cut in half and taped to the floor to act as the holes. Flags designated each hole and were made with cardstock, duct tape, and old paint sticks.
Passive Program Tips
Set up a few holes and leave them out for a day, week, or however long you’d like. Your custodial and security staff won’t love you for it (“What do you mean it won’t be easy to jump over my 2-foot-high cardboard Hungry Caterpillar in an emergency?”), but the patrons will! Keep balls, scorecards, and putters at your service desk for kids and families to borrow.
Traffic at the Library’s Youth Desk increased twofold the week we offered this passive program as adults and kids kept stopping to ask things like, “Why is there a cardboard train tunnel by the Self-Checkout?” To which we delightedly replied, “Well, my friend, because it’s your lucky day to hit golf balls in the Library!” As an additional incentive, kids who participated were entered into a drawing for a $5 Target gift card.
One-Time Family Event Tips
For a night your families won’t forget, create a 9- or 18-hole course that weaves throughout the stacks. We’ve hosted this event for groups of 8-20 families (or 30-80 individuals) and receive frequent requests to host it annually. For larger groups, each family was only provided 1-2 putters and asked to share putters among their family members, which worked well.
Kick things off by gathering attendees for an introduction (“Here are the putters and balls, there are 5 holes in this room, 4 more downstairs, etc.”) and a warm-up. Our event’s parents were surprisingly willing to do jumping jacks and toe touches to warm up and stretch out with the kids.
Next, families chose the hole of their choice to begin. A few waited around to start at hole # 1, but the rest were happy to choose their starting point. That’s it! Now sit back and watch the fun. Offering a scorecard would be a nice touch, too.
Book Display
Promote your event ahead of time with a display of golf-themed books!
What golf or sports-related events have your patrons enjoyed?
