Visited and Documented on October 13, 2019
Word by Mr. Tee
As I drove north up Kings Highway each day to take in the 2019 Masters, I inevitably passed Rainbow Falls. The massive roadside sign, octopus, shark, and castle would draw my eyes off the road to gaze at this course that was established well before I was born. Named after a legendary urban waterfall in Hawaii, this course is the definition of classic when it comes to miniature golf. Red brick and green turf holes are surrounded by exaggerated inhabitants meant to draw in tourists off the road but ultimately, offer a sense of wonder that was perfectly executed and monetized by the Disney theme parks. Time was limited on my first trip to Myrtle Beach and I figured this would be an ideal course to share with The Pink Putter on her first time to the capital of mini golf. So I saved playing and instead just captured the magic of this course through photos on an early morning.
As with many recent reviews, we were thrilled to find exquisite additional mini golf archival documenation by the legendary roadside Americana photographer, John Margolies. We’ll kick off this review with his photos next to mine.
Past vs Present – 1970s (John Margolies) and 2019 (Tom Loftus aka Mr. Tee)
Rainbow Falls Mini Golf on Facebook
Nerdy Notes
- 2 18-hole courses
- According to the Roadside Architecture Website, Rainbow Falls “appears to be the oldest mini golf left in Myrtle Beach. It has 1960s-era James Sidwell figures similar to those at Adventure Golf in Pigeon Forge, TN.”
- Prominently featured in the Garfinkle, Reidelbach, and Margolies classic 1987 book, Miniature Golf
