A Couple of Putts and Lilli Putt present…

The 3rd Annual Miniest Mini Golf Open
September 17-25th, 2022

2022 Final Championship Scores

Recap

Big changes for the 3rd year of the Miniest Open. The championship extended to two rounds with the top 20 qualifiers competing for a handmade trophy and fun prizes from our sponsors including Putt18, Walkabout Mini Golf, OneShot Golf, and Bir-Tee. Qualifying extended to nearly 8 days so ample time throughout the week would be available for people to get below par. In this final tournament of the 2022 inaugural American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) season, 7 people from outside of Minnesota joined 35 locals to try to earn points towards national ranking and miniature golf glory.

The stage was set for greatness and it all came together on a Sunday morning/afternoon. With 8 qualifying scores of 53 or better, we saw the highest number of low scores on the course to date. The recently replaced turf and much-needed repairs didn’t hurt the cause but it was clear that the level of competition had gone up a notch. During the two rounds of the championship, there wasn’t a single round that was over par. While hole-in-ones continued to be rare and last year’s course record of 46 by Shawn Brown was not topped, we saw no rounds over par in the championship. In the end, we had a mini golf legend add to his legacy. After playing the course for the first time only days earlier, Mick Cullen turned in a 1st round of 50 and 2nd round of 48 to become the first non-Minnesotan to become the champ. Coming into the tournament, Mick needed to win first place outright to become the AMA season points winner and to finish ranked #1 in the country and he did it! This is the same year he set a world record of playing 4,941 mini golf holes in 24 hours.

Tom Loftus, Mr. Tee, completed the trifecta with another 2nd place finish with his lowest tournament scores in qualifying or championship to date. Despite a tough 2nd round, Shawn Brown had the low round of the day with a 47 and came in 3rd. Matt Roalstad showed why he has become known as one of the top Minnesota mini golfers with a strong 4th place finish despite a bad bounce on the castle on Hole #6. The top 5 is rounded out by 2020 champion Erik Haselius.

Other notable events:

• 43 people played over 85 rounds during qualifying. Last year there were 56 qualifying rounds
• Julie Schweiss was the only person to score a 2 on the lengthy Hole #7
• First-time competitors traveled from Illinois and New Jersey to compete
• Anthony Dunkel is the first person to get a hole-in-one on Hole #8 in qualifying or the championship
• Mick Cullen landed the only deuce on the winding #13 in qualifying
• Aaron Kaminski’s single qualifying round of 51 is the lowest qualifying score for a non-Minnesotan
• 17 rounds in the championship -10 or better below par for a 56. The 2020 championship final had the top two players in a tie-breaker after each scored a 56.

 

Save the Dates!

4th Miniest Mini Golf Open

Qualifying | September 16-23, 2023

Championship | Sunday, September 24th, 2023

Find a recap, results, and fun documentation of the 2021 tournament at acoupleofputts.com/open21

2022 Tournament Rules and Regulations

Lilli Putt Mini Golf – Coon Rapids, MN – 1349 Coon Rapids Blvd. Coon Rapids, MN 55433

Scores from all qualifying attempts will count individually towards reaching the championship on 9/25. The top 20 players under par will compete for money, prizes, and glory in a two-round championship on Sunday, September 25th.

Prizes

Champion: $100 cash or $150 Lilliputt Gift Card + Custom Made Championship Trophy + Name added to the Miniest Open “Yellow Jacket” + Lilli Putt & A Couple of Putt goodies + Putt18 Putting Mat Game ($179 value)
Second Place: $75 cash or $100 Lilliputt Gift Card + “Silver” Medal + Lilli Putt & A Couple of Putt goodies
Third Place: $50 cash or $75 Lilliputt Gift Card + “Bronze” Medal + Lilli Putt & A Couple of Putt goodies
4th-5th Place: Lilli Putt and/or American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) mystery prizes

Most Hole-in-Ones: OneShotGolf game swag pack including a hat, t-shirt and stickers.

All competitors who turn in their scorecard with their contact information between September 17-21 will be entered in a random drawing of scorecards for a few random prizes

$20 initial championship qualifying attempt fee includes:

 

*AMA balls & Bir-Tee lanyards while supplies last

$10 for each additional round to attempt to get the lowest score.

From Saturday, September 17 through Wednesday, September 21st we’ll have a $25 fee that will get you two qualifying rounds at a discount and an opportunity to be entered in a drawing for prizes.

Qualifying Rounds
Saturday, September 17th through Saturday, September 24th at 6pm: top 20 players under par will be notified after 6 pm on Saturday (9/24) night and move on to the Championship on Sunday.

Two-Round Championship
Sunday, September 25th at 9 am: the top 20 players based on their best qualifying score will play a two-round championship to determine the winners. Any ties between 1st and 3rd place will be broken by 2-hole putt-offs on Holes 1-2. If scores remain tied after two holes, the players will compete until one person has a lower stroke than the other(s) on the next hole on the course. If there is a tie for most hole-in-ones, there will be a hole-in-one-only wins playoff on hole #4. Each competitor will have an equal number of opportunities. All other ties for prizes will be determined by the better qualifying round score. If there is an additional tie after bringing in the qualifying round score, prizes at those levels will be split 50/50. All competitors who are American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) members will receive points toward national ranking based on the current scoring rubric.

Rules of the Game

1. Players will start each hole within the yellow turfed tee-off area at the start of each hole. No other starting positions are allowed
2. No intentional chip shots to jump walls.
3. The ball can be moved the length of the championship scorecard (around 8.5′) away from any obstacle or wall for relief as long as it does not move the ball out of hazard or provides a significantly better direct line to the cup for your next putt.
4. Relief from an obstacle or wall cannot be used to give a line to the cup where it does not already exist. The player can move the ball further away from the cup to take relief to prevent creating a line that does not already exist.
5. If the ball goes off course into the water or out of bounds (OB), the ball will be placed at the place in the bounds of that hole where the ball last made contact with the green with relief with a one-stroke penalty added.
   • The one exception to this rule is Hole #10. If you go OB on Hole #10 after hitting the jump and the ball does not make contact with the 2nd half of the hole after the jump, the ball will be reset by the player in the tee-off box with a one-stroke penalty
6. If the ball goes into the rock traps, you must either play the ball where it lays or take a stroke penalty to place the ball 6″ from the point of entry into the rock trap.
7. On any putt, if the ball bounces back and exits the course through the yellow turfed tee-off area, the ball can be reset in the tee-off area by the competitor without a penalty stroke. If the ball is hit and returns to the yellow turfed tee-off area and stays within the tee-off area, the ball will be played from the position it stops in the tee-off area.
8. For all tournament rounds, there is a 9-stroke limit. After your 8th stroke, you pick up the ball and move on to the next hole.

Rules of the Tournament

1. All holes will be played with each person completing the hole before others in their group play.
2. The ball can only advance to the hole through the use of the putter head.
3. If the math on your scorecard is not correct, a +1 stroke penalty is added to your score for the round. During the championship, any groups with scorecards that don’t match when turned in will result in a stroke penalty for each member of the group
4. All qualifying rounds must be completed between the course open on Saturday, September 17th, and 6 pm on Saturday, September 24th to be valid and eligible for the championship on Sunday, September 25th.
5. Competitors can make multiple qualifying attempts and only the lowest score will count towards being in the top 20.
6. Valid scorecards must be turned into the clubhouse with the date and time played immediately after finishing.
7. Competitors must include a contact phone number and email where we can reach you if you make it into the top 20 to compete again on Sunday, Sept. 25th.
8. Up to 20 competitors with the lowest qualifying scores below Par (66) will compete for the Championship on Sunday, September 25th.
9. To determine who makes the cut for the Championship if more than 20 competitors have the top scores during Qualifying due to ties, the cut down to 20 competitors will be determined by the date the round was played with the earliest dates making the cut.
10. Those tied for 20th who do not make the cut will be invited as alternates for the Championship if other competitors in the top 20 do not show up at the start of the 1st round. In many cases, we have had a number of people who finish in the top 20 who are not able to attend the championship.
11. A Couple of Putts (Tom) will be contacting the top 20 on Saturday, September 24th around 6 pm to confirm their availability to play for the championship on Sunday, September 25th. You must confirm you will be able to return for the championship round on Sunday, September 25th by 9 pm on 9/24/22.
12. The championship rounds will start promptly at 9 am on Sunday, September 25th with the highest of the top 20 starting in the first group. The best scorers during qualifying will make up the last group of putters.
13. All competitors in the championship rounds must score their rounds as well as the other competitors in their group. If scores on all scorecards in the group don’t match when turned in, each competitor in that group will receive a stroke penalty.
14. No group in the champions rounds will be less than 3 putters and no more than 4.
15. Groups will play two rounds consecutively with no re-pairing after round 1
16. One scorecard signed by each member of the group will be turned in after each round
17. In the case of any ties for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place on 9/25/22, the tie will be broken by 2 hole putt-off on Holes 1-2. “Honors” (aka putting first) on Hole #1 will be determined by a coin toss. “Honors” will alternate each hole regardless of the outcome of the previous hole. If scores remain tied after two holes, the competitors will play until one person has a lower stroke total than the other(s) on the next hole on the course.
18. If there is a tie for most hole-in-ones, those competitors will have a hole-in-one-only wins putt-off on Hole #4. Each player will have an equal number of attempts to get an ace. If multiple competitors get a hole-in-one in any given set of attempts, the playoff will continue until a winner is determined by hole-in-one in a round whether the other competitors do not get a hole-in-one
19. All other ties for prizes will be determined by the better single round in the championship
20. All competitors who are American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) members will receive points towards national ranking based on the current scoring rubric
21. All scores will be posted at acoupleofputts.com/open within a week of the tournament