A Couple of Putts and Lilli Putt present…
The 4th Annual Miniest Mini Golf Open
September 16-24th, 2023
Recap
In the 4th year of our annual tournament, we decided to keep things interesting and inviting by adding an amateur division. We had previously run our first amateur division at The Looniest Mini Golf Open earlier in the year and wanted to expand it to our long-standing annual tournament at Lilli Putt to see if there was interest. Much to our surprise, the amateur division was wildly popular. We initially set it up so that the top 6 amateur qualifiers, regardless of score, would make the cut for the championship. The cut line ended 8 under par at 58! We had 23 pros qualify with under-par rounds to set up our largest championship day turnout.
The Miniest Open has benefited from exceptional weather in the 3 previous years but for year #4, we got pummeled with rain the night before the championship. When we arrived at the course on gameday, we were faced with a course that was wetter than we’d ever seen. With the help of the course manager Matt, we were able to clear most of the standing water on several holes but we also had a few holes that required some special considerations due to the volume of water. Hole #4 essentially became a moat as the left and right channels of the hole were filled with water and you couldn’t get a kick off the back wall on #14 due to water that could not be cleared from that area. The whole course had a distinctly different feel than previous years. The newly bricked walls and recently replaced turf had improved the play of a few holes and we had expected several scores to continue to come in below 50 but the soggy conditions made an impact.
Despite the conditions, 6 different individuals carded a 52 (-14) in the first round including previous champions Erik Haselius (2020) and Shawn Brown (2021). They were joined by Aaron Kaminski (New Jersey), Tom Schweiss (Illinois), Mike Pendleton, and Matt Roalstad. The 2022 Miniest champion, Mick Cullen, was only one stroke behind at 53, and Zack Haselius 2 strokes behind with a 54. With the top round of the day of 50, Matt Roalstad won the 4th Miniest Mini Golf Open in the closest top 5 finish in the history of the tournament in an impressive 2nd round. Shawn Brown came in 2nd place one stroke behind at 103. Tom Schweiss, Mick Cullen, and Erik Haselius all shot a 2-round score of 105 and entered into a 2-hole playoff. Tom and Erik remained tied after 2 holes so they finished up on hole #3 where Tom Schweiss landed in 3rd place overall.
In the amateur division, Owen Pendleton followed his strong first round of 56 with an astonishing 2nd round of 53 to win the amateur division by 4 strokes. Mark Giannini and Robin Schwartzman played a two-hole playoff to break their 2nd place tie of 113. Mark Giannini won the two-hole playoff.
Other notable events:
- Hole-by-Hole scores in Bangolf for all of the 29 competitors
- Matt Roalstad became the 4th different winner in the history of the Miniest Mini Golf Open
- Matt is the first competitor to win multiple events hosted by A Couple of Putts after winning the 2023 Coziest Mini Golf Open earlier in the year
- Robin Schwartzman became the first player to record a hole-in-one in a competitive event on Hole #1
- 12 players tied for the most hole-in-ones with each of them getting a single ace
- Shawn Brown won the OneShot Golf prize package for most hole-in-ones after acing the single-hole tie-breaker hole #4. he was the first to attempt and all of the other competitors missed on their attempt
- Mike Pendleton improved his 2022 two-round score total by 15 strokes and landed in 6th place
- Competitors traveled from Illinois, Iowa New Jersey to compete
- Of the six players in the amateur division, 3 of the competitors were under the age of 16
- This will likely be the final event hosted by A Couple of Putts that will require players to qualify to make the championship
Save the Date!
5th Miniest Mini Golf Open
Championship | Sunday, September 29th, 2024
No qualifying. 2 Rounds
More details coming soon!
2023 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 9/24. The top 25 pro players under par and the top 6 amateurs will compete for money, prizes, and glory in a two-round championship on Sunday, September 24th.
Prizes
Pro Champion: $150 cash or $200 Lilliputt Gift Card + Custom Made Championship Trophy + Name added to the Miniest Open “Yellow Jacket” + Lilli Putt, A Couple of Putt goodies & AMA sponsor goodies
Pro Second Place: $100 cash or $150 Lilliputt Gift Card + “Silver” Medal + Lilli Putt, A Couple of Putt goodies & AMA sponsor goodies
Pro Third Place: $75 cash or $100 Lilliputt Gift Card + “Bronze” Medal + Lilli Putt, A Couple of Putt goodies & AMA sponsor goodies
Pro 4th-5th Place: Lilli Putt, A Couple of Putt goodies & AMA sponsor goodies
Most Hole-in-Ones: OneShotGolf game swag pack including a hat, t-shirt, and stickers.
Amateur Champion: Mini Trophy + Lilli Putt, A Couple of Putt goodies & AMA sponsor goodies
Amateur Second Place: Amateur “Silver” Medal + Lilli Putt, A Couple of Putt goodies & AMA sponsor goodies
Amateur Third Place: Amateur “Bronze” Medal + Lilli Putt, A Couple of Putt goodies & AMA sponsor goodies
Pro Championship $25 initial qualifying attempt fee includes:
- Entry into the pro tournament
- Opportunity to earn AMA points toward national ranking
- Two rounds of 18 holes at Lilli Putt
- A chance to achieve mini golf greatness.
Amateur Championship $20 initial attempt fee includes:
- Entry into the amateur tournament
- Opportunity to give competitive mini golf a try
- Two rounds of 18 holes at Lilli Putt
- A chance to play with other people new to the game
$15 for each additional round to attempt to get a lower score for pros. $10 for amateurs.
Pro vs Amateur
Pro: Open to anyone. The top-round scores are expected to be in the high 40s to mid 50s. Pros will be playing for trophies, medals, prizes, AMA scoring points per the current rubric, and a cash purse.
Amateur: Players newer to the competitive putting game or who have not finished in the top 3 of local or regional mini golf/golf events in the last 2 years. Amateur competitors will be playing for trophies, medals, prizes, and 1 AMA scoring point each.
Qualifying Rounds
Saturday, September 16th through Saturday, September 23th at 6pm: top 25 pro players under par and top 6 amateurs will be notified after 6 pm on Saturday (9/23) night and move on to the Championship on Sunday.
Two-Round Championship
Sunday, September 24th at 9 am: the top 25 pro and top 6 amateur 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
- Players will start each hole within the yellow turfed tee-off area at the start of each hole. No other starting positions are allowed
- No intentional chip shots to jump walls.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 or playing area 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
- 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 8.5″ from the point of entry into the rock trap.
- If the ball is partially in the rock trap and partially on the turf, the ball may be moved fully onto the turf but no relief will be given.
- No relief from rock traps or turf berms
- 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.
- 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
- All holes will be played with each person completing the hole before others in their group play.
- The ball can only advance to the hole through the use of the putter head.
- 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
- All qualifying rounds must be completed between the course open on Saturday, September 16th, and 6 pm on Saturday, September 23rd to be valid and eligible for the championship on Sunday, September 24th.
- Competitors can make multiple qualifying attempts and only the lowest score will count towards being in the top 25 pro and top 6 amateur.
- Valid scorecards must be turned into the clubhouse with the date and time played immediately after finishing.
- Competitors must include a contact phone number and email where we can reach you if you make it into the champsionsihp on Sunday, Sept. 24th.
- The top 25 competitors with the lowest qualifying scores below Par (66) and top 6 amateurs will be invited to the Championship on Sunday, September 24th. If there are any ties for 25th in pros or 6th in amateur, all those with ties for the highest scores will be invited.
- A Couple of Putts (Tom) will be contacting the top pros and amateurs on Saturday, September 23th around 6 pm to confirm their availability to play for the championship on Sunday, September 24th. You must confirm you will be able to return for the championship round on Sunday, September 24th by 9 pm on 9/23/22.
- The championship rules meeting will start promptly at 8:30 am on Sunday, September 24th. All players must arrive before 8:30am to check in. We want to start play before 9am. The order of competitors will be selected in advance. Pros will start and the amateurs will follow.
- The last pro group to go out will be previous tournament winners
- The 2nd and 3rd to last pro groups to play will be determined by the previous year’s results
- The rest of the groups will be determined by a random draw the night before the event.
- 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.
- No group in the champions rounds will be less than 3 putters and no more than 4.
- Groups will play two rounds consecutively with no re-pairing after round 1
- One scorecard signed by each member of the group will be turned in after each round
- 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.
- 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
- All other ties for prizes will be determined by the better single round in the championship
- All competitors who are American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) members will receive points towards national ranking based on the current scoring rubric
- All scores will be posted at acoupleofputts.com/open within a week of the tournament
Find a recap, results, and fun documentation of the 2022 tournament at acoupleofputts.com/open2022