New York Times Magazine ran a lengthy piece this morning about miniature golf: its history, its current financial problems, its Dangerfieldesque status. More than you'd ever want to know, we're sure. But we did find this interesting: This year, the Putt-Putt U.S. Open winner took home only $1,000. But it wasn't always this way:
If putting for dollars would seem less ridiculous if it paid as well to do it on carpet as on grass, consider this: In the 1970's there were weeks when the putts sunk by professional golfers were actually less lucrative than those sunk by professional miniature golfers. In 1973, for instance, an 18-year-old named Mike Baldoza won the P.P.A. world championship in Tulsa, Okla., and took home $50,000. That same week a 33-year-old named Jack Nicklaus won the P.G.A. championship in Cleveland and got a check for $45,000. Baldoza's competitors split the rest of the $320,000 purse. Nicklaus's had to make do with what was left of $225,000.
Link.
