Interested in winning $5,000 for playing miniature golf?
That's what is up for grabs for the winner of the $20,000 Minigolf Masters, which is being played later this week at the Hawaiian Rumble and Aloha Minigolf courses in the North Myrtle Beach area.
This is the 21st annual Minigolf Masters, and Bob Detwiler of North Myrtle Beach, founder of the U.S. Prominigolf Association, increased the purse to $20,000 last year on the tournament's 20th anniversary. Thirty places will be paid.
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There will be at least 80 participants and they are coming from as far away as the Czech Republic, Germany, Sweden, Austria and numerous states.
Festivities begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday with a pro-am featuring members of the First Tee of the Grand Strand and First Putt, a miniature golf youth organization. Players can still enter the open pro division at Aloha Minigolf for $130, senior and super senior divisions for $75 and amateur division $55. The tournament concludes Saturday and a junior division being played Saturday is free to enter.
Lucky Dog Productions in Conway is filming the 2017 Minigolf Masters for a show that will air early next year in about 20 markets, Detwiler said, and he said the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the filming. Coca-Cola is also a sponsor of the event.
Detwiler has big plans for minigolf. He said he hopes to get to a Masters purse of $100,000, wants to have the show broadcast nationally as early as next year, is meeting next week with organizers of the 2021 World Games in Birmingham, Ala., to get minigolf included in that competition, and has his sights set on it becoming an Olympic sport.
This article is written by Alan Blondin from The Sun News and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].