Puttcast: Mini Golf, Holey Moley & All Things Putting - Episodes Tagged with “Tournament”

2023: A Massive Year of Minigolf

Puttcast — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 11:00:00 -0500

We start off with a quick chat about some AMA tournament announcements and reminders about upcoming tournaments. Then Pat and Tom cover the recent Golf.com article (linked below) that they both contributed to as it was developed over the past month. From there they travel nearly around the world sharing the various courses, tournaments and minigolf experiences they had that made 2023 such a wild year of putting for them. They touched nearly every part of competitive and casual minigolf available - Putt Putt, CityGolf, World Championships, Masters, World Adventure Golf Tour, Popstroke, Puttshack, Swingers and more and more and more! It's a great way to look back not only at the year but the expanse of the minigolf landscape before we dive into whatever 2024 brings us.

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media: Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Follow A Couple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Tom's wrap up of some of his first time favorites for 2023 can be found here.

Golf.com "Best Mini Golf Courses in America" article.

Check out the American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page, which has started to fill with 2024 events. You can join their email newsletter here .

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Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

We’re On Netflix: Holey Moley A Puttcast Origin Story

Puttcast — Thu, 21 Dec 2023 10:00:00 -0500

It's a quick chat about some recent news and rumors around the 2024 putting events including Popstroke and American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) before Tom and Pat tee off on Holey Moley now being on Netflix. While they have referenced their time on the show before while covering seasons 3 and 4 on the podcast, this is the first time they fully dove into their experiences. They walk through their individual episodes and give some behind the scenes views of what it was like on set, how things were filmed and edited and ultimately what the experience of being on the show meant for them. If you ever wanted the full story of how our co-hosts first met in person, kickstarting almost 5 years of trips to tournaments, formations of leagues and the formation of this very podcast, you'll get it in this episode! It's a great fun way to wrap up 2023 and give you a reason to binge the series again.

Info on the National Putting Tour can be found on their website.

Check out the American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page, which will start to fill up with 2024 events. You can join their email newsletter here .

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

2023 AMA Player's Meeting Live Recording

Puttcast — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 12:30:00 -0500

Your co-hosts Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts, Pat of The Putting Penguin and fellow American Mini Golf Alliance organizer, Aaron Kaminski of O-Street, hosted a AMA player's meeting over Zoom. The quality of the recording turned out well and we wanted to make it available on the Puttcast to our listeners who are interested in developments in competitive mini golf in the US. We had a Q & A section and at the top of the episode, Tom explains what we included from that session. There were a lot of specific questions about the details of an upcoming tournament in January that didn't feel as relevant to a larger audience as the other some of the other broader questions about the AMA. We wanted to keep the episode to about 1.5 hours which we did!

Check out the American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page. You can join their email newsletter (talked about in the show) here and fill out the 2023 players survey here

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Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Guests: Kory Klotz (Putterz tournament organizer from Ohio), Ed Weiss (O-Street mini golf player and father of 2023 Top 10 finishers Griffin and Landon), Matt Liles (2022 Top 10 AMA finisher). Questions and/or quick feedback from Glenda Ryning, Kyle Courcy and Nathan Fournier (Maine Mini Golf Tour) were not included in the podcast but their contribution is greatly appreciated.

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Nice. An AMA Wrap Up + 2023 Popstroke Thoughts

Puttcast — Tue, 21 Nov 2023 08:00:00 -0500

Before getting into the nitty gritty of the American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) season, Tom and Pat chat about the recent PopStroke championship event. They highlight the winners (plenty of minigolf names on the leaderboard) and have a conversation about where they see the future of that competition going. From there it is a quick look at the last of the AMA events over the past month and then a deep dive into the 2023 miniature golf season. They look at the season winners, chat about some other notable names, breakdown how the tournaments and scoring turned out then give a critical eye to what they improved on in 2023 and areas that the AMA can still strive to be better.

Check out the American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page. You can join their email newsletter (talked about in the show) here and don't forget to tune into email/socials for information on the virtual season event on December 7th.

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

A Masterful Experience

Puttcast — Mon, 16 Oct 2023 16:00:00 -0400

For the third year in a row Tom and Pat take a look at their recent trip to the USPMGA Master's and how it has evolved recently. They are joined by first-time Master's participant, and highly ranked AMA member, Kyle Courcy to get his insight into playing the tournament. After a quick recap of the drama of the final few rounds leading up to Gary Hester's historic first win, they get into their own experiences and chat about some of the improvements made from last year's tournament. After the Master's talk they quickly hit some AMA news as well as look at a couple of WMF World Adventure Golf Tour results and breeze through a few other late-in-the-calendar tournaments coming up

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media, indluing several live bits from the 2023 Master's, on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Follow A Couple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023 - time is running out!

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Episode Guest: Kyle Courcy of MassMinigolf on Instagram

Steamy September Putting

Puttcast — Mon, 02 Oct 2023 07:00:00 -0400

Despite feeling under the weather, Tom joined Pat to talk about a busy September month of travel and putting for both of them, starting with a full slate of AMA events. They then look at where the AMA rankings are with just a couple IRL and virtual events left in the 2023 schedule. After that it's some quick conversation about other big events around the world include more WMF World Adventure Golf Tour tournaments, the CityGolf finals and a look at some more Popstroke action. They wrap up the episode with some quick chat about their upcoming trip to the USPMGA Masters (which you'll be able to find more about on the Puttcast Facebook and Instagram feeds while they are down there).

Key Points from the episode:
Lee Stoddard Dolphin Open
Matterhorn International Pro-Am
Branson Open
Miniest Minigolf Open
AMA Rankings
World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) World Adventure Golf Tour
CityGolf Finals
PopStroke

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Follow A Couple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023!

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Red Hot Minigolf August - Part 2

Puttcast — Wed, 06 Sep 2023 08:00:00 -0400

In part 2, our hosts are joined by fellow AMA co-founder and President of the O-Street Minigolf Association, Aaron Kaminiski. He brings his insight into playing three more AMA tournaments in August - his own O-Street Open, Farmington Miniature Golf and The Shack. After he drops, Tom and Pat swing down to Tennessee to talk about a World Putting League event and the Tennesse Open, then its back over to Sweden for some quick chat about the CityGolf tour. With all that content covered from August, they quickly turn their attention to a handful of events happening in September, with a focus on the AMA events in the first half of the month.

Key Points from the episode:
Special Guest Aaron Kaminski talks about American Mini Golf Alliance Tournaments
O-Street Open - 1:45
42nd Farmington Miniature Golf Tournament - 19:19
The Shack Mini Golf Tournament - 31:00

World Putting League at Mossy Creek - 51:51
Tennessee Open at Mossy Creek - 56:35
CityGolf Tour - 61:18
Upcoming Tournaments - 66:30

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023!

To find out more information about the World Putting League visit their website.

Mossy Creek has more about the Tennessee Open on their website.

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Red Hot Minigolf August - Part 1

Puttcast — Tue, 05 Sep 2023 09:00:00 -0400

Our hosts start off looking at two AMA events that both happened the first weekend of August with the Red Putter in Wisconsin and the Maine Open at Tabers in Maine. From there it's a trip over (again) to Uppsala, Sweden and a lengthy discussion of the 2023 Minigolf World Championships General Class given Pat's time over there in the run up to the tournament. That discussion covers a lot about the differences between international championships at the highest level and what we might be used to in the US for tournaments. Finally, the guys come back to the States to cover the PPA National Championships and the most recent big money Putting World event. That's where it was wrapped up for Part 1.

Key Points from the episode:
Host Updates - 4:45
Red Putter - 17:25
Maine Open - 23:45
2023 Minigolf World Championships in Uppsala, Sweden - 30:05
PPA Nationals - 61:05
Putting World - 65:03

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023!

You can find out more about the World Championships on the WMF website.

The Professional Putters Association (PPA) has more information on their website.

Information about Putting World and their events can be found on their website.

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

A Whole Lot of Burning (Hot) Minigolf Tournaments!

Puttcast — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 07:00:00 -0400

Our hosts kick off the episode looking at the recent World Putting League events and the heat thrown by Joey Greybeal in that series currently. From there they chatted about the AMA event in June, the M.C. Mini Masters and then Tom got to go through his personal "Southern Swing" of tournaments in July covering the AMA event Putter's League Championship, and NPT event and a Putt-Putt event (a first for our hosts). They chat about two of other major putting series happening the world around PopStroke and CityGolf before wrapping it up with a series of weekly tournaments at Frankies which have flown under their radar despite some good money at them.

Then it's time to turn their attention to the series events coming up including the next stop of the WMF World Aventure Golf Tour, the WMF World Championships, another WPL event and the Tennessee Open at Mossy Creek. Not to be forgotten is the non-stop AMA action with the Red Putter, Tabers, O-Street, Farmington and the Shack all having tournaments before the end of August.

Key Points from the episode:
World Putting League (June & July events) - 2:55
M.C. Mini Masters - 11:15
Putter's League Championship - 16:35
NPT (National Putting Tour) in Cummings, GA - 24:05
Putt-Putt High Point Southern Putting Tour - 27:51
PopStroke Katy* - 37:37
CityGolf Recent results - 42:44
Frankie's Charlotte $1000 Tournaments - 45:50
Upcoming Events in July & August - 50:19

*We mentioned that Greg Newport won the high roller event in Katy but he only won the high roller qualifier that qualifies him and gives him entry in the high roller event at the championship in Arizona in October.

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023!

You can find out more about the World Championships on the WMF website. The WMF WAG Tour also has it's own website to follow along with the action.

To find out more information about the World Putting League visit their website.

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Let's Go Crazy - Seve Kukielka + Crazy Amount of Mini Golf Tournaments

Puttcast — Tue, 30 May 2023 08:00:00 -0400

Our hosts get the episode rolling talking about the recent AMA tournament, the Looniest Open, which was organized by Tom's Couple of Putts and saw Pat with the pro division with the other half of A Couple of Putts Robin Schwartzman winning the amateur division. They linger on Minnesota minigolf for a bit before covering the World Adventure Golf Masters and the Finnish Adventure Golf Masters, which is the first stop on the WMF World Adventure Golf Tour.

The interupt their rundown of mini golf tournaments to have a chat with Seve Kukielka about the upcoming World Crazy Golf Championship in the UK in June. Then it's back to the states to talk Swedish dominance (again) at Popstroke, another year of the Odetah Mini Golf Classic and a quick plug for a chairty event Pat is involved with along with a reminder about the M.C. Mini Masters.

Key Points from the episode:
The 1st Looniest Mini Golf Open at Loon's Nest in Shoreview, MN (8:00)
Interview with Seve Kukielka (26:55)
World Adventure Golf Masters in Gumpoldskirchen, Austria (1:12:10)
Finnish Adventure Golf Masters in Bellanpuisto, Finland (1:15:46)
Popstroke Sarasota (1:18:10)
Odetah Mini Golf Classic at Knolls'n'Holes in Bozrah, CT (1:28:07)
Kensington-Berlin Rotary Club charity event at Safari Golf in Berlin, CT (1:31:08)
M.C. Mini Masters with the courses to be determined (1:33:24)

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023!

You can find out more about the World Adventure Golf Masters (WAGM) on the tournament website or the WMF website. The WMF WAG Tour also has it's own website to follow along with the action.

You can find out more about the Odetah Mini Golf Classic and plenty other competitive and charity minigolfs events at The Squeaky Bagel.

Not to be forgotten, check out Pingvin for plenty of miniature golf needs over at their website.

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Guest: Seve Kukielka - you can find out more about Seve in his 54 Problems episode.

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Hot Minigolf Spring - Tournaments from Around the US and a Report from Sweden

Puttcast — Mon, 08 May 2023 14:00:00 -0400

This episode is jam-packed with tournament talk from the jump! They kick it off with some 4/20 putting and digging into the 2nd World Putting League event which they teased on the previous episode. They stayed in Myrtle Beach to talk about the U.S. Open but then slid over to Texas to discuss the newest AMA event, the Texas Minigolf Championship. Pat then listened on with a little bit of minigolf jealousy as Tom talked about his recent trip to Sweden which concluded with him playing the first event of the 2023 CityGolf tour. Back in the States the guys previewed the upcoming Looniest Open, which they would both be playing in, and the next Popstroke event which they won't be in. It was a final look at a big money Putting World event before closing out the episode with some other odds and ends. Lots of variety in location and courses this time around!

Key Points from the episode:
World Putting League Event 2 on April 20th at Hawiian Rumble in Myrtle Beach, SC (3:57)
USPMGA US Open at Pineapple course of Aloha Mini Golf in Myrtle Beach, SC (10:51)
AMA/SWPT Texas Minigolf Championship at Longview Greens in Montgomery, TX (16:40)
Sweden mini golf adventures with Mr. Tee and CityGolf Tour #1 on April 22 & 23 (18:50)
Looniest Open hosted by A Couple of Putts AMA tournament in Minnesota on May 13 (31:35)
Popstroke 2023 Tour Series Event #3 in Sarasota, Florida May 7 & 8 $40,000 purse event (35:40)
Putting World Recap from April 28 & 29 $30,000 purse event in Arizona (39:20)

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023!

You can find information around the Southwest Putting Tour on their website.

You can find information on the World Putting League on their website as well as live scoring.

More information on the CityGolf Tour is on their website and there are some English sections.

Not to be forgotten, check out Pingvin for plenty of miniature golf needs over at their website.

Finally, if you want to support Team USA for the World Adventure Golf Masters in 2023, drop us a line at amaminigolf@gmail.com

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

So You Want to Organize a Mini Golf Tournament? Tips, tricks and more

Puttcast — Tue, 11 Apr 2023 08:00:00 -0400

Before talking about organizing, the guys recap many moving parts in the competitive putting world. They chatted briefly about the new WMF World Adventure Golf Tour, which you can find more about in their recent live broadcast. Sticking with some worldwide putting, they looked at the make-up of Team USA and threw down a fundraising challenge to the USPMGA. Later in the episode they'd talk about what they know, or don't know, about the upcoming World Putting League event on April 20th but before that it was some AMA talk with changing dates of one tournament and adding the Texas Minigolf Championship at Longview Greens to the slate for April.

With all the formalities out of the way, Tom & Pat opened up the floor to discuss many of the factors to consider when you're developing a miniature golf tournament. From picking the right course and format, to considerations around cost to play and prizes to pay out, to rules, registration and score keeping, they hit eveything they can think of that they have worked through over years of tournament organization.

Key Points from the episode:
WMF World Adventure Golf Tour (3:00)
Team USA (5:00)
AMA Tournament Updates in Georgia and Texas (9:37)
World Putting League / US Open (14:22)
Tournament Organization (19:45)

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

You can check out our live conversation with Andrew Edmonds around the WMF World Adventure Golf Tour over on Facebook.

Follow A Couple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page for the 2023 schedule including the newly added Texas Minigolf Championships. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023!

You can find information around the Southwest Putting Tour on their website.

Finally, if you want to support Team USA for the World Adventure Golf Masters in 2023, drop us a line at amaminigolf@gmail.com

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Interview with Brock Gillespie + World Putting League + AMA + More - Mini Golf Into March!

Puttcast — Mon, 13 Mar 2023 07:00:00 -0400

Tom & Pat dive into some recent events to kick off the episode, looking at the World Putting League, the O-Street Winter Classic (an American Mini Golf Alliance event) and the Hastings Open. Then they are joined by Brock Gillespie to talk about the Major Series of Putting, the National Putting Tour and Putting World events. The discussion also covers PopStroke as well as the World Putting League, and touches on the entire ecosystem of major putting events and the future of that style of miniature golf tournaments. The discussion ends with some questions on where we might see Brock in a competitive miniature golf tournament in the future.

Key Points from the episode:
World Putting League (2:39)
O-Street Winter Classic (6:57)
Hastings Open (8:51)
Brock Gillespie (12:18)
Putter League Championship Update (50:30)

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page for the 2023 schedule. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023!

Podcast Sponsors
Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Episode Guest
Brock Gillespie with National Putting Tour and you can also check out Putting World and Putting Channel. The number he provided for Tyler from Putting World for the end of March event is: 480-398-0804.

February Tournaments and The Letter

Puttcast — Fri, 24 Feb 2023 07:30:00 -0500

Our hosts kick start the episode by recapping the the AMA's Coziest Open and admiring the fortunate scheduling that had the winner, Matt Roalstad, on our previous episode. They then spend some time talking about the most recent Popstroke event and where that schedule of events is heading before celebrating some putting from Down Under and friends of the pod achievements in the Oceania Minigolf Open. It's a quick look ahead after that as they try to dive as deep as they can into the planned World Putting League event at the end of February. The episode wraps up with Pat reading a letter he received from the USPMGA and the guys giving their opinions about that, the impact to members and the overall state of the organization.

Key Points from the episode:
Coziest Open (2:25)
Popstroke Fort Myers (9:57)
Oceania Minigolf Open (23:05)
World Putting League (24:52)
USPMGA Letter (30:50)

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page for the 2023 schedule. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023!

Podcast Sponsors

Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Teeing off with the 2023 AMA Schedule!

Puttcast — Tue, 14 Feb 2023 08:30:00 -0500

Our hosts kick start the episode by recapping the two virtual AMA events held in January that got the season underway. They look at who conquered the virtual battlefields to earn some AMA bonus points and who put in some exciting and fun efforts. Then it was onto discussing the 16 planned AMA events for 2023 which run from February to October. They break down the tier system and how that is developed and talk how the schedule works for AMA members to maximize their points. Then it's onto a chat with Matt Roalstad to break down the course at Golf Zone in Minnesota which features in the Coziest Mini Golf Open - the AMA's first in person event of the year. His familiarity, from living in the area and winning on that course before, helps sets the table for this event (which is ongoing if you are listening to this straightaway).

Key Points from the episode:
Virtual event recap (2:38)
Popstroke discussion (11:00)
AMA Season (16:20)
Matt Roalstad Interview about the Coziest Mini Golf Open & Walkabout (39:00)

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Follow A Coulple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page for the 2023 schedule. Don't forget to become a member or renew for 2023!

Podcast Sponsors

Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Episode Guest: Matt Roalstad

Olivia Prokopová Interview to Kick Off 2023!

Puttcast — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 08:30:00 -0500

Episode Warning: Going into this interview, we were not aware that there would be discussion of abuse and mistreatment. We are honored that Olivia was willing to share such a sensitive topic with us but understand that this may be triggering for some listeners. We do provide a warning within the episode as well prior to the discussion.

Our hosts kick off the episode chatting about the ongoing (at the time) virtual AMA tournaments on the Putt18 mat and in Walkabout Mini Golf then pivot a bit to the PopStroke tournament season kicking of in Orlando and AMA members winning a team event. Then it is onto our discussion with Olivia Prokopová, one of the greats of the US putting world. The last time they had chatted with her was right after her winning the USPMGA Master's for the 4th time, tying her for the most Master's tournaments won. When you combine that with 5 US Opens and no one has a better winning percentage in the 25+ years of USPMGA major tournaments. We talk about a variety of topics with her, from her favorite courses to play, how she approaches minigolf when "off the clock", things she'd like to see for professional miniature golf in the future and some of her remaining goals for tournaments. We also end up with some serious talk about a period in her career that presented some challenges and having to overcome them.

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page where our line up of tournaments for 2023 has been growing.

Podcast Sponsors

Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Putt 18 - internationally played putting mat game with virtual leagues

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Episode Guest: Olivia Prokopová

Jeremy Inabinet (Team USA) Interview + Last Pod of 2022!

Puttcast — Sat, 31 Dec 2022 13:30:00 -0500

To wrap up 2022 our hosts wanted to chat with someone having a career year on the mini-links. It just so happened that friend of the pod Jeremy Inabinet was one such person having played in many big tournaments (U.S. Open, Masters, Popstroke) and representing Team USA for the first time in Finland at the World Adventure Golf Masters (WAGM). They chat about how he got introduced to the sport, who helped him along the way and some great stories from his years playing. They also deep dive into the Team USA experience, his career finish at the Masters and the allure of the PopStroke events.

Mr. Tee shared that he'll be doing some year end recaps of competitive tournaments he played in and providing a list of favorites of the 60+ courses he playesd for the first time over the past year over at acoupleofputts.com

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page where the virtual tournaments are listed.

WAGM 2022 results

Podcast Sponsors

Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Putt 18 - internationally played putting mat game with virtual leagues

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Episode Guest: Jeremy Inabinet

AMA 2023 Kickoff w/ Putt18 & Walkabout Tournaments

Puttcast — Mon, 26 Dec 2022 09:00:00 -0500

With 2023 only a few days away, our hosts give a first peek into what the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) season is going to look like after a quick rundown of some recent tournaments and their big Team USA win in the Putt18 Nations Cup. They chat briefly about the updated scoring system and the additional new tournament tiers including virtual tournaments.

Then it's time to dive into the first two of those virtual tournaments happening in January 2023 as Pat breaksdown the Putt18 tournament and Tom walks through the Walkabout Minigolf tournament. As a bonus, Tom talks some about an upcoming tournament at Can Can Wonderland that Couple of Putts is helping with and for which he has high hopes for his ringer of a team!

Check out the American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) over on their website including the event page where the virtual tournaments are listed.

Example Putt18 round from The Putting Penguin

Details for the Can Can Cup at Can Can Wonderland at https://acoupleofputts.com/cancancup

Podcast Sponsors

Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Putt 18 - internationally played putting mat game with virtual leagues

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

2022 USPMGA Master's Recap

Puttcast — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 08:00:00 -0400

For the second year in a row, our hosts had the chance to participate in the USPMGA Master's held in Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach, SC. The tournament was October 6-8, 2022. They talk about their experiences playing the 3 courses (Island course at Aloha South, Pineapple course at Aloha North and Hawaiian Rumble), how they played overall and the overall standings (including how they fared after 12 rounds). They also spent a good amount of time looking at the positives to come out of the tournament this year (relationships, course condition, etc) as well as some constructive critizism on where they think the tournament can elevate it's game (more information needed, rules clarity, etc).

You can find (and comment on) the final results of the 2022 USPMGA here. You can also find the Minigolfnews article reapping the tournament here.

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

You can also check out the complete video of the final two rounds, with Tom commentary, over on our YouTube page. The Putting Penguin page also has a full playlist of what was live streamed during the tournament this year.

Follow A Coulple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Podcast Sponsors

Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Bir-Tee - pencil and card lanyard holder

OneShot Golf - control a robotic putter from your phone with free daily plays

Putt 18 - internationally played putting mat game with virtual leagues

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

2022 AMA Season Recap - An AMAzing year!

Puttcast — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 13:30:00 -0400

After 9 tournaments over nearly 9 months of competitive putting, the first American Minigolf Alliance (AMA) season comes to an end and Tom and Pat celebrate the success of the season. Before that, though, they recap the slate of 4 September AMA tournaments that ranged from Maine to Connecticut to Missouri to Minnesota. Those tournaments created some great drama and the season winner came down to the final two - Matterhorn International Pro-Am and the Miniest Mini Golf Open.

It all culminated in Mick Cullen taking the top prize after a 1st at the Miniest Mini Golf Open and a 2nd at the M.C. Mini Masters. He was able to squeak ahead of Justin Seymour and Matt Liles who put on some great putting clinics in the Northeast this year and share 2nd place to round out the podium. Pat & Tom cover the whole top 15 as well as looking at some stats over membership and participant levels, as well as looking at their own performances within the AMA.

Check out the AMA rankings page for a full review of the Top 10 and the complete standings. Swing on over the to the events page to dive into the results of individual tournaments.

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Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Pt. 2 US Mini Golf Masters Preview with the 54 Problems Podcast, Simon & Andrew

Puttcast — Tue, 04 Oct 2022 07:00:00 -0400

In the long tradtion of TV sitcoms, Tom and Pat finally have a crossover episode with another minigolf focus podcast! They got together with Andrew and Simon from the 54 Problems podcast (a must listen if you are interested in international minigolf) and had a long discussion around the USPMGA Masters covering a variety a topics from what Myrtle Beach is really like, the courses and format of the tournament, who's some projected top players are, their own personal expectations and how this tournament relates to the selection of the US national team for the World Adventure Golf Masters (WAGM).

This is part 2 of the overall discussion. Part 1 can be found over at the 54 Problems feed.

Podcast Sponsors

Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Bir-Tee - pencil and card lanyard holder

OneShot Golf - control a robotic putter from your phone with free daily plays

Putt 18 - internationally played putting mat game with virtual leagues

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Episode Guests Andrew Edmonds and Simon Brown of 54 Problems.

Sizzling September | Preview Final Four 2022 AMA Tournaments

Puttcast — Wed, 07 Sep 2022 12:30:00 -0400

Tom and Pat kick off the episode with some great news - Holey Moley Season 5 (7:00) is now casting and it looks like they will be filming internationally! That's great news for our future podcasting prostpects and exciting news for TV in general. There was also a quick discussion about a new PopStroke tournament in October (5:30) and the results of a tournament at the Shack in Pennsylvania (4:05). A majority of the discussion this episode was focused on the upcoming AMA tournaments:

Lee Stoddard Dolphin Open: Sept. 10-11 (14:50)
Matterhorn Internation Pro-Am: Sept. 17 (19:59)
Branson Open: Sept. 17 (26:18)
Miniest Mini Golf Open: Qualifying Sept. 17-24. Championship September 25. (29:00)

They deep dive with histories, course facts, run downs of expected play, personal experiences and possible winners. Everything you need to know before jumping into playing, watching or just following along.

Check out the slate of American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) tournaments and a few recaps over on the AMA event page and don't forget to sign-up to be a member (free in 2022!). The 2022 AMA rankings have also been updated for all of the tournaments through August. You can find them on the AMA ranking page.

You can find information on the Holey Moley casting at the MysticArt page.

Podcast Sponsors

Walkabout Mini Golf - the biggest and best virtual reality miniature golf game

Bir-Tee - pencil and card lanyard holder

OneShot Golf - control a robotic putter from your phone with free daily plays

Putt 18 - internationally played putting mat game with virtual leagues

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Month of Mini Golf Competition | August 2022 Tournament Recaps

Puttcast — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 10:00:00 -0400

Tom and Pat deep dive into the results of four popular US tournaments that happened in August: The Red Putter, Maine Open, O-Street $1,000 and Farmington Miniature Golf. Between them, they putted in 3 of the 4 (Maine being the only exception) and talked about not only thier personal accomplishments but the success of the tournaments as a whole. They gushed over the variety of styles seen in the courses and the tournament formats. Tom even begrudingly gave Pat his due on winning Farmington. After a quick check of what this all meant for the American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) rankings after 5 tournaments, they turned their eyes to a quick list of upcoming events. Keep your ears open during the episode as well for mention of some famous cross over competitors who attended the Farmington tournament.

Check out the slate of American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) tournaments and a few recaps over on the AMA event page and don't forget to sign-up to be a member (free in 2022!). The 2022 AMA rankings have also been updated for all of the tournaments mentioned in this episode. You can find them on the AMA ranking page.

Podcast Sponsors

Bir-Tee - pencil and card lanyard holder

OneShot Golf - control a robotic putter from your phone with free daily plays

Putt 18 - internationally played putting mat game with virtual leagues

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Turning Up the Heat | Mini Golf Tournament Talk Summer 2022

Puttcast — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 09:00:00 -0400

It is time to dive into a big chunk of the competitive mini golf around the country (and the world) that has been going on since the Spring. Tom and Pat first look at the two AMA events coming up in early August with the Maine Open in Auburn, ME and the O-Street $1,000 Tournament in Ocean City, ME, diving into the events, the courses and some of what to expect from these tournament. Next up it is recap time as they go through a bunch of putting tournaments that have happened in the last couple of months both in the US and internationally, with a lot of AMA participation in all of them! They wrap up the pod highlight a few other upcoming tournaments across the country setting the stage for a hot month of August on the mini-links.

Check out the slate of American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA) tournaments over on the AMA event page and don't forget to sign-up to be a member (free in 2022!).

As mentioned in the podcast, you can find a huge slate of competitive miniature golf dates listed at the Squeaky Bagel.

Friend of the Pod Frank Bisesi's WAGM walkthrough video can be found over on YouTube.

The live stream of the last day of WAGM can also be found on YouTube.

Please do check out our fellow UK miniature golf fanatics and their 54 Problems podcast as well for additional mini golf nerdiness.

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Tournament Season, Summit Announcement and Holey Moley Season 4 Preview

Puttcast — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 09:00:00 -0400

There's been lots of tournament announcements lately as the US comes out of winter and courses look forward to their season schedules. Tom & Pat discuss 4 of them on the AMA schedule: the 25th M.C. Mini Masters (June - Illinois/Wisconsin), the 4th O-Street $1,000 tournament (August - New Jersey), the 6th Matterhorn International Pro-Am (September - Connecticut) and the 3rd Miniest Open (September - Minnesota).

They also discussed the unfortunate postponment of the International Mini Golf Summit in Dripping Springs, TX. They briefly talk about what happened and look forward to the future as well as share a few more thoughts on the fun of the Challenge course.

Finally, Holey Moley season 4 kicks off in less than a month and our hosts speculate on what we might see for holes, format and what the partnership with America's favorite frog and the rest of the Muppets might mean for the show.

You can find the AMA online at their website, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Follow A Coulple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

International Mini Golf Summit in Texas Talk!

Puttcast — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 10:00:00 -0400

With us about a month out from the International Mini Golf Summit (April 20-23) to be held outside of Austin at Dreamland in Dripping Springs, TX, we thought it was a good idea to dive into a few things around the event and tournament as registration is now open. Your episode hosts Pat, Tom & Aaron are all founders of the American Mini Golf Alliance which is organizing the tournament along with the folks at Dreamland. They talk about the challenge of the Challenge course, where the Dream course sits in tournament play, how they think players may change their strategies during the tournament, what other amenities are around when you aren't playing minigolf and all sorts of other points around what to expect when playing in this new tournament.

International Mini Golf Summit registation. Live list of registrants (and you may recognize a few Holey Moley names).

You can find the AMA online at their website, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Follow A Coulple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Guest: Aaron of O-Street Mini Golf

Hey - it's the AMA! - Introducing the American Mini Golf Alliance

Puttcast — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 08:30:00 -0500

It's been a hot minute since our hosts got together and they are back for a flash episode. The big focus of this mini episode is the introduction of the newest minigolf organization - the American Mini Golf Alliance (AMA). They walk you through what it is about and how you can get involved. They also spend a few minutes talking some high-level information about the biggest AMA tournament of the year - the International Mini Golf Summit.

You can find the AMA online at their website, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook

Follow A Coulple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

2021's Greatest Putts: A Year in Review

Puttcast — Thu, 23 Dec 2021 15:00:00 -0500

Would we even be a real podcast if we didn't have a show at the end of the year recapping 2021? Sure, maybe - but we wouldn't feel real.

Tom and Pat kick off the show looking back at how each month of 2021 brought new minigolf experiences and what some of the key milestones were in the minigolf world. Then they share what their favorite new (to them) courses were in 2021 and some personal tournament highlights. Of course there was some Holey Moley talk and don't forget to listen all the way through so you know what to be exicted for in 2022!

Happy New Year!

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Follow A Coulple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Mini Golf Tourney Time, Baby! 2021 Fall Preview & Summer Tournament Recaps

Puttcast — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 17:00:00 -0400

After recaps of the recent Farmington Miniature Golf Tournament and 24th annual M.C. Mini Masters, Tom & Pat dig into a ton of upcoming mini golf tournaments across the world. See the show notes below for tournament dates and league courses. The competitive miniature golf discussion includes the Putt-Putt National Championship, Masters of Mini Golf, regional tournaments, local leagues, and the tournaments your hosts will be organizing in Minnesota, Connecticut and beyond.

Find visuals and context for our conversations on social media on Instagram | Twitter | Facebook
Follow A Coulple of Putts at @coupleputts on Instagram, Twitter & Facebook and The Putting Penguin on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook as well.

Episode Hosts: Tom (aka Mr. Tee) of A Couple of Putts I Pat of The Putting Penguin

Tournaments:

Sept. 4 - Maryland Championship - Island Green Family Fun Center - Westminster, MA
Sept 11 & 12 - Lee Stoddard Open - Dolphin Mini Golf - Boothbay, ME
Sept. 11 & 12 - Putt-Putt Regional Tournaments in Newark, Ohio & Tyler, Texas
Sept. 10 - 12 - BMGA World Crazy Golf Championships - Hastings Adventure Golf (Crazy Course) - Hastings, UK
Sept. 18 - Biggy September Charity event - Jen's Links - Barnegat Light (LBI) NJ
Sept. 18 - Matterhorn International Pro-Am 2021- Matterhorn Mini Golf - CT
Sept. 20-24 - Putt-Putt National Championship - Putt-Putt Fun Center - Richmond, VA
Sept. 21 - 26 - A Couple of Putts Presents The Miniest Mini Golf Open - Lilli Putt - Coon Rapids, MN
Sept. 25 & 26 - BMGA British Open - Hastings Adventure Golf (Pirate Course) - Hastings, UK
Oct. 7-9 - Masters of Mini Golf - Hawaiian Village, Hawaiian Rumble, & Aloha Mini Golf - Myrtle Beach, SC
Oct. 15 - 17 - BMGA British Championships & Matchplay Singles - Strokes Adventure Golf, Margate, UK
Sept. 11 & 12 - Putt-Putt Regional Tournaments in Gastonia, NC & Lake Charles, LA
Oct. 23 - Clifton Heights Putt-Putt Tourney - Putt-Putt Fun Center - Clifton Heights, PA

Leagues: O-Street, Libertee Grounds, Puttcraft, Putt-Putt Burlington, Putt 18 World Pro League, Matterhorn, Big Mini Putt Club, Tabers Mini Golf