How to Play Minigolf Correctly – Tips from the World Champion

Almost everyone has played mini golf at some point. But have you ever wondered: How do I play mini golf correctly? Because there is much more to mini golf than meets the eye. In this guide, as a six-time world champion, I will tell you everything you need to know to play mini golf properly – whether it's your first time holding a club or you want to finally take your game to the next level.

This article was published by One Putt Minigolf – your outfitter for mini golf equipment and accessories. High-quality clubs, balls, and training tools can be found in our online shop.

Table of Contents

• The Basics: Grip, Stance, and Stroke
  • The Grip
  • The Stance
  • The Stroke
• Reading the Course – the Underestimated Core Competency
• 7 Practical Tips for More Precision
• The Right Equipment – Small Difference, Big Impact
• More Than a Hobby: Mini Golf as a Sport
• Conclusion

The Basics: Grip, Stance, and Stroke

Before you think about strategy, the foundation must be solid. Three things determine whether your ball rolls straight or ends up in the bushes: grip, stance, and stroke.

The Grip

A mini golf club consists of a grip, shaft, and clubhead. The grip is located at the top of the club. This is where, as the name suggests, you hold the club firmly with both hands. If you are unable to grip the club with both hands due to physical limitations, you can also hold it with one hand or in a way that allows you to execute the shot.

Your grip is important because it provides stability when executing the shot. You loosely wrap your hands around the grip, with both thumbs pointing downwards. Depending on what feels most comfortable for you, you can also place one or even both of your index fingers so that they also point downwards, for even more stability.

Hold the club firmly without tensing up. You can imagine the grip strength like a good handshake – not too loose, not too tight, but stable. If you hold the club too loosely, you will lack control when hitting. If you grip too tightly, this can also lead to unwanted sideways movements.

The placement of your hands depends on your hitting direction. When playing, you want as much stability as possible in your wrists to execute the shot as accurately as possible. Therefore, I recommend gripping further down with the hand in the direction you are playing. So you are playing with your backhand, as one would say in tennis. This means: If you are playing from left to right, your right hand grips slightly further down than your left. If you are playing from right to left, your left hand grips slightly below your right.

The hand in the direction of your stroke should grip slightly below the other hand for more stability during the stroke.
Here: Stroke from right to left = left hand grips slightly below the right.

Fundamentally, there are no strict rules about which hand should be placed below the other, or if both hands should be at the same height. If you observe different mini-golfers, you will notice that the grip varies slightly from person to person. The only condition is that you hold the club with both hands when hitting, provided you are physically able to do so.

My recommendation, to play with the "backhand" as I have described and also use myself in World Championships (with playing direction to the left), is one of the most commonly used grip types. Feel free to try it out for yourself and adjust your grip to what feels best for you.

In our online shop – One Putt Minigolf – you can buy mini golf clubs and even custom club grips for your club – for an even more personalized playing feel.

The Stance

The stance is particularly important as it dictates your playing direction. If your backswing is from left to right, you position yourself on the right side of the teeing ground. If you swing from right to left, you position yourself on the left side of the lane.

You hold the club so that the clubhead is positioned precisely next to the ball, on the opposite side of your hitting direction. This means, if you are playing to the right, the clubhead is to the left of the ball. If you are playing to the left, the clubhead is to the right of the ball.

You position your feet in relation to the ball so that the point between the ball and the clubhead forms an isosceles triangle with your feet – do you remember what that means from geometry class? Exactly, the ball and clubhead are slightly forward-facing in the middle between your feet. Your feet should be slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Your toes should point slightly outwards, forwards.

The classic foot position in mini golf. The point between the ball and the clubhead forms an isosceles triangle with your feet.

The image above shows the classic foot position in mini golf when you want to play straight. Imagine your two toes connected by a straight line – that indicates the direction you are aiming for. This, of course, assumes that you align the clubhead straight, meaning at a right angle to this imaginary line between your toes. If you now want to play not straight ahead, but more to the left or right, you have two screws you can turn:

1. Rotate your stance in the desired direction you want to play, to the right or to the left.
2. Rotate the clubhead in the desired direction you want to play, to the right or to the left.

Generally, I would always first rotate the stance to change the playing direction. Then you can always execute a standard shot. Sometimes, however, only a very small change in direction from a straight shot is needed, for example, if I want to play slightly to the left or right. In that case, you can use the rotation of the clubhead. So, if you want to play slightly to the right, you rotate the clubhead a little in that direction, and vice versa if you want to play slightly to the left.

I advise against too much clubhead rotation for shot alignment, as the probability is very high that you will unintentionally change this club alignment during the stroke, causing the shot to go elsewhere than intended.

However, the stance is not only about foot position, but also about the entire body posture. In the image below, you see the classic stance in mini golf. The foot position is as described above. The legs are slightly bent, the upper body is slightly tilted forward, both hands grip the club, while the arms are bent. The head and eyes are aligned with the ball. This stance is optimally suited for you to swing the club freely and control the shot.

Photo: Thomas Engesser
The classic stance in mini golf.

Your distance to the ball and the angle of your arms depend on the type of your club as well as your personal preference. Basically, you should stand so that the bottom of your club is parallel to the ground and the ball is next to the center of the clubhead. In our online shop – One Putt Minigolf – you will find mini golf clubs for every player type in different lengths, angles, and designs.

Here too, you will notice that the stance varies from person to person. Even among professional players, you can see that some stances differ significantly. Nevertheless, the description you read here is a good standard, especially at the beginning. Try it out and adjust what feels best for you. It might not feel natural right away – give yourself some time – no world champion has ever fallen from the sky.

If you cannot adopt this type of stance due to a physical disability, for example because you are in a wheelchair, you can also adjust the stance individually to best suit you.

The Stroke

Once the ball is ready and you have taken your stance at the lane with the club in hand, you only need one more fundamental – the correct stroke. It is important here that you do not execute the stroke from your hips or wrists, but from your shoulder. This means: You swing the club from one side to the other from your shoulder, while the rest of your body remains still.

You can imagine it like a pendulum motion: Your arms with the club as an extension are the pendulum, swinging back and forth equally. The further you swing the club with the same swing speed, the further the ball will roll.

To find the right playing strength, you need to experiment. With time and regular repetition, you will develop a good feel for estimating and executing the correct tempo for a stroke.

Photo: Thomas Engesser
The further you swing the club with the same swing speed,
the further the ball rolls.

Of course, direction is also crucial for a successful shot. As already explained, your stance and club alignment determine the direction. During the stroke, you should not change your stance or club alignment, otherwise you might accidentally hit the ball somewhere other than where you intended.

To hit your target direction as accurately as possible, keep your head and upper body still – only your shoulders and arms move when swinging. Your arms are firm and are moved from one direction to the other only by the movement from the shoulder, to minimize changing the shot alignment during the swing. Most importantly, remember not to move your wrists during the swing. This gives you more control and accuracy in the game.