How do you play mini golf on a concrete course?

Concrete is the original minigolf system and remains one of the most important competitive systems in minigolf today. The courses are longer, wider, and physically much more imposing than miniature golf courses. But what exactly defines the concrete system?

In this article, you'll get a clear overview: from its historical background to the construction of a concrete course and what equipment you need.

 

This article was written by One Putt Minigolf.
- The minigolf outfitter for pros and beginners -

 

 

Table of Contents

• What exactly is Concrete Minigolf?
• How is a Concrete Course structured?
• How to spot a Concrete Course at a glance
• The most famous courses in portrait
• All 18 Concrete Courses at a glance
• Special features of Concrete Courses
• Why is Concrete so popular?
• What equipment do you need?
• Concrete in Competition
• Conclusion
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Further Reading

 

1. What exactly is Concrete Minigolf?

In club sports, "concrete" refers to the classic minigolf system with permanently cast concrete courses. In everyday language, many people simply call it "minigolf." Technically, however, concrete is one of several standardized course systems, alongside miniature golf, felt golf, and other variations.

The system dates back to Swiss landscape architect Paul Bongni, who developed a standardized minigolf system in the 1950s. While later systems like miniature golf use significantly shorter courses, concrete courses are longer, wider, and more integrated into the facility.

This makes concrete less compact than miniature golf, but particularly versatile. Many courses demand precise bank play, very accurate control of stroke strength, and a good understanding of how the ball travels on concrete, over hills, through obstacles, or into the large target circle.

A simple classification: Miniature golf is short, narrow, and often made of Eternit. Concrete is long, wide, and massively built.

 

2. How is a Concrete Course structured?

An official concrete course adheres to clear standard dimensions. The most important key data:

Characteristic	Standard Dimension / Requirement
Length per course	12.00 m
Width	1.25 m
Diameter of the target circle	2.50 m
Tee-off marking	Circle with 30 cm diameter
Courses per facility	18 courses
Order	always from course 1 to course 18
Material	solid concrete courses
Dimensional tolerance	+/- 2 %

The biggest difference to miniature golf: A concrete course does not consist of a selection of different courses, but always 18 fixed courses in the same order. So, Course 1 is always Course 1, and Course 18 is always Course 18.

Mirrored versions are only allowed on certain courses, for example, courses 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 16. This ensures the system remains comparable worldwide, even if individual courses can play very differently due to location, age, surface, and maintenance condition.

 

3. How to spot a Concrete Course at a glance

If you're on a course and want to know if you're playing on concrete, these features will help:

🔵 Longer courses: Concrete courses are significantly longer at 12 m than miniature golf courses. This makes them appear more stretched out and open.

🔵 Wider playing surface: At 1.25 m wide, concrete courses are wider than miniature golf courses. This makes bank play and shot direction particularly important.

🔵 Large round target circle: The target circle has a diameter of 2.50 m, making it significantly larger than in miniature golf.

🔵 Round tee-off: The tee-off is a circle with a 30 cm diameter. In miniature golf, the tee-off area is rectangular.

🔵 Solid construction: Concrete courses are firmly integrated into the facility. They appear heavier, closer to the ground, and more robust than Eternit courses.

🔵 Fixed order: A concrete course always runs from course 1 to course 18. There is no free selection from 30 course types like in miniature golf.

A simple rule of thumb: long, wide, large target circle, and round tee-off = Concrete.

 

4. The most famous courses in portrait

Even if concrete courses appear simpler at first glance than some miniature golf obstacles, they are playfully challenging. These courses are particularly well-known:

🔵 Course 1 – The Straight: It looks simple, but it's a good test of shot direction and ball control. The boundary line is already 50 cm from the center of the tee-off area. There are many different playing variations here: run-up, run-back, front bank, double bank, or rotation in the end circle. Your creativity is limitless within the rules.

🔵 Course 2 – The Stones: Several stones serve as obstacles in the target circle. If the ball comes to rest very close to a stone, there are special placement rules. For players, this course is particularly exciting because the ball is often played off the bank towards the hole in a controlled manner.

🔵 Course 6 – The Bunker: Here, the ball must correctly overcome the bunker. If the ball touches the bunker or flies outside the course boundary over the end of the bunker, the stroke counts and must be repeated. This course requires a clean flight or jump trajectory.

🔵 Course 7 – The Long Shot: One of the most spectacular concrete courses. The ball is played from the tee-off over a longer distance towards the target circle. A protective barrier, such as a net, fence, or wall, is required behind the target circle. Special putters or clubs with an angled face can even be used on this course, provided they comply with the rules.

🔵 Course 10 – The Three Hills: The ball must overcome the hills in a controlled manner and touch the course between the hills. Too much speed, too little speed, or a wrong angle can quickly lead to problems.

🔵 Course 15 – The Castle with Plateau: The ball must overcome the obstacle structure in the middle and exit the plateau through the central exit gate. If the ball comes to rest on the plateau after correctly overcoming the boundary line, it can be played from there or from the auxiliary tee-off.

🔵 Course 18 – The Final Shot: The last course has no boundary line and can only be played from the tee-off area. It is played correctly if the ball remains in the catch box after overcoming the incline or exits it to the side or back, depending on its construction. If the ball rolls back or jumps sideways out of the run-up, the stroke counts and must be repeated.

 

5. All 18 Concrete Courses at a glance

A concrete course always consists of these 18 courses in this order:

No.	Course / Character	No.	Course / Character
1	Straight course with large target circle	10	Course with three hills
2	Course with stones in the target circle	11	Curved course with wall
3	Straight course with obstacle passage	12	Sloping course with stone
4	Angle course with obstacle passage	13	Curved course with incline and stones
5	Diagonally running curved course with stones	14	Narrowed course with stones
6	Course with bunker	15	Plateau course with tunnel and auxiliary tee-off
7	Long shot course with large target circle	16	Course with obstacle passage
8	Course with cone in the target circle	17	Course with obstacle passage
9	Course with side target circle and obstacle	18	Final course with catch box

Each of these courses requires its own playing strategy. On concrete, it's not just about hitting straight. Often, the deciding factor is whether you find the right bank point, the appropriate speed, and the right ball for the respective course.

 

6. Special features of Concrete Courses

A few rules and peculiarities apply specifically to the Concrete system and are particularly important:

🔵 The courses may be entered: Unlike miniature golf, the playing area on concrete may be entered, but only for the preparation and execution of a stroke. Simply walking around on the course is not intended.

🔵 Placement markings in the target circle: Each target circle has markings at a constant distance of 20 cm from the bank. These help to place the ball correctly if it lies too close to the bank.

🔵 30 cm lines behind obstacles: On most courses, there is a placement marking 30 cm behind the obstacle. This is important if the ball comes to rest in an unfavorable position after overcoming an obstacle. We have summarized the exact rules for the obstacle line in this blog article: "What does the red line mean in minigolf?"

🔵 Special placement rules for stones and inclines: On several courses, there are special rules if the ball lies very close to a stone, a wall, or an incline. In such cases, it may be placed on a marking depending on the situation.

🔵 Fixed obstacle positions: If obstacles consist of loose stones and are not firmly connected to the course, their position must be marked. This ensures the course remains fair and comparable.

🔵 Course 7 is a special course: The long-shot course has its own specifications for protective barriers, striking positions, and the continuation of play. It therefore differs more significantly from the other concrete courses.

 

7. Why is Concrete so popular?

Concrete holds a special position in minigolf because it is the classic original system and offers a great deal of depth in terms of play.

Tradition: Concrete is one of the oldest and best-known minigolf systems. Many clubs and international competitions are closely linked to this system.

Strategy: Due to the long courses and large target circles, the correct line choice plays an enormous role. Many courses are played off the banks, which makes experience and knowledge of the course particularly important.

Ball choice: On concrete, ball choice is extremely exciting. Depending on the course, fast, slow, hard, soft, rough, or lacquered balls can be useful. Even small differences can determine whether a ball stays in the target circle or misses the hole.

Challenge: Concrete is playable for beginners but difficult for club players to master. The courses often appear simpler than they actually are.

Competitive relevance: Concrete remains an important system in national and international minigolf. Anyone who wants to pursue minigolf seriously can hardly avoid concrete.

 

8. What equipment do you need for Concrete?

For concrete, you essentially need two things: a suitable club and several appropriate balls.

The club should match your height and swing style. On concrete, a controlled, clean swing is often used. Since the courses are longer than in miniature golf, a good feel for stroke strength is particularly important. You can find a selection in our club assortment.

The balls are particularly important on concrete. Many courses are played off the banks, while others require controlled speed over hills, through obstacles, or into the target circle. Therefore, club players usually use several balls with different properties.

Important properties are:

• Bounce height: important for bank behavior, run-back, and hole behavior
• Hardness: affects how directly or softly a ball reacts during bank play
• Surface: Lacquered balls behave differently from rough or unlacquered balls
• Weight and size: affects stability, speed, and control

In our ball assortment, you can filter specifically by these properties to find suitable balls for your concrete course.

 

9. Concrete in Competition

Concrete is played competitively at all levels: from club tournaments to state and national championships, and even international tournaments. The system is particularly challenging because the courses are longer and mistakes are often harder to correct.

In competition, as with other minigolf systems, every stroke counts. If a course is not completed within the allowed number of 6 strokes, it is recorded with the maximum score of 7. The goal, of course, is to complete as many courses as possible in one stroke.

Depending on the concrete course, a good first goal for beginners is to score 36 or better. In the professional sector, results are slightly higher than on the miniature golf system. A good round is between 26 and 29 strokes. Occasionally, very good rounds with even lower scores are played. While 18-stroke rounds are regularly played on the Eternit system, it has only very rarely happened on concrete that someone played a perfect round of 18 strokes on 18 courses, and never in an official international championship.

On concrete courses, top results are very impressive because many lanes demand precision as well as length, pace, and experience. On facilities, a precise knowledge of ball paths, band points, and surface behavior is crucial.

You can find more about the general rules of the game in our article "The Most Important Minigolf Rules Explained".

 

 

Frequently Asked Questions: Concrete Minigolf

What is the difference between minigolf and concrete?
Minigolf is the umbrella term for various course systems. Concrete refers to the classic system with 12 m long, 1.25 m wide concrete lanes and 18 lanes in a fixed order.

How many lanes does a concrete course have?
An official concrete course consists of 18 lanes. Unlike miniature golf, the lanes are not selected from several possible lane types but are always arranged in the order from lane 1 to lane 18.

How long is a concrete lane?
A concrete lane is normally 12.00 m long and 1.25 m wide. The target circle has a diameter of 2.50 m.

Are you allowed to step on concrete lanes?
Yes, concrete lanes may be stepped on, but only for the preparation and execution of a shot. This clearly distinguishes concrete from miniature golf courses made of eternit, which generally may not be stepped on.

How do I recognize a concrete lane?
Typical features are the long and wide lanes, the large round target circle, the round tee-off circle, and the solid concrete construction.

Which balls do you need for concrete?
This depends heavily on the specific lane. On concrete, balls with different bounce heights, hardness, surface, and speed are often used. For beginners, a small selection is sufficient; ambitious players usually use several special balls.

Is concrete more difficult than miniature golf?
Concrete is not necessarily harder, but different. The lanes are longer, band play is more important, and ball paths are often more complex. For beginners, concrete is quite playable; however, achieving very good results is very demanding, as it is for the other systems.

 

Further Reading

• What are the different variants of minigolf?
• Are you allowed to step on the minigolf lanes?
• The most important minigolf rules explained
• Discover minigolf balls for concrete

 

This article was written by One Putt Minigolf.
- The minigolf outfitter for pros and beginners -