On Wednesday evening I watched a short documentary produced by Grantland, a popular online sports blog, about mini-golf. Or, rather, Putt-Putt.
Running just shy of seven minutes, Putt-Putt Perfection tells the story of a perfect round - 18 holes, 18 holes-in-one - by Rick Baird, an IT manager from Charlotte, North Carolina.
The film collects interviews with colleagues and friends - people that have been mini-golfing with Baird for years and individually for decades - and interweaves them with beautiful animations that evoke 1950s illustration
and design.
It is a gorgeously shot, paced and animated film with a strong narrative that carries this admittedly absurd idea from start to finish, never once judging the men who lay their passion bare.
Maybe the reason I like this film so much, and wanted to share it with you fine readers of Page 2, is because I too love mini-golf.
I don't know when I first started getting into mini-golf, but I do know that it's something that's never left, even though I haven't played in years.
From summers as a kid in Nanaimo playing at the fantasy-themed course in Parksville, to playing in West Edmonton Mall, to last summer on my first family trip with my daughter, visiting my parents and driving past a mini-golf place thinking, "We should stop and play a round."
It's something I bring up with friends every once in a while: "Why doesn't Prince George have a mini-golf place? I guess the season is fairly short for it, but wouldn't it be awesome if they had an indoor facility?"
And, until recently, they've just been able to nod and agree or roll their eyes at me.
But now, as my lovely wife pointed out to me, we actually have mini-golf in Prince George. Indoors mini-golf. Cosmic mini-golf!
So if you haven't played in awhile, or you are a neophyte putter, get together a group of friends and family and go play a round. It is probably the single most unadulterated pleasure in this world.
Also, check out Putt-Putt Perfection at youtu.be/tYYvXUMVeQo.
I've got a date to go play some Putt-Putt and I'm sure it's going to be perfect.
(p.s. I've just been informed by a co-worker that the Drive-In also has a mini-golf course. When did this happen? Indoors at The Strike Zone and a gorgeous looking course at the Drive-In... I'm in mini-golf Nirvana.)
