Backyard Mini Golf Tournament

The Jarnagins of Fort Collins, Colorado

Karen, David, Reagan, age 9, and Ryan, 6
Participants: 10 families; kids ages 4 to 14

This neighborhood tee party is more silly than elegant. The families on the Jarnagins' block create mini golf holes in their yards using anything on hand, including wading pools, sandboxes, and hoses. Players go house to house, and the competition is fierce, at least when it comes to inventing the most hilariously improbable holes.

One Jarnagin fairway leads players through an array of spraying sprinklers. "We call it Sprinkling Meadows," explains Karen Jarnagin. "Someone else once made a sand trap — I mean, he actually trucked in the sand for it!"

Other tournament highlights have included a hole with a giant cardboard SpongeBob and a balancing-act hole built from scaffolding.

"We all wear golf shirts, golf shoes, and visors. The whole thing fits with our street's attitude," Karen says. "I already knew everyone was funny, but the tournament really brings it out."

Planning Tips

Send a save-the-date flyer to give everyone plenty of notice. Later, go house to house to sign families up for tee times and finger foods (beverages are BYO). With 10 families playing, allow 45 minutes per hole. To keep things moving, Karen recommends that the kids play each hole after the adults.

Make each hole a par 3 or par 4. Have fun with the scoring; for instance, create a special penalty for hitting a ball into the wrong yard.

Don't forget prizes. On the Jarnagins' block, the winning adult gets a (spray-painted) Golden Putter to display until the next year. The kid with the best score gets a bucket of sidewalk chalk — to share with the neighbors, of course.