9 Hole Miniature Crazy Golf

On a cold, wet day, what could be more enjoyable than playing a round of golf in the comfort of your own home? Invite friends and family, create happy memories, and reminisce about those holidays in Las Islas Canarias.

This miniature 9 hole crazy golf is sure to bring a smile to everyone's faces. Suitable for complete golf novices, it is suitable for ages 5 to 105. It has been designed so that skill and luck are required in equal measure.

Simply use the miniature golf clubs provided to putt the ball into each of the nine holes. Then use the magnets hidden on the end of the clubs to retrieve your ball and continue the game. Who will be first to get a hole in one? What about a birdie? And who will be unlucky enough to get that frustrating bogey?

However you play, watch out for the dangerous rocks by the fiery erupting volcano, the sinister darkness of the underground cave, or the swirling waters of the fast-flowing river. You will also encounter some joyous moments, such as the playful dolphins and the friendly camels! Some holes have additional challenge in the form of moving obstacles (no batteries required), such as the blades of the whirling windmill, and the tossing and turning of the tourist ocean boat!

Only one thing in this game is certain; this course of crazy golf requires plenty of alternative thinking and a great sense of adventure! Let the fun begin!

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3D printer, black and white filament, laser cutter and engraver, 3mm and 5mm laser ply, green and blue stick-on felt, lino fabric, lino and lino cutter, metal ball bearings, pillar drill, Epoxy resin Gorilla Glue (or equivalent), small shells and rocks, sand, PVA glue, black permanent pen, acrylic paints, band saw, sewing machine, white thread, miniature bell, small metal files, wood stain, plaster bandage, electric sander, clear resin, blue resin dye, plastic gears with axles, micro Neodymium magnets, 1cm diameter wooden dowel, wire mesh, clay tiles and grout, tile sealant, wood glue, Adobe Illustrator, black, red and while PLA, 0.5cm diameter wooden dowel, 2 small jewellery eyelets, miniature jewellery metal chain, 1.5cm dimeter wooden beads.

These are the gears I used (1 large, 2 medium, 1 small): Reely Plastic Gear Set

I love crazy golf; there is no doubt about it. Unfortunately, not having the garden space to build a full-size game, I created a micro-scale one for indoor use instead.

Thinking about the theme for the game to be set, who could not be inspired by the beautiful island of Lanzarote? Picture the dramatic lava-scapes, serene ocean views, and friendly camels! Attached are some first-hand Lanzarote holiday snaps that influenced my design.

I started by drawing upon my holiday experiences, and some research on famous landmarks.

Then I plotted a provisional map of the course and created obstacles, clubs, score cards, textiles and holes.

View the file attached "Inspiration and Design Process.pdf" to get a more in-depth view of the design process.

I made obstacles before the map so that the obstacles fit on the map perfectly. This enabled me to increase the complexity of the obstacle designs. If making this project, I would suggest experimenting with different materials and techniques depending on the materials and equipment you have available. Here is a recount of what I did:

- DOLPHINS (hole 1)

1) 3D print with a 40% infill, tree supports, and 3mm brim support, 6 dolphins from the attached "1x Dolphin.stl" file.

2) File down until completely smooth, then paint pale blue. Tip: if you get any broken flippers, use a pyrography pen to melt them back together!

3) After applying the necessary number of coats, use gloss varnish to create a watery effect, to finish them.

- FORTRESS (hole 2)

1) 3D print the fort mechanism attached, "Fort Mechanism.stl", with 40% infill, and a 3mm brim. I didn't use supports save time and PLA, however you may chose to; it will mean less "cleaning up" of the build afterwards (filing it down).

Constructing the mechanism should be simple; thread the 3D printed striker with a spacer either side, onto a metal rod that will be inserted between the holes on either side of the mechanism.

2) Laser cut into 3mm laser ply the rings that will wrap around the mechanism, "Fort Circles.ai" The rings will stack to form an open-topped frustum (into which the 3D printed mechanism is inserted).

3) Glue everything together (make sure to clamp firmly, although be careful not to press too hard on the 3D printing). You may not want to use all of the laser cut circles- it depends on how tall you want the completed model to be.

4) Carefully cut entrance and exit archways (each approx. 2cm across, 2.5cm high) at opposite ends of the frustum.

5) You should have laser cut a base circle on which you should build up the walls- glue this on the bottom now.

You will also need to cut and glue in 2 thin pieces of wood that line the sides of the tunnel between these two openings, to guide the ball from one to the other without it getting caught in the base of the 3D printed mechanism. Think of these as like the walls of the corridor between the entrance and exit.

6) Once this is set, wrap the outside with plaster bandage, smoothing out any creases as well as possible. Once again, allow to dry for a minimum of 24hrs, or until firm and completely dry. Don't make this layer too thick, as a layer of tiles will pad it out even more- and you don't want to make your model too big to fit on the course!

7) Apply the tiles with PVA, in a brick-like arrangement. Remember to see attached photos of how I did it.

8) Once set, apply grout to seal the tiles in place. Before it gets too hard, you will want to wipe away any grout covering the tiles, so that it only fills the gaps in between them. You can also polish the tiles with a damp cloth.

I coated the tiles in a mat varnish just to finish them off, but this is optional.

9) Cut out a roof for the fort using a scroll saw. You will need to make it to fit, so that it is tight enough to stay wedged in place (although you should glue it in just to make sure). Cut slots for the bell striking mechanism to fit through. The bells striker should swing freely.

10) Push in your roof with wood glue around the edges, and paint with black acrylic paint.

11) With the main obstacle now complete, the last step is to make a small 3cm long, 0.5 cm high, and 1.5cm across, ramp that leads from the ground into the entrance of the fort. This is to help players hit the ball inside, as the entrance is slightly elevated above the ground by the laser cut base.

12) Suspend a bell (using embroidery thread or similar) from the hole in the top of the 3D printed fort mechanism.

- VOLCANO (hole 3)

1) 3D print (40% infill, 3mm rim, no other supports), "Volcano Outer.stl" (black PLA), "Volcano Inner.stl"(black PLA), and "Arrow.stl" (while PLA for contrast).

2) Test the printed inverse auger mechanism to check it works for your size ball. I had to use a small amount of black felt and clear Sellotape to pad out areas of my mechanism, and file down other parts.

There will be only one direction in which you can turn the mechanism and the ball will travel from the bottom upwards, so stick the white arrow on top to point in the direction of turning. I used Gorilla Glue for this.

3) Cut out an approximately circular wooden base with a slot into which the mechanism fits perfectly.

Then, staple on wire mesh around its circumference and build this into a cone shape, the basis of your volcano.

4) Cover this is plaster bandage, using a thick layer to build up strength, but also to allow you to customise your model with plenty of texture. Building out the slopes was easiest done waiting for the plaster to dry slightly before adding another layer, and continuing to do this until a wide, spiralling ledge was formed for the ball to roll down- and remember to test it out so that the ball doesn't roll off part way down! Make sure to leave a sufficiently wide opening at the entrance to the volcano for the ball to be hit in.

Allow this to dry for a few days, as little dry air will be able to circulate inside the model, meaning it may stay damp inside for longer.

5) Coat the entire exterior in PVA glue, except the slide (to prevent an increase in friction which would result in the ball not sliding smoothly). Then sand; I used authentic volcanic sand collected from my trip, but other colour sand would work fine. It could even be painted black or brown to create a more volcanic effect. I used 2 layers of sand, and sealed it with a final layer of PVA.

6) Paint the slide mat black with acrylic paint.

7) Dribble red, yellow and orange paint (and glitter, too!) down from the top of the volcano, to represent erupting lava.

- CAMELS (hole 4)

1) 3D print a total of 3 camels, choosing between the open-mouthed or closed-mouthed designs (I chose two closed-mouthed, one open-mouthed). File names: "Open Mouth Camel.stl" and "Closed Mouth Camel.stl". 40% infill, tree supports for neck and head, and a 3mm brim.

2) File down until smooth, then paint the camels' bodies sandy/mustard yellow, and saddles a dark, leafy green (the camels in Lanzarote wear green saddles)! I found it was best to do several coats on the bodies, then start work on the saddles, then go back to the bodies to paint over any green splatters I had made.

3) Paint on eyes and eye lashes (camels are known for their long eyelashes!), then seal with gloss varnish. This makes their eyes seem to sparkle, which I thought was a nice touch. I did not varnish over any of the other painted areas.

For a bit of Spanish authenticity, I wrote the names of the 3 camels I met in Lanzarote onto their saddles.

4) The ball will be hit over the camels' humps in order to reach the end of that obstacle. Therefore, I applied green stick-on felt to the ramp part of each hump (use the same green felt you used for the bases of the putting holes).

- WINDMILL (hole 5)

1) 3D print these files (3mm brim, no other supports, 40% infill): "Windmill Handle.stl" (black PLA), "Windmill Roof.stl" (red PLA), "Windmill Body.stl" (black PLA), and "Arrow.stl" (while PLA).

2) Laser cut the following (3mm laser ply): "Windmill Blades.svg","Windmill Blade Circles.svg".

3) Wedge a metal dowel into the hole which runs from one side of the windmill to the other. Thread 1 medium gear and 1 large gear onto it, with the medium gear being on the side with the hole above it being slightly lower than on the other side (this is the front).

3) Stick paper over the ends of the metal dowel, to cover it up (but make sure it can still rotate).

Paint the outside of the windmill in quick drying primer as an undercoat, then a few coats of white acrylic as a topcoat. Keep applying layers until the layer of paper cannot be seen.

4) Stick the laser cut blades to the laser cut circles using wood glue, and leave clamped. The blades should be sandwiched between a circle on either side.

5) Next, apply a wood stain to the laser cut blades and circles.

6) Stick (using Gorilla glue) a metal dowel into the hole in the middle of the laser cut circles and blades. Insert this into the front hole and fix it on the inside with a medium sized gear. This gear should mesh with the gear beneath. If it doesn't, lower the hole by melting a new one into the plastic, using a pyrography pen. Keep everything clamped while setting.

7) On the other side of the model, stick the handle to another metal dowel and fix this on the inside with a small gear, which should mesh with the large gear beneath it. Keep everything clamped while setting.

8) Now try turning the handle to check the blades rotate smoothly. Stick on the 3D printed arrow in the direction that is easiest to turn.

9) Check where the 2 curved grips (printed with the roof) need to be positioned on the bottom of the roof for it to slot onto the top of the windmill. Once you are ready, stick them down with Gorilla Glue and apply a weight (clamping is difficult at this stage).

10) Check the roof fits on the windmill nicely, and you're all good to go!

- CANYONS (hole 6)

Don't worry about this one just yet- we will make it later when constructing the rest of the laser cut elements.

- DRAWBRIDGE (hole 7)

1) Cut out two cuboids of wood: one 11cm long, 4 cm wide, and 4cm tall, and the other 16cm long, 4cm wide, and 4cm tall. Then cut a 4.5cm (horizontal distance) slope out of the shorter piece of wood, to create a ramp down, which the ball will slide into the finishing hole.

In the middle of the not-sloped area of the shorter piece of wood, cut a half-circle (diameter 5.5cm) using a bandsaw. Do the same in the longer and unsloped piece of wood, cutting 2 half-circles (both diameter 5.5cm).

You should now have two pieces of wood of equal height and width, the shorter of which has a slope down to the ground, and both have arches on the bottom, giving them "feet" on which they stand.

2) Cut long, thin slices of wood for use as barriers to prevent the ball falling off of the bridge (see attached pictures), and another piece for use as a drawbridge. It should be the same width as the rest of the bridge- 4cm.

Make sure that two wooden barriers either side of the longer section of bridge overhang slightly, so you can drill a hole in each one and connect the drawbridge between them with a dowel (do this now). The barriers themselves should be attached to the drawbridge via small nails, which are more visually appealing than screws, and more to-scale.

3) On the non-sloped end of the shorter section of bridge, glue a ledge that allows the drawbridge to rest in a horizontal position when opened.

4) Screw a small jewellery eyelet to either end of the drawbridge that is not connected to the longer section of bridge. I used glue to ensure they were firmly in place on my model, before going any further.

5) Cut notches in the sides of two 5.5cm lengths of 1cm diameter wooden dowel, so that they can be positioned vertically just before where the drawbridge is hinged, half-resting on the barrier-walls of the bridge to make sure there is plenty of space in between them for the ball to be hit. Glue these on firmly, as they will help support the drawbridge when it is down.

6) Paint the barriers, drawbridge, and undersides of archways with wood stain, and PVA glue tiles over the sides in a brick-like arrangement.

7) Once the PVA is set, apply grout to seal the tiles in place. Before it gets too hard, you will want to wipe away any grout covering the tiles, so that it only fills the gaps in between them. You can also polish the tiles with a damp cloth.

I coated the tiles in a mat varnish just to finish them off, but this is optional.

8) Lay stick-on green felt over the top of the bridge, and down the ramp. Measure carefully before applying, and sticking it down may require an extra set of hands to help prevent creasing.

9) Fix a metal chain from the eyelets on the end of the drawbridge to the top of the vertical posts (you will have to glue them here with Gorilla Glue or similar).

10) Paint 2 large wooden beads (diameter approx. 1.5cm) black and fill the holes with air drying clay.

Finish them with varnish (gloss or matt).

11) Glue the "balls" on top of the vertical wooden posts, making sure you keep them weighted down (e.g. with a heavy book).

The drawbridge should not be complete, but remember to check that the bridge can both open and close fully before sticking it down later onto its base!

- CAVES (hole 8)

1) Design the shape of your tunnels using wire mesh and glue lids. Remember, it needs to be removeable once the caves are dry and set, so don't make anything to complex. I made one cave with two entrances and one exit, and another with one entrance and 3 exits. Be creative!

2) Then wrap plaster bandage cloth around your structures, building up thick layers of wall.

3) Remove any supports from the inside of the caves, and paint what you have made grey. I mixed in silver glitter to make them more interesting.

- BOAT (hole 9)

1) Cut a piece of wood approx. 12.3cm long, 4.5cm high, and 4.3cm wide.

2) Drill a 2cm diameter hole directly down through the middle (longways). I used a pillar drill for this, as it would be difficult to align perfectly otherwise.

3) Then cut a triangular section off of each end to form a boat hull shape.

4) Drill a hole the same width as your wooden dowel where the mast would be- in the middle of the top surface of your hull (see images attached to this step). Insert your wooden dowel into this hole, cutting it at approx. 14.5cm. I made it so that I could easily remove the mast from the hull, making it easier to flat pack

5) Drill a hole through the bottom of the hull (short ways), underneath the larger 2cm diameter hole. Cut two curved support pieces of wood with holes that correspond to this one, and connect all 3 pieces together with a metal dowel. This allows the boat to rock on a hinge, as if bobbing on the waves.

When you attach the boat to the base of the course, you will attach it via the curved supports (with their flat faces down), meaning the boat can still rock.

6) Paint everything you have made so far- the hull, mast and curved supports (I painted these sparkly blue like waves). You may also wish to accessorise the boat with 3D printed decorations such as life rings, star fish or anchors (see step 5 for stl files).

7) Cut a piece of fabric to size, as a sail for your boat. Whether you double it up, hem it, paint or embroider it, it is up to you. I kept it simple with a seaside design painted on in acrylics. Remember, you will need to sew a shaft for the mast to slot into, and you want this to be quite tight so the mast doesn't spin around when the boat rocks.

8) Almost there now! Cut a piece of wood approximately 7cm long, 3cm wide, and 1.2cm high. It should be just tall enough to allow the boat to rest against it in a fairly upright position, but when a ball is hit up the ramp and into the boat, the boat should rock to the other side. Getting the right size, shape and angle on the ramp is key, and worth taking some time over.

9) Because the boat is another water-themed obstacle, I covered the ramp in blue stick-on felt to

help it blend in with the blue felt on the floor of this hole. If you would rather, you could paint it blue like the curved supports instead.

You're on a roll! Obstacles done, onto the next step!

I used bright, vibrant colours for my clubs, to fit with the tropical theme of the game! Make as many clubs as you want, so everyone can play!

1) 3D print the club ends attached "Club Foot.stl". I used 40% infill with a 3mm brim around the base for support.

2) Cut the handles to length. I used 1cm diameter, 15.5cm long wooden dowel, and sanded down the ends onto which the clubs will fit.

I also used a pillar drill to embed 4mm thick, 3mm diameter mini magnets into the opposite end, to use when picking the ball up out of the finish holes. This is a nice little bonus feature, and finishes the clubs very nicely.

Make sure that when attaching the foot and the Neodymium magnet onto the wooden poles, you glue them in securely. I used Gorilla Glue again.

3) Download the attached score cards and print them off. "Score cards download.pdf".

4) Download the attached "Instructions.pdf" file and print out. I did mine double sided, then laminated it for safe-keeping!

That's this step done- congrats!

Now it is time to make the bag for storing balls, clubs and score cards, and the fabric map itself:

1) First, draw out the design on the attached image on tracing paper. This is my design for the decorative, Spanish-inspired lino printing tile I used. Then carve out the white bits represented on the picture. I would suggest planning out the size of your final mat so that you can scale the size of the printing stamp, so there are no half-stamps (which don't look as good!).

2) Perform a few test prints on scrap fabric, before moving on to print over fabric for the map and the bag. It's best to cover any parts you don't want to print on (i.e. the island) with masking tape and paper so you don't need to paint over the blue paint when decorating them!).

Paint the island onto the map by first sponging on the darker shades of brown, working up towards the lighter shades, creating a textured landscape effect. To make cleaner edges, I painted the outer edge of the island with a brush. Attached is a picture of my map shape, which you can use as a reference for your own.

3) Once the paint has all dried apply lining, and sew bunting tape around the edges. I used the bag as a test piece, so when I did the map, I had a higher chance of getting everything right first time round! Design your map to fit your obstacles as best as possible. As a point of reference my overall dimensions were 63x247cm, and for the bag, 30x30cm.

4) Back to the lino cutting! Use the templates attached to draw out the letters "LANZAROTE" on your lino, and carve these out along with the sunshine and "NORTE" (North in Spanish!) and arrow stamps. You can either open the "Sun and letters.ai" file if you have Adobe Illustrator, or you can open the image instead.

5) Again, make sure to test these before applying them to your now almost-completed map! Then, when you are ready, stamp the (yellow) sunshine on the top right , and each of the (alternating yellow and red) letters (in order to spell "LANZAROTE") in the bottom left hand corner. You may need to apply multiple coats of paint for the colours to be bright and vivid and for the blue not to show through from beneath.

6) Once dry, apply the (red) final stamp (reading "NORTE" with an arrow) and make sure to point it North. Again, you may need several coats of paint to make it bold and clear.

7) Now back to the bag. Accessorise it to store whatever parts of the game you like. Mine stores 4 clubs, 4 balls (in a plastic pot), and plenty of score cards in a small, lino printed pouch.

That's all your textiles over and done with! Keep up the good work... You'll get there! :)

This was one of my favourite parts of the journey... Everything seems to come together nicely, so quickly! Hopefully you'll enjoy it too- here's how it goes:

1) Laser cut the attached files "Hole Edges.ai" and "Hole Bases.ai". While the bases will need both cutting and engraving (the hole names and numbers are to be engraved), the walls will only need to be cut, but 2 sets of these will need to be produced. Use 6mm laser ply for all of these.

The next file "Canyons Walls.ai" is to be cut in 3mm laser ply.

If you do not have access to adobe illustrator, work on the attached images and cut out the shapes by hand.

2) Stick the walls together in their corresponding pairs and paint the inside edges white, but leave the outsides. This is because it is not easily to paint the insides once the felt has been stuck down inside. I started with a Zinsser primer base coat, then applied 3 top coats of acrylic white. Remember this edge is likely to be hit and battered about by balls and clubs, so you want to provide it with maximum protection to avoid chipped paint!

As for the canyons, you should have 4 thinner layers of varying sizes (to recreate natural canyon strata). There should be two larger ones- one for the top, and one for the bottom. The other two (medium and small sizes) go in between. Glue them together as with the others above, but stain golden-brown instead of painting them white. Stain the top and inside of the walls, but not the outside.

You should also have some smaller laser cut pieces which act like rocks, obstructing the path of the ball, meaning the player has to hit around them. Like the walls, stack with the largest on top and bottom, then the two in between sizes in the middle. Apply a stain. Stain all the exposed surfaces (except the bottom edge).

3) Cut out and stick down the felt, applying it carefully to all the bases (make sure the laser-cut names and numbers and facing down, not up, or they will get covered!). Take care to smooth out wrinkles that may disrupt the movement of the ball as it rolls across. Note: I used green felt (as customary in Lanzarote) for all the holes except 1, 7 and 9, as these are water-themed.

4) Use wood glue to stick the walls and bases together, making sure the names on the bases are facing down, not up! You will need a generous amount of glue to stick the bottom wall layer onto the felt (as the felt will absorb quite a lot). Weigh down all parts being glued with heavy books if you haven't got enough clamps.

5) Paint the outsides and top edges of all the holes, taking care not to splatter the natural wooden bases or the colourful felt on each one. On the canyons, you will need to paint the outside edges, not the top (as this should have wood stain on it). I used masking tape to protect the bottom, but using masking tape for this purpose on the felt can damage it. Instead, take great care and wipe any splatters off immediately with a little warm water. I found that painting over the layer of felt that protrudes between the bottom edge and base layers quite difficult, as new coats kept being reabsorbed. A thick enough layer of undercoat should do the job!

6) 3D print in black (to contrast the white of the walls) the small numbers reading 1-9, and stick them with Gorilla Glue onto their corresponding hole numbers. This makes identifying hole easy when playing the game, without the need to lift each hole up individually to check its number.

Alternatively, you can write the numbers on in black permanent pen, although this might not be as effective.

7) Use a large 1cm diameter drill bit to make holes in the bases. This is where you aim to putt the ball in each course. What made this step tricky was ensuring the felt wouldn't be ripped up by the turning motion of the drill. Luckily, I found that clamping the area with a piece of wood over the felt to protect it, and using a pillar drill, prevented this from happening. See the attached photo as guidance on where I put the holes.

8) Almost there- it's time to stick down the obstacles. Make sure you match the correct obstacle to the correct hole! I glued mine down using plenty of Gorilla Glue. I was initially concerned that the weight of some of the heavier obstacles (e.g. the volcano) could rip the felt off the base if I turned it upside down, but I found that this wasn't the case. However, if you are concerned then you may wish to use dowels to help anchor the heavier obstacles to the base. The only obstacle I chose to do this for was the dolphins. This hole had a small surface area in contact with the ground, and the dolphins are potentially vulnerable to being knocked over if simply glued to the felt. I did this by drilling a hole in each of the dolphins' tails (be careful not to go all the way through) that corresponded to holes in the base (I chose to drill holes all the way through the base for maximum grip of the dowels). I connected the two together using a small amount of wooden dowel, in addition to Gorilla Glue. This held the dolphins firmly in place. See the attached photo as guidance.

9) Although mainly for aesthetic purposes, you may wish to decorate parts of the course with shells, sand and rocks (I used materials collected from Lanzarote whilst on holiday). This can also serve as a way of directing players along a certain route, or cordoning off areas that aren't supposed to be part of the course (e.g. under the bridge). See the attached photos for inspiration on how to decorate.

Attached are also designs for cacti, seagulls, crabs, flowers and starfish that can be 3D printed and applied to your course. These are flora and fauna I encountered on my travels in Lanzarote.

10) You may wish to 3D Print (dual filament green and white) the miniature Playa Blanca-inspired houses (which are used to decorate the canyons later). For print settings, I used 0% infill with a 3mm brim for support around the edge.

I filled the 2 swimming pools with clear resin (dyed blue). Depending on the product, leave resin to set for at least 24 hours.

I used these to build a small village on the top of the canyons, making use of the flat surface!

11) The last step! Practice hitting a ball through the course and try to determine where would be the most suitable place to position the starting point for the ball for each course. Once you have decided, mark it with a single dot using a permanent pen.

Happy Golfing! Congratulations on completing this instructable! I hope you've enjoyed every moment of it, and now have an amazing, functioning product!

…And that’s it! Project 'completo'!

I found this project exciting and ambitious. It developed my skills in digital design, 3D Printing, laser cutting, and more! When I began this project I wondered why there were no similar products available on the market. The reason is, I believe, that it took many hours of work and effort to create. It has been a labour of love.

I have enjoyed playing with friends, family and neighbours. Every game is different; you never know which way the ball will go! Whatever the weather, we can enjoy some Lanzarote sunshine in our little corner of the world.

Finally, please look at the "Inspiration and Design Process.pdf" document attached on step 1 if you have not done so already, to see pictures of the final product.

Enjoy!

Please enjoy a short video of the final product:

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