Flamingo Miniature Golf – Ship Bottom LBI New Jersey

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Mod Betty doesn’t go in much for sports (as her muscle tone might show) but when she spies a cheery old fashioned miniature golf course, she’s ready to hit the links! One of the sweetest courses I’ve come across in my Retro Roadmap travels is Bill Burr’s Flamingo Mini Golf. 

Opened by art teacher Bill Burr in 1960, the course has been under the stewardship of Kirk V since 2000 (the year Bill passed away). Kirk takes his groundskeeping seriously, repainting the pastel wooden “obstacles” each year, planting fresh flowers in the flower boxes, and ensures there are rubber duckies bobbing along in the fountain. While there are some flamingos scattered about the landscape, Mod Betty doesn’t think there are nearly enough, and has provided them with some official Featherstone Flamingos to give some credibility to the name. 

This is no extreme sport, which ensures there’s plenty of fun for all ages and abilities. There’s a waterwheel, some ten-pin bowling pins, rotating paddles and of course that old standby - the windmill. Think you’re getting good at the game? There are tournaments to compete in. Or you can just enjoy the simple pleasures of playing this cheery colored course and posing for silly photos. 

The season runs from mid-May to mid-September, and playing round of miniature putt has become a tradition in many returning families (including famousos Ray Romano and Jimmy Kimmell, according to Kirk.) Pick your ball - brightly colored or sports themed, and on the 18th hole you may win a prize! 

Mod Betty Says

Ship Bottom is on Long Beach Island, known as LBI by the locals

This would make a great location for a vintage photo shoot, pastel-style!

Don’t forget your sunscreen on a sunny summer day, reminds Mod B