The built Mini Golf kit

Smartivity bonus

Mini Golf bonus activities

4 missions and 3 tinker tests. Can you win all 7 stars?

Four new things to try with your Mini Golf. None of them are in the manual. Pick one, or try them all this week.

0 of 7 done

Tap Done! on a mission to win its star.

Your missions

  1. Mission 1 of 4

    Par card

    • Paper + pencil

    Decide a "par" for each hole (how many shots a good player needs). Play and write your score as over or under par. One under is a birdie, one over is a bogey.

  2. Mission 2 of 4

    Alternate shot

    • 2 pairs

    Play in pairs, taking turns hitting the same ball, like the "foursomes" format in real golf tournaments.

  3. Mission 3 of 4

    Trick shot

    • Phone camera

    Invent one trick shot, like knocking a Popper and then reaching a flag. Name it and film it.

  4. Mission 4 of 4

    Course map

    • Paper + pencil

    Draw a map of the course from above. Label every hole and its points, then add one hole you would invent.

Tinker it

Change one thing. Guess. Test 3 times. Write it down.

  1. Tinker test 1 of 3

    Add the Rough

    • Kitchen roll + tape
    • Ruler

    What you'll change: Lay a kitchen roll strip on the course so the Ball rolls over a soft, bumpy surface instead of the smooth board.

    1. Turn the Golfer to aim down an open stretch of the course. Press the PUSH button all the way, at the same speed, 3 times. Each time, measure in cm with a ruler how far the Ball rolled from its start spot. If it hits a wall, write "wall". If it drops in, write "in the hole".
    2. Lay a strip of kitchen roll flat on that path, starting just past the Ball's start spot. Hold each end down with masking tape, or a coin, placed off the path. This is your "rough".
    3. Predict: will the Ball stop sooner, go farther or roll the same?
    4. Take 3 more shots with the same aim and the same full, steady press. Measure and write down each one.
    5. Compare your two lists. Which surface made the Ball roll farther? Was your prediction right?

    What's going on: The soft, bumpy towel takes energy from the rolling Ball faster than the smooth board does, so the Ball slows down and stops sooner. On real golf courses the grass is mowed very short so balls roll far. The longer grass along the edges of the fairway, called "the rough", slows the ball down.

    Safety and undo: Nothing on the kit gets cut, bent or changed. Keep tape off the holes and printed walls, and peel it off slowly. To undo, lift the kitchen roll away. Keep the game on a flat, hard table, as the manual says.

  2. Tinker test 2 of 3

    Read the Green

    • Coins + masking tape
    • Ruler

    What you'll change: Tilt the course a little to one side by putting coins under one edge, so the Ball has to roll across a slope.

    1. Turn the Golfer to aim down an open stretch of the course. Press the PUSH button all the way, at the same speed, 3 times. Put a small piece of masking tape on the course, off the holes, at the middle of where the 3 shots stopped. This is your "straight" mark.
    2. Slide 2 small stacks of 1-rupee coins (2 or 3 coins each) under one side edge of the course, one stack near each end, so it tilts just a little. Press on the course gently to check that it sits steady and does not rock.
    3. Predict: will the Ball still stop at your mark, or will it curve? Which way will it curve, and how far?
    4. Keep the same aim and the same full, steady press. Take 3 shots and measure in cm with a ruler how far left or right of the mark each one stopped. Then move the coins to the other side and take 3 more shots.
    5. Compare your three lists. Which way did the Ball curve each time? Was your prediction right?

    What's going on: On a slope, gravity keeps pulling the rolling Ball a little bit downhill, so its path bends into a curve. Golfers call this curve "break". Before they putt, they "read the green" to look for slopes, and they aim a little uphill to make up for it.

    Safety and undo: Use low coin stacks only, and keep the table itself flat and hard. If the course rocks when you press PUSH, take a coin off. To undo, take the coins out so the course sits flat again, the way the manual says to play. Peel the tape off slowly. Nothing on the kit gets changed.

  3. Tinker test 3 of 3

    Soft Hit, Hard Hit

    • Tissue + masking tape
    • Ruler

    What you'll change: Tape a small, soft pad onto the spot where the Golfer hits the Ball, so the hit is soft instead of hard.

    1. Turn the Golfer to aim down an open stretch of the course. Press the PUSH button all the way, at the same speed, 3 times. Each time, measure in cm with a ruler how far the Ball rolled from its start spot. If it hits a wall, write "wall".
    2. Predict: with a soft pad, will the Ball go farther, go shorter or go the same distance?
    3. Fold a tissue into a small square, 2 to 4 layers thick and no bigger than the spot where the Golfer touches the Ball. A grown-up holds it on that spot with one small piece of masking tape. Put the Ball in its spot and check that the pad does not touch or push it. If it does, use fewer layers. Press the PUSH button once, slowly, without a Ball, to check that the Golfer still moves freely.
    4. Use the same aim and the same full, steady press. Take 3 shots, then measure and write down each one.
    5. Compare your two lists. Which hit sent the Ball farther? Was your prediction right?

    What's going on: When a hard surface hits the Ball, most of the energy of the hit goes into the Ball. A soft pad squishes, so it soaks up part of that energy, and the Ball leaves more slowly. It's like catching a ball with a pillow instead of a board.

    Safety and undo: Keep the pad small and light. If the Golfer sticks or will not swing freely, take the pad off. Never force it. To undo, peel the tape off slowly. Nothing on the kit gets cut, bent or glued.

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