Mini Golf at the Southfield Office Opening Party

These are a few images from the golf hole I did. It features a motorized windmill. The actual cup is up a small ramp and uses the Light and Sound element from Insectoids to add some excitement.

The hole was a par 4 due to two doglegs.

Windmill Front

Windmill Side

I had a fair amount of gearing in use to get the fairly massive (about 30 beams in all between 4 blades) windmill arms moving smoothly, but not too quickly. I used a '35 motor for power. I tried to use a Technic turntable but stumbled over making all 4 arms symmetrical. The 40 tooth gears and technic triangles were a compromise but worked.

Ball exit from back of Windmill

The ball has to go all the way through the windmill from front to back. It took a certain amount of timing to get past the blades with the correct momentum. The windmill ran continuously for 4 hours (powered by a train speed controller at full throttle, the blades make perhaps one revolution every 10-15 seconds)

The Cup at last.

After exiting the windmill, another dogleg brings players to the cup.

More soccer players are watching the action. The actual scoring spot is the depression formed by the two red slopes (front side of depression) and the sounder buttons (back side of depression). Getting the ball up the ramp at the right speed is very tricky and cost a lot of folks a lot of strokes, since I had a rule in effect that any ball that came to rest anywhere on any baseplate had to be restarted (I didn't want people swinging their putters near the lego).

Here are the rules that were in effect for the hole.

1. This hole requires finesse, be gentle.
2. You must go through the windmill, not around. Enter through the windmill blade entrance and out the back.
3. A ball that comes to a stop on a base plate MUST be restarted from the direction of entry without penalty.
4. Knocking one or more pieces off accidentally, 2 stroke penalty.
5. Knocking one or more pieces off intentionally, (discretion of the audience or LAR) 5 stroke penalty.
6. The cup is the pocket formed by red slope and the diamond shaped sounder.
7. Getting the ball to hit diamond shaped sounder, and causing it to sound, 3 stroke bonus.
8. Getting the ball to hit either of the upper two sounders, and causing them to sound, 5 stroke bonus.
   Final Rule: Lar is the final arbiter on this hole (and will not play it, but will take the worst score anyone else turns in instead as his score on this hole)

Another team managed to shoot a natural 4 with the hard sounder, for an adjusted -1 score on the hole.

The best I personally was able to do in practice was 9, and in competition I shot a 19 (not the worst score turned in by anyone, actually, that was a 23).

Here's a quote from Bernie, our group manager:

Just for the record - I did not purposely try to destroy your awesome Lego golf hole. I just got frustrated and moved back and took a firm putt - by accident it took the guy off the top. I think your Lego golf hole was the best of all.