In 1997, Mick Cullen decided that he would realize a dream he had growing up-- to see how much miniature golf he and his friends & family could play in one day. He mapped out a trek spanning six courses in Wisconsin and Illinois-- Congo River (Kenosha, WI), Action Territory (Kenosha, WI), Sisolak's Golf-A-Rama (two 18-hole courses in Beach Park, IL), Lighthouse (Waukegan, IL), and Kristof's (Round Lake Beach, IL). Three of those six courses have since been bulldozed. Thirteen hardy competitors signed up for what was anointed the MC Mini Masters, and by the second course of the day they knew they were on to something special and were telling Mick he needed to do it again the next year. Michael Cullen galloped to a wide victory that day, scoring 31 under par (a record that stood until 2006) to beat Aaron Hanson by 13 strokes.

The next year the field slipped to a mere 11, again won by Michael Cullen by just a stroke over Aaron Hanson. Since that time, the Mini Masters has become somewhat of a phenomenon, with fields as large as 46 players, a pair of feature columns covering it in the Chicago Tribune, and three different competitors who were champions on the ABC extreme miniature golf game show Holey Moley.

We had to cancel the 2020 event due to the pandemic, but in 2021, the Mini Masters turned 24! The 24th edition of the tournament featured a six-course lineup with only one course from the original year's schedule (Kristof's). Seventeen different layouts have made an appearance in the six-course menu over the years. Very meticulous records are kept. The M.C. Mini Masters is easily the most exhausting fun you will ever have playing miniature golf!

Ugly Jacket
Goes to the overall champion

Puttz Division Champion
Trophy awarded to lowest score by previous overall tournament champion

Putterz Division Champion
Trophy awarded to lowest score by player who has never won the overall tournament title (2nd and 3rd place also receive trophies)

Junior Division Champion
Trophy awarded to lowest-scoring player age 13 or under

Rookie of the Year
Trophy awarded to first-year player with lowest overall score

Most Holes-in-one Trophy
Trophy awarded to the player with the most holes-in-one; yes, the proper plural is "holes-in-one"

Thrift store prizes
Awarded to both the best-scoring and worst-scoring player on each course

Course trophies
Homemade trophies awarded to the low-scoring player on each course

Most Improved
Trophy awarded to the player whose score is he biggest improvement over their previous best performance in an MCMM

Most Improved (individual course)
Trophies awarded to the player whose score at each course is the furthest below their previous best score at that course in an MCMM

Best Dressed
Trophy awarded to the individual whose attire puts the rest of us to shame