Miniature golf became popular in the United States during the 1920s. GOTL's course is based on the design used by courses that New York City's millionaires had built on the rooftops of their penthouses when miniature golf was a faddish game for the rich. The village's oldest miniature golf course was built in 1924, and its owners claim it is the oldest of its kind in continuous play, meaning that while other miniature golf courses predate this one, they no longer exist. Owners have included Victor Goettel, Herb Thomas and his son Richard Thomas. Bill and Georgette Allison purchased the course in 1981 and revamped it with artificial greens and removed excess landscaping while preserving the layout and challenging features of the original design. There were at least two other miniature courses on The Strip: the Pera family's Pier Golf Gardens in front of the Pier Ballroom, and the Olympic Midway's obstacle golf course at the rear of the arcade.
