The weather still feels like summer, but as the area turns to fall, local golfers will need a place to get their putting fix. And good news: Milwaukee’s Nine Below has announced the debut of its Mini Golf Open tournament, beginning in a little more than two weeks.
Nine Below, which calls itself "the world’s first Maker’s Mini Golf Tavern," will host month-long mini golf tournaments, "a new twist on socially competitive bar leagues," according to general manger Katelyn Kinser. The first tournament cycle launches Oct. 12, with four qualifying rounds – one per week – culminating in a Sunday championship on Nov. 5.
The trendy underground bar, at 1905 E. North Ave., where customers design and create their own indoor course, offers an innovative twist on miniature golf. Nine Below will design and build unique 18-hole courses for each qualifying round, and teams of two-to-four players will compete for a spot in the final event. The top four teams from each round will advance to the championship, where they will have a chance to win more than $500 in cash and prizes.
"Nine Below was designed to resemble an 18-hole mini golf course at dusk, complete with team golf carts, themed cocktails and unpredictable obstacles," Kinser said. "Our regular weekly Maker’s Golf Rounds have become so popular that we decided to add tournament-style events to the list of ways that Milwaukeeans can enjoy #beerandputtputt.
"We’re thrilled to see what this city has to offer in terms of Mini Golf talent. Plus, our awesome Mini Golf Open sponsors have some extra-special surprises up their sleeves for everyone who participates."
Current sponsors include PBR, Fireball and Jägermeister. Kinser said that four independent tournament cycles are currently scheduled:
Tournament Cycle 1: Oct. 12-Nov. 5
Tournament Cycle 2: Jan. 10-Feb. 4, 2018
Tournament Cycle 3: April 18-May 13, 2018
Tournament Cycle 4: Aug. 1-Aug 26, 2018
Teams – with players ages 15 and above welcome – can sign up for the Nine Below Mini Golf Open here.
Born in Milwaukee but a product of Shorewood High School (go ‘Hounds!) and Northwestern University (go ‘Cats!), Jimmy never knew the schoolboy bliss of cheering for a winning football, basketball or baseball team. So he ditched being a fan in order to cover sports professionally - occasionally objectively, always passionately. He's lived in Chicago, New York and Dallas, but now resides again in his beloved Brew City and is an ardent attacker of the notorious Milwaukee Inferiority Complex.
After interning at print publications like Birds and Blooms (official motto: "America's #1 backyard birding and gardening magazine!"), Sports Illustrated (unofficial motto: "Subscribe and save up to 90% off the cover price!") and The Dallas Morning News (a newspaper!), Jimmy worked for web outlets like CBSSports.com, where he was a Packers beat reporter, and FOX Sports Wisconsin, where he managed digital content. He's a proponent and frequent user of em dashes, parenthetical asides, descriptive appositives and, really, anything that makes his sentences longer and more needlessly complex.
Jimmy appreciates references to late '90s Brewers and Bucks players and is the curator of the unofficial John Jaha Hall of Fame. He also enjoys running, biking and soccer, but isn't too annoying about them. He writes about sports - both mainstream and unconventional - and non-sports, including history, music, food, art and even golf (just kidding!), and welcomes reader suggestions for off-the-beaten-path story ideas.
