For Michael Babcock, Alex Cram and Anthony Haakenson, surprises — and traditions — have come in unusual places.
In 2009, the three college friends stumbled upon an abandoned mini golf course while on an annual camping trip in central Wisconsin. Making light of an odd situation, they grabbed a set of golf clubs from the back of Babcock’s vehicle and started to play the game.
There, a tradition was born in the lives of the three men.
“We said ‘Why not do this next year?’” Babcock said. “Every year it’s been just a little more serious pushing the boundaries.”
The trio has now spent the last decade traveling around the United States to claim the title of the longest-running mini golf tournament in the country. They play mini golf in one state per year, racking up points to tally on their running scores.
In its 11th year, the tournament will take the men — all in their mid-30s — to Virginia. They will visit about two dozen mini golf courses, including two in Williamsburg.
In an inaugural twist on their decade-long tradition, Babcock, Cram and Haakenson are also fundraising for a charity in the state: the Children’s Home Society of Virginia.
The men are encouraging donations to the Children’s Home Society, and are also picking up mini golf vouchers from the courses they visit. Those vouchers will be given to the charity for families and children to use and spend time together, Babcock said.
The Children’s Home Society is a nonprofit and one of Virginia’s oldest adoption agencies.
“In late November, we said we’re going to make it work this year,” Babcock said. “We decided whatever we partner with was going to be something that fit what we were doing. So we thought, mini golf. What is mini golf? It’s a kid’s game. It’s something fun for families to do and memories to be made.”
Babcock said the group has raised less than $500 in cash, but most of the courses they’re scheduled to play at have donated vouchers for the Children’s Home Society of Virginia.
“We loved a lot of [the charity’s] language talking about ‘forever,’” Babcock added. “It hit home for all of us. That’s the ultimate. If we can be a part of making someone’s memories better … we’ll all just be so amazed.”
Traveling fun
While the men are playing mini golf for a good cause this year, spending time together and getting in touch with the communities they visit is a big part of their trips.
“I personally love to travel to small towns,” Babcock said. “It’s easy to go to [Washington] D.C. or New York, but it’s really fun to visit the small towns in the middle of it all.”
Of all 10 states the group has visited so far, Babcock said his favorite was Maine in 2018. They visited a few eclectic mini golf courses, including one in Boothbay Harbor owned by a mini golf Hall of Fame member.
The mini golf tournament has helped the men get in touch with various communities, but it also has helped them retain their connections amongst themselves. All three grew up in the midwestern Twin Cities, Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Babcock now lives in Michigan, is married and has a child. Haakenson lives in Minneapolis and Cram in San Francisco.
“We don’t have as much time as we’d like to have, but we do a lot while we’re there,” Babcock said.
Onward
Babcock is the only golfer in the group, but is falling behind in the running score.
Haakenson is leading the score “by far,” Babcock said, and is in the possession of the group’s custom-made championship ring, which is given to the tournament’s annual leader.
Babcock said the Mini Golf Guys also plan to select a charity in future years to continue giving back to the states they visit.
For those who want to follow the trio’s tournament progress, there are numerous charts on their website documenting the scores.
Haakenson leads the score so far with 7 state wins and 9,557 strokes.
“We like math and numbers,” Babcock said of the tracking charts.
“We’re kind of dorks.”