Hole #4 - Windy

This hole provides a twist on the traditional miniature golf course windmill hole.  Instead of a typical 4-blade Dutch style windmill, this one is more like a wind turbine with three thin blades. 

The tee shot is actually "blind" as the fairway past the wind turbine goes under a park bench (that was there before the hole) that blocks the view to the green--unless you're really tall.  The green itself is tiny, usually leaving just a tap-in if you don't get a hole-in-one.  Also, with the hole close to the backboard, you can possibly get a hole-in-one by banking the tee shot off the back border.

Hole #4 Tee	Hole #4 Green

Hole #4 - Fairway running under bench.

Hole Development

It seems every miniature golf course should have a windmill hole.  My first idea was to use an old ceiling fan (I have one) turned on its side, but its size and the need to run electricity to it would have made locating and building it a challenge.

Another idea I pursued was using a clock pendulum instead of the wind turbine as an obstacle (the name of the hole might have been "Ticking Away" or something like that).  I actually bought a cheap clock movement with a pendulum (from, where else, Amazon) to try this, but the item was really flimsy and really wouldn’t stop a golf ball so I returned it.

Eventually, I found these wind chime spinners on Amazon that looked like they might be useful so I bought a couple (the other one was used on #3).  At some point I got the idea to put the spinner sideways and attach blades to it to create a windmill—but use only three blades to make it look like a wind turbine. 

As originally designed, it was a little too easy to get the ball between the blades so, at my brother's suggestion, I added squares of corrugated plastic to the ends to make it a little tougher. 

How It Was Built

The blades of the wind turbine are, yet again, chopsticks.  This time they’re painted white and glued to a small triangular piece of wood paneling.  The blades are then attached to that wind chime spinner using a small picture-hanging nail.  The spinner is attached to the bottom of the park bench using a downspout gutter strap and a couple screws.

As mentioned in hole #3, I found these Chinese wind chime spinners are not rain proof as advertised.  To protect this one I have a piece of an old shower curtain draped over the apparatus when not in use.  This has successfully protected it from rain and sprinklers and goes on or off in seconds.

The rest of the hole is pretty standard with plywood fairway and green boards attached with mending plates and pipe insulation borders.

An old rug straddles both sides of the tee to provide a comfortable place to stand while teeing off.

Windy is the last hole in the West End and the next 2 holes are back inside.